Have you ever seen a putter grip company take the world by storm the way Super Stroke has? Sure, they have expanded to club grips now as well, but their bread and butter are hands down the putter grip, which remains popular both on tour and at the local muni. They have a plethora of options, but their latest might be their biggest head-turner in years. Ever since the governing bodies put an anchoring ban in place, those affected golfers have been working to find ways to stabilize their stroke. Well, the fine folks at Super Stroke have come out with a new grip called the WristLock, which will help those looking for a way to stabilize their stroke.
When using the WristLock grip, there are straightforward comparisons to the Arm Lock style of putting that we see guys like Matt Kuchar, Bryson DeChambeau, and Webb Simpson employ on the PGA Tour. Webb Simpson is an interesting case study as he was an above-average, steady putter on tour while players were able to anchor. His stats plummeted after the implementation of the anchoring ban. After switching to an Arm Lock putting method, he has climbed the rankings to become one of the top putters on tour. So maybe, just maybe, there is something to this style of putting.
Super Stoke’s WristLock grip isn’t as drastic as the Arm Lock putters. In terms of shaping, this grip doesn’t look that far out of the ordinary at first glimpse; the top portion makes it look like it’s an enlarged pistol grip. However, it’s how the grip is installed that changes its appearance with that butt end facing your lead arm. It also runs a little over 3″ longer than say a Pistol GT grip. Golfers will find its appearance as a very recognizable member of the Super Stroke family. Fans will be happy to know that it carries over that familiar feel as well.
One of the main questions about installing this grip was whether or not it needed to be installed on a longer putter than usual. My current putter of choice measures in at 33.5″ inches. However, when sizing it up, it just didn’t look like it would get the job done. Therefore, this was installed on a 34″ putter. When comparing this setup to other 34″ putters I have laying around, the butt end of the grip does seem to add between a 1/4″ to 1/2″. It’s hard to say if there is going to be a one size fits all install method with this grip. If you are a golfer that hunches over more, you might not have to worry too much about lengthening your putter shaft, whereas if you are more upright, a longer shaft might be needed.
For testing purposes, Wrist Lock was paired with a Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5 putter. This pairing was no accident as it is a putter that I tend to roll with a bit more a forward press than I do with some other putters in the stable. It also played a touch longer than my current putter, which I mentioned above. Because of this design, there are some limitations to this type of grip and putting style. For instance, there are putters out there that won’t pair up with a forward press unless you want to have your favorite putter head modified by perhaps adding some offset and loft. You probably would not have to go as drastic as the Arm Lock putters we see on the market, but remember that the stronger the forward press, the more the loft decreases.
Hands down, the essential question was, how did it work? The answer for that can go in a few different directions, but overall, I was impressed with the results. What this grip did was take my hands out of the putting stroke, or at least it felt like it did. With the grip locked against my wrist and my hands positioned slightly lower, the putter felt like an extension of my left arm. It made it nearly impossible to finish the stroke with the putter shaft leaning backward. You know that result that happens when you make a wristy stroke? My putting stroke felt a bit more rigid, almost mechanical, but yet it was very repeatable. WristLock could very well be a good option for someone who needs to limit the amount of hand action during their putting stroke.
It took some experimentation during testing to find a comfortable setup with the WristLock, but the results were hard to ignore. While I may have sacrificed some feel, I found some consistency on the greens that had evaded me during the earlier parts of the season.
Super Stroke’s latest offering is probably going to be a polarizing product, both from those who don’t want to try it and those who have. Put me in the camp of I can’t tell if I love it or not. There is little doubt that it has produced some positive results, but my mind starts filling up with thoughts about playing a putter that is losing so much loft. I want to say that believing is seeing, and in that case, it’s a different option that could be worthy of a look. Before you do that though, I would take a good look at what putter is in the bag and if you think it would work with a grip like this.
More information can be found at www.superstrokeusa.com.
The Details
Available: Now
Price: $29.99
Colors: Green/White, Orange/White, Black/White
Weight: 75g, can add CounterCore weights
I had another good round with 32 putts over the weekend.
@JB have you had a chance to test this yet? Wonder what your thoughts are for an extension or head adjustment might look like.
Mine arrived yesterday and will get to building this weekend. Pretty excited to give it a go.
Check out this video from @Canadan on lengthen.
https://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-lengthen-a-putter.116793/
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Initial thought is that I’ll definitely have to choke down so it’s playing more like a 32-33" putter in order to get it to lock to my forearm. However, I’m going to try locking in to the nook of my wrist (it is called Wrist Lock after all) and see how that goes.
