Short Game

Putting Tips for Left Handed Golfers: Master the Green as a Lefty

Published March 27, 2026 · 11 min read

If you have ever searched for putting tips for left handed golfers, you have probably run into the same frustrating problem we all have. Most results for "left handed putting tips" are actually about the "left hand low" grip, a technique designed for right-handed golfers who place their left hand below their right on the putter. That has nothing to do with being a left-handed golfer. This guide is written entirely for actual left-handed golfers who stand on the opposite side of the ball and need putting instruction built from the ground up for their perspective.

Putting accounts for roughly 40 percent of all strokes in a round of golf. For lefties, the challenge goes beyond just reading greens and controlling speed. We deal with putters designed around right-handed ergonomics, practice greens worn by right-handed foot traffic, and instructional content that rarely speaks to our setup. The good news is that once you understand the adjustments, you can build a putting stroke that is repeatable, confident, and deadly accurate.

Putting Tips for Left Handed Golfers: Grip Options That Actually Work

Your grip is the only connection between your body and the putter, so getting it right is the foundation of everything else. Left-handed golfers have three primary grip styles to choose from, and each one has distinct advantages depending on your tendencies and comfort level. If you need a refresher on grip fundamentals, our left-handed grip guide covers the basics in detail.

Conventional (Reverse Overlap) Grip for Lefties

The conventional putting grip is the most popular option on tour and a great starting point for most left-handed golfers. For a lefty, here is how it works:

Left hand (trail hand): Place it on the grip first. All four fingers wrap around the handle with the thumb running straight down the front of the shaft.
Right hand (lead hand): Place it above the left hand. The index finger of the left hand extends down and overlaps the fingers of the right hand.
Pressure: Keep grip pressure light and even, around a 4 out of 10. You want to feel the weight of the putter head, not strangle it.

The conventional grip gives you a balanced feel with both hands contributing equally to the stroke. It works well for lefties who prefer a smooth, pendulum-style motion.

Cross-Handed (Lead Hand Low) Grip for Lefties

The cross-handed grip has gained significant popularity because it helps eliminate wrist breakdown through impact. For left-handed golfers, the setup is:

Right hand (lead hand): Goes on the bottom of the grip, closer to the putter head.
Left hand (trail hand): Goes on top, further from the putter head.
This reversal locks the left wrist in place and prevents the trail hand from taking over the stroke.

If you struggle with pulling putts or flipping your wrists at impact, the cross-handed grip is worth serious consideration. Many lefty tour pros have switched to this style and seen immediate improvements in consistency.

The Claw Grip for Lefties

The claw grip removes the trail hand almost entirely from the equation. For a left-handed golfer:

Right hand (lead hand): Grips the putter normally at the top.
Left hand (trail hand): Instead of wrapping around the grip, the fingers lightly pinch the shaft between the thumb and forefinger, almost like holding a pen. The palm faces away from your body.

The claw is particularly effective for left-handed golfers who fight the yips or have an overactive trail hand. It forces the lead hand and shoulders to control the stroke, producing a more consistent path.

        Pro Tip: Spend at least two full practice sessions with each grip style before making a decision. What feels awkward on day one often feels natural by day three. The best putting grip for you is the one that produces the most consistent start line, not the one that feels most comfortable initially.
      

Stance and Alignment: Putting Tips for Left Handed Golfers at Address

Your stance and alignment at address determine whether your putter can swing on its intended path. Getting this wrong means you are compensating throughout the stroke, which kills consistency. For a complete breakdown of setup fundamentals, check out our setup and alignment guide.

Feet and Body Position

Stance width: Shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower. Too wide restricts rotation, and too narrow reduces stability.
Ball position: Slightly forward of center in your stance, roughly under your left eye. For lefties, this means the ball sits a touch closer to your right foot.
Weight distribution: Favor your lead side (right side for lefties) with about 55 to 60 percent of your weight. This promotes a slight descending strike that gets the ball rolling on top of the grass rather than bouncing.
Eye position: Your eyes should be directly over the ball or just inside the target line. Tilt from the hips to achieve this, not from the waist.

Alignment for Left-Handed Putters

Alignment is where many left-handed golfers quietly lose strokes without realizing it. Because we set up on the opposite side, our visual perspective of the target line is different from what right-handed instructional content assumes.

Putter face: Aim the putter face first, then build your stance around it. The face angle at impact determines about 80 percent of the ball's starting direction.
Shoulders: Your shoulder line must be parallel to the target line. For lefties, a common mistake is opening the shoulders slightly because of how we naturally look at the hole from our side.
Forearms: Both forearms should be parallel to each other and to the target line. This ensures the putter swings on a consistent arc.

        Alignment Check: Place a club across your shoulders while in your putting stance. Step back and look at where it points. If it aims left of your target (for a lefty), your shoulders are open. Adjust until the club points parallel to your intended start line.
      

