Tour Winner Copies Fellow Pro By Introducing Hockey-Style Grip To Putter At Butterfield Bermuda Championship

Professional golfers will go to extreme lengths to find that extra 1%, with a change of putter by Ben Silverman proving just that.

The Canadian is battling to keep his playing rights on the PGA Tour, currently sat at 143rd in the FedExCup Fall standings going into the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.

At the halfway stage of the event, he is one back of the leaders and in a share of third, but it's his putter that has caught the eye of viewers, with Silverman using a model inspired by a fellow PGA Tour pro.

The pro in question is Tony Finau who, at the Biltmore Championship last month, was using a putter that had a grip which finished inches above the putter head.

Legal under the Rules of Golf, the grip is from a company called Caliber Golf and, along with Finau, has found its way into the hands of Silverman, who is using it for the first time in Bermuda.

Speaking after his first round, the 38-year-old stated: "I hadn't heard about Caliber Golf until I saw Tony (Finau) in Utah.

"He was finishing up on the putting green, his caddie was about to put the putter away. I was like, let me see that, one second. What is that? It's hockey, right up my alley, I'm a big hockey guy, love it.

"(I) Contacted Tim at Caliber Golf, he had it turned around in like six days for me and the feeling was awesome. It's fun for me playing with a hockey stick as my grip for the putter and it was rolling great today."

Throughout the 2026 PGA Tour season, Silverman has gained 0.283 shots on the greens, while his performance in Bermuda through two rounds has him 42nd in the field for Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining 0.688 shots.

In terms of the flatstick used by both Finau and Silverman, Caliber Golf's website says the idea and inspiration for the hockey-style grip came in 2018, with it designed to provide an incredible amount of stability.

What's more, it reduces unwanted wrist movement and improves accuracy on short putts, allowing for consistency when addressing the golf ball.

Adding more detail about the new grip on the putter, Silverman explained: "The hockey stick blade is flat on both sides. I like to have the putter grip in the palms, lifelines in my hands anyways so it fits perfectly in my palms.

"I do a double interlock left-hand low grip, but you can literally hold it anywhere as long as your palms are on it and you're going to be square to the face, so that's what I like about it.

"I'd say it was a super fast learning curve. The only thing that felt different was the vibration of the ball coming off the face is different than a normal putter shaft.

"It almost has a hollow feel kind of like an old persimmon wood, but I like it, and as soon as I got used to that, speed and everything was the same, the feel in the palms of my hands feels good. I mean, these are my first two competitive rounds with it, it just feels comfortable."