Once the grip is dry I’ll do a little carpet putting for some more thoughts.
I still don’t know how much of it is the larger, non tapered shape and how much is the knob and longer, semi counterbalance length. I will be putting a SuperStroke Tour 3.0 on my Piretti here soon (next couple weeks) and see for comparison how well that goes. But at this point, it’s looking like this could be a gamer for some time.
Playing at the stock length I find it’s akward trying to find a way to make it work. Left hand low puts the knob in a good position but I feel like I have to hunch over more. Using a grip with my hands in a regular position is a no go as I really have to hunch over to make it work.
Toward the end of my round I started using it as a regular grip, not trying to "lock" at all and my putting improved quite a bit.
I almost think they need to include an extension with this grip to maximize it’s effectiveness. I love seeing that it’s working for others and I’m going to give it a little more time on the practice green and who knows, maybe something will click.
Really interested to hear what you think.
I will be playing again tomorrow with this at an unfamiliar track. Interested to see if almost 2 weeks off and an unfamiliar set of greens mess up my mojo with this thing, because I really had it going last time and I’m feeling confident.
I will be installing a SuperStroke Tour 3.0 on the other putter (Piretti Cottonwood II) to see if I get the same success as I have with the WristLock – as I’ve said before, I’m not sure how much improvement is because of the large grip diameter / non-tapered shape and how much is the WristLock feature. This should help put that to bed.
I’m just still honestly struggling to figure out a comfortable grip to use with it. I’m constantly fiddling and adjusting where the "nub" fits in my wrist.
If I want to actually wristlock it, I find the only way to do that is to make myself stand up way straighter and straighten my front left arm far more than I usually do. I wouldn’t mind that adjustment overall but the problem is…although it locks the putter to my wrist to reduce twisting the face, I find myself far more inconsistent with my putter, because now I can’t pin my arm to my body as I once was used to? I’m just not sure how much it’s truly helping me? I’m much more comfortable in the left picture vs. right.
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Using the nub for hand placement, but not wrist-locked in the left picture. Wrist-locked and pressing a bit on the right picture.
I took my older putter out today and did a little fun compare and contrast and I think I’m unfortunately starting to land in the area of the old grip just seems far more intuitive and comfortable to use, but the differences are so marginal that I will probably continue to use the wristlock just cause it’s on a newer putter.
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Putters Used:
Cottonwood II, fully milled, black PVD finish, 355g, ~33.25", Tour 3.0
Black Series Tour Designs #4, fully milled, black PVD finish, 350g, ~34.5", WristLock
As I stated, I’ve been wondering for a long time since starting this testing how much of my less wristy delivery was due to the large, non-tapered SuperStroke shape and how much was due to the extra grip length and WristLock knob behind the hands. In now rolling quite similar putters, one with a standard SS 3.0 and one with WristLock, the following things stood out to me on first blush:
1) The WristLock is kinda a tweener size in SuperStroke land. It’s not as big as a 3.0, but bigger in diameter than a 2.0.
2) I do believe I had less of a tendency to pull with the 3.0 than I did with a standard grip, but I don’t think it’s as effective as the WristLock. I did pull 1 or 2 short putts a little too inside which resulted in misses I don’t think I would have had with the WristLock. I don’t know how much of it is simple extra length vs the knob on the grip, but it does seem to help.
3) That said, I think it’s easier to adjust speed control to match the Tour 3.0 than the WristLock. Likely this is more because you’re playing the putter at your accustomed length, rather than at a longer length to allow for the WristLock.
Bonus) Not directly grip related, but I think I like the feel of the Odyssey head better than the Piretti. Very surprising…
I am going to play my next round exclusively with the Tour 3.0 to firm up some thoughts, then I’ll probably pull the WristLock back in and see if the same positives reappear.
Also, my uncle is currently borrowing the Odyssey/WristLock combo while he visits from out of state, and he should get it back to me next week. I’ve asked him to let me know what he thinks of it – I’m curious if his experience mirrors mine or not. His initial thoughts after borrowing it for a couple holes Sunday were favorable.
Also, my uncle played two rounds with the Odyssey / WristLock this past week. He definitely shares my thoughts on the stabilizing potential of the knob and extra length, and said his wrists and hands feel a little quieter as he was using it. He actually is interested in finding one for his putter! We may have another convert!