Reading Greens as a Left-Handed Golfer

Green reading is one area where left-handed golfers can actually have an advantage. Because we approach putts from the opposite side, we see breaks and slopes from a different angle than the majority of golfers. This fresh perspective can reveal subtleties that right-handed players miss.

The Lefty Green-Reading Process

Start behind the ball: Crouch down behind your ball and look toward the hole. For lefties, this view is from the opposite side compared to your playing partners, which often gives you a truer read on side-hill putts.
Walk to the low side: The low side of any putt gives you the most accurate read of the slope. Walk to this side and observe how the green tilts.
Check from behind the hole: Walk to the other side and look back toward your ball. This reverse view confirms or adjusts your initial read.
Feel with your feet: As you walk the putt, pay attention to which foot feels higher. Your body is an excellent level detector that most golfers ignore.
Commit to the line: Once you choose your line, trust it completely. Indecision on the green leads to deceleration through the stroke, which causes the ball to come up short and break more than expected.

Distance Control: The Real Secret to Lower Scores

Most amateur golfers obsess over reading the line of a putt, but distance control is what separates a good putter from a great one. Getting the speed right determines not only whether the ball reaches the hole but also how much a putt breaks. A putt hit firmly holds its line; the same putt hit softly breaks twice as much.

Building a Consistent Stroke Length

Distance control comes from the length of your backstroke, not from how hard you hit the ball. Here is a framework for lefties:

Short putts (3 to 5 feet): Backstroke to just past your right toe. Accelerate through and finish with the putter moving past your left toe.
Mid-range putts (10 to 20 feet): Backstroke to your right instep. The follow-through should mirror the backstroke length.
Long putts (30+ feet): Backstroke to your right heel or slightly beyond. Let gravity and momentum do the work rather than adding wrist action.

The key principle for lefties is to keep the putter head low to the ground on both the backstroke and follow-through. A stroke that lifts too quickly on the way back will produce inconsistent contact and unreliable distance.

Short Putts: Putting Tips for Left Handed Golfers Inside 6 Feet

Short putts should be the most automatic part of your game, but they are also where nerves and mechanical breakdowns cause the most damage. For left-handed golfers, the key is simplifying the stroke and eliminating variables.

Pick a spot on the front edge of the hole: Aim for a specific point rather than the entire cup. This narrows your focus and improves accuracy.
Play less break: On short putts, hit the ball firmly enough to hold the line. A putt that is dying into the hole from 4 feet is more likely to lip out than one struck with purpose.
Keep your head still: On putts inside 6 feet, do not look up until you hear the ball hit the bottom of the cup. This prevents your shoulders from opening early, which pulls the ball left for a lefty.
Grip pressure consistency: Maintain the same grip pressure from start to finish. Many lefties unconsciously tighten their grip on short putts, which restricts the natural flow of the stroke.

        Confidence Builder: End every practice session by making 10 three-footers in a row. If you miss, start over. This builds the muscle memory and confidence that transfers directly to the course under pressure.
      

Lag Putting: Getting Close from Long Range

Lag putting is about getting your first putt close enough that the second putt is a tap-in. The goal on any putt over 30 feet is to leave the ball within a 3-foot circle around the hole. Three-putting kills scores faster than any other mistake on the course.

The Lefty Lag Putting System

Pace the distance: Walk from your ball to the hole and count your steps. Each stride is roughly 3 feet. This gives you a concrete number to associate with stroke length.
Look at the hole, not the ball: During your practice strokes, look at the hole and let your body calibrate the stroke length naturally. Your subconscious brain is remarkably good at judging distance when given visual input.
Focus on the 3-foot circle: Visualize a 3-foot circle around the hole. Your goal is to get the ball anywhere inside that circle. This mental shift removes the pressure of trying to make long putts and allows you to swing freely.
Uphill is your friend: When in doubt, leave lag putts on the high side and slightly past the hole. An uphill comebacker is always easier than a downhill slider, regardless of which hand you putt with.

Common Putting Mistakes Left-Handed Golfers Make

After working with hundreds of left-handed golfers on the putting green, these are the most frequent mistakes we see:

Aiming with the body instead of the putter face: Your putter face determines starting direction far more than your stance or shoulder alignment. Always set the face first.
Decelerating through impact: This is the single most common mistake among lefty amateurs. A backstroke that is too long forces you to slow down through the ball, causing pushes and poor distance control.
Using a putter with the wrong lie angle: Many left-handed putters are afterthoughts in a manufacturer's lineup. If the toe or heel of your putter lifts off the ground at address, your lie angle is wrong and will send putts offline. Visit our club fitting guide for details on getting properly fitted.
Ignoring grain direction: On Bermuda grass greens, the grain has a significant effect on ball roll. As a lefty, you are reading the grain from the opposite side, which can cause misreads if you rely on right-handed advice about grain direction.
Practicing without a purpose: Rolling balls aimlessly on the practice green does almost nothing for your game. Every practice putt should have a specific target and a specific focus, whether it is start line, speed, or stroke mechanics.

