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LPGA, Golf Damen 2025: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions Rnd 4 FEB 02 February 2, 2025: Annika Sorenstam watches het ball from the 1st tee during final round of Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions held at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, FL. Romeo T Guzman/CSMCredit Image: Romeo Guzman/Cal Media Orlando Fl USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20250202_faf_cg2_003.jpg RomeoxGuzmanx csmphotothree351347

Imago
LPGA, Golf Damen 2025: Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions Rnd 4 FEB 02 February 2, 2025: Annika Sorenstam watches het ball from the 1st tee during final round of Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions held at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, FL. Romeo T Guzman/CSMCredit Image: Romeo Guzman/Cal Media Orlando Fl USA EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20250202_faf_cg2_003.jpg RomeoxGuzmanx csmphotothree351347
For the most part, good golfing skills require perfect wrist motion. But Annika Sorenstam, the most dominant putter in women’s golf history, says “no-no for the wrist.” Rather, it’s the palm and most specifically the shoulders, which work in tandem. “We’re all about rocking the shoulders,” she says. Here are three deceptively simple drills that you can perform following this technique.
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1. The palm hand-cross drill
At first, this might look quite basic, but that’s exactly the point. Sorenstam instructs us to take a shoulder-width stance. You need to let the arms hang loose, then bring your palms together, and cross your hands. Now, rest them on the putter—and relax.
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From there, all you need to do is rock back and forth. This simple trick works because locking hands physically eliminates wrist breakdown. You will not be able to flip, scoop, or jab. The only way you can move your putter now is if your shoulders move.
“You really will be amazed at how you can feel the shoulders back and forth like this,” Sorenstam says.
That “feel” she talks about is the key. Golfers often learn by sensation, and this drill will teach your nervous system what a shoulder-driven pendulum feels like. It’s the same way Annika Sorenstam won her 2006 US Women’s Open playoff. She made clutch birdies and did not miss a single short one over the 18 pressure-filled holes.
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2. The prayer grip
After this basic technique comes a little uncomfortable motion—the prayer grip. Your palms should be together, your fingers pressed or lightly interlaced, as you hold your putter. Now, take a full putting stroke with this position. The uneasiness will ensue, but so will its effectiveness.
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This drill formalizes the feeling from the first one. Again, this motion forbids you from using your wrists. At the same time, when your hands are locked, you cannot decelerate through impacts. This will help in avoiding the three putts, something a lot of amateurs do as they slow the putter head to guide the ball.
Usually, the three putts happen when you first lack speed, your second is rushed, and the third is a miss due to tension. When you remove your hands from this equation, all these three failures will disappear. In Annika Sorenstam’s own career, this has been observed repeatedly. During her historic 59-shot round in 2001, she made 13 birdies, with eight being back-to-back.
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3. The ball between the arm
This is the final drill, which will add consequence. All you need to do is place your golf ball between your upper torso and the putter grip. When you’re making the stroke, keep the ball in its place. If the arm moves away from your body or the shoulder, the ball will drop.
This drill is the most immediately corrective. If you allow your arms to swing independently of your shoulders, the ball will fall. This way, you get instant feedback. Unlike other drills where you have to concentrate on the feeling, here you get a direct pass or fail.
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This drill will also help you develop a smooth, rhythmic motion. If you’re being jerky or rushing the stroke, your ball will drop. This way, your nervous system quickly learns that smooth is success and fast/jerky is a fail. You can try this drill while practicing at home or during your pre-round warm-up. You can also use it when you feel tension creeping into your hands in the midst of a round.
Once you start practicing, your ultimate goal should be to return to your normal grip. The change should be in your hands, as they’ll be now passive. Your shoulders will be the main character. Annika’s putting routine was tracked for 14 years. With these, she won her 10 majors. Who knows, you might win your first?
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