Tony Finau's Unusual Hockey-Stick Putter Grip, Explained

Tony Finau is using an unusual hockey-stick-shaped putter grip this week at the PGA Tour's Biltmore Championship, a product from Wisconsin-based startup Caliber Golf that took founder Tim Wright roughly eight years to get approved by the USGA.

Where did the grip come from?

Wright's idea began after seeing Finau experiment with a split-grip broomstick putting method earlier this season in Charlotte.

It looked like he was holding a hockey shaft.

Caliber Golf's main product attaches to a standard putter shaft and runs nearly down to the putter head, mimicking the feel of a hockey stick without using an actual hockey shaft. Wright said early attempts to use a real hockey shaft failed because it would not deflect equally in all directions, a requirement for putter shafts under USGA rules. His workaround was to build a hockey-stick-shaped grip that fits over a conventional shaft instead.

How did Finau end up with one in his bag?

About four weeks ago, Finau's team contacted Wright about trying the grip. Wright built it onto Finau's Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset putter, the model Finau has used since January, fitting it with Caliber's tackier grip option and lengthening the putter to 38 inches, an inch longer than his usual build. Finau later called Wright directly to confirm the grip was legal for competition before he would keep using it.

Finau is not using a split-grip technique with the putter, unlike some other players who use Caliber's grip, including Wright himself. He missed the cut at the Biltmore Championship this week, shooting rounds of 78 and 71, but the appearance marked a significant moment of Tour exposure for the small company.