5 Putting Drills for Left-Handed Golfers

These drills are designed from a lefty perspective and address the specific tendencies and challenges that left-handed golfers face on the green. For more short game improvement ideas, see our complete short game guide.

Drill 1: The Gate Drill (Start Line)

Place two tees in the ground just wider than your putter head, about 6 inches in front of the ball. Practice hitting putts through the gate without touching either tee. This trains a square putter face at impact and a consistent path. For lefties, pay special attention to tee contact on the right side of the gate, as pushing putts is a common lefty tendency.

Drill 2: The Clock Drill (Short Putt Confidence)

Place four balls at 3 feet around the hole at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions. Make all four putts, then move to 4 feet and repeat. Continue moving back until you miss. As a lefty, you will likely find certain clock positions more challenging than others, particularly the putts where the break moves away from your natural visual angle. Focus extra practice on those positions.

Drill 3: The Ladder Drill (Distance Control)

Place tees at 10, 20, 30, and 40 feet from your starting position. Hit one putt to each distance, trying to stop the ball as close to each tee as possible. This calibrates your internal sense of distance and backstroke length. Left-handed golfers should pay particular attention to the transition from the 20-foot stroke to the 30-foot stroke, as this is where most lefties introduce wrist action that hurts consistency.

Drill 4: The Trail Hand Only Drill (Stroke Path)

Putt with only your left hand (trail hand for lefties) on the club. Hit 20 putts from 6 feet using only your trail hand. This drill exposes any trail-hand dominance in your stroke. If your putts scatter wildly, your trail hand is doing too much work in your normal stroke. The goal is smooth, controlled contact even with one hand.

Drill 5: The Eyes Closed Drill (Feel and Tempo)

Set up to a 15-foot putt, take your stance, and close your eyes before making the stroke. After you strike the ball, guess where it stopped before opening your eyes. This drill develops your feel for distance and removes visual distractions that cause lefties to steer the putter. If your guesses are consistently short or long, adjust your calibration on the next putt.

        Practice Plan: Spend 30 minutes per practice session on putting. Allocate 10 minutes to short putts (Gate and Clock drills), 10 minutes to lag putting (Ladder drill), and 10 minutes to stroke mechanics (Trail Hand Only and Eyes Closed drills). Consistency in practice structure leads to consistency on the course.
      

Putter Fitting for Left-Handed Golfers

Equipment matters on the putting green, and left-handed golfers face unique challenges when it comes to finding the right putter. The selection of left-handed putters is smaller than the right-handed market, but the importance of a proper fit is just as critical.

Key Fitting Variables for Lefties

Length: Standard putter length is 34 to 35 inches, but the correct length depends on your height and posture. A putter that is too long forces you to stand too upright, while one that is too short causes you to hunch over. Your eyes should be directly over or just inside the ball at address.
Lie angle: This is the angle between the shaft and the sole of the putter. If the toe sticks up at address, the lie angle is too upright. If the heel lifts, it is too flat. An incorrect lie angle sends putts offline even with a perfect stroke.
Head weight: Heavier putter heads promote a pendulum stroke and work well on faster greens. Lighter heads give you more feel but require more hand action. Most lefties benefit from a slightly heavier head to reduce trail-hand interference.
Head style: Blade putters suit golfers with an arced stroke path, while mallet putters favor a straight-back, straight-through stroke. Test both styles to see which matches your natural motion. Many lefties with a slight arc do well with mid-mallet designs that offer forgiveness without restricting natural movement.
Grip size: Larger grips reduce hand action and promote a shoulder-driven stroke. If you fight the yips or have overactive hands, consider a SuperStroke or Jumbomax grip. Smaller grips provide more feel for touch-oriented putters.

For a comprehensive look at getting fitted as a lefty across all clubs, including putters, read our complete club fitting guide for left-handed golfers.

        Equipment Check: Before investing in a new putter, get fitted by a professional who has experience with left-handed golfers. Many fitters default to right-handed fitting protocols that do not account for the differences in how lefties set up and stroke the ball. A proper fitting session should include lie angle measurement, length assessment, stroke path analysis, and head style evaluation.
      

Bringing It All Together on the Course

Putting is ultimately about confidence, routine, and execution. As a left-handed golfer, you have every tool available to become an elite putter. The adjustments are small but meaningful: choose a grip that eliminates your weaknesses, set up with precise alignment from the lefty perspective, read greens using your unique vantage point, and practice with drills designed for how you actually swing the putter.

Start with the fundamentals covered in this guide. Pick one grip style and commit to it for at least a month. Nail your stance and alignment before worrying about anything else. Then layer in distance control, green reading, and targeted drills. The improvement will come faster than you expect once you stop trying to translate right-handed advice and start training with instruction built for you.

Ready to improve more areas of your short game? Check out our complete short game guide for left-handed golfers covering chipping, pitching, and bunker play. And for the fundamentals that affect every shot, revisit our setup and alignment guide to make sure your foundation is solid.