Steph Curry’s putting stroke features a useful tip for the rest of us

Steph Curry is the best shooter in basketball history. He’s also a really good golfer, if that wasn’t enough. Golf Digest’s recent cover star has a golf swing that the rest of us would dream of, but quite incredibly, that isn’t even the true strength of his game.

His true strength is his short game.

Steph says he’s always had a feel for good distance control, which makes sense. There’s a certain level of hand-eye coordination and depth perception which he excels at, that shows up on the greens.

And just as all great athletes do, he’s intuitively figured out an efficient technique which gives him the results he wants.

You can spot it in his putting stroke below.

Specifically, you can see it in his left wrist. Notice how Steph extends his arms a little straighter—a personal preference—but more importantly, keeps the back of his left hand locked in place. This creates a relationship between the back of his left hand, and his putter face.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the 11th-ranked putter on tour, says this is a key move in his own stroke, and something amateurs should copy.

“When you keep that left wrist firm and locked, you’ll have a harder time pulling putts,” Bezuidenhout says. “I want to keep it in that position on the back of my left hand facing the target the entire time.”

Another great putter, Luke Donald, has the same cue, as he demonstrates below.

It’s not a coincidence an elite cross-sport athlete like Steph figured this out himself. The great ones always do.