Long putters on their way out?

[Kilroy]

It seemed like Ernie Els was the only guy who had the stomach for winning a major Sunday afternoon.

More...

[sharkshooter]

A ban on anchoring your putter in your belly, on your chin, or eslewhere can't come fast enough.

[nokids]

I see no advantage to them but I want them banned because they're ugly.

[BC MIST]

A ban on anchoring your putter in your belly, on your chin, or eslewhere can't come fast enough.

Why?

[shaner85]

you cant anchor any other club? not that i have tried....so why allow a putter to be? i read on here that a player got penalized for kneeling on a towel to play a bunker shot (gave him an advantage supposedly by building a stance?) but I consider it kind of building your putting grip from the sternum down...

i could be wrong but i think it helps take some of the shakes out of the putter swing...

[John]

I play a belly putter and your hands are actually more active in the stroke than using a conventional method with a shoulder turn. Can't believe the uproar about these things, if anything goes through i'll just cut my belly putter by an inch or two and go beau hossler on it.

[gbower]

I got a long putter a few weeks ago and love it. Am I making more putts now? Maybe a few but probably because it is new to me but it just feels so comfortable and my confidence in putting has increased. You still have to get the proper break and speed figured out the same as with a conventional length putter. There is no magic with the long putter and I don't feel that they should ban them.

[Grouchy]

Well for me I guess it's just an aesthetics thing. I just think all golf swings should be a free swing with the hands as the only contact with the club.

Imagine I built a golf club that had extensions coming up that contacted my forearms to help maintain my "V" through the swing. Would we need to prove it actually worked well before it was deemed illegal?

Does anyone know what section of the rule book specifically describes a legal swing?

[justsomeguy]

Well for me I guess it's just an aesthetics thing. I just think all golf swings should be a free swing with the hands as the only contact with the club.

Imagine I built a golf club that had extensions coming up that contacted my forearms to help maintain my "V" through the swing. Would we need to prove it actually worked well before it was deemed illegal?

Does anyone know what section of the rule book specifically describes a legal swing?

Rule 14 describes a legal swing. There is no prohibition against "anchoring" your putter (or any other club for that matter) in Rule 14.

The rules regarding design of clubs are in Appendix II. I'm pretty certain your "extensions" would be illegal whether they worked or not.

[Grouchy]

Well, like I said, It's really aesthetics for me. I kinda knew that extension question was on the dumb side.

But for what it's worth: "Anchoring" changes it for me. You should hold the club and swing the club. Not pin it to your body and pivot the club off that. I understand that it's not clearly against any rules but I think that it would be quite in the spirit of the sport if they got rid of "anchoring".

[fundonny]

I have zero issue with them except that it looks absolutely ridonk. It really does ugly up the game, which is normally a beauty thing. Then again, my swing really uglies it up too. haha

[Chieflongtee]

You still have to get the right speed and read the break correctly.

Is this any better? Should there be a rule on the way the putter is gripped and or the size of the grip?

[BC MIST]

you cant anchor any other club? not that i have tried....so why allow a putter to be? i read on here that a player got penalized for kneeling on a towel to play a bunker shot (gave him an advantage supposedly by building a stance?) but I consider it kind of building your putting grip from the sternum down...

i could be wrong but i think it helps take some of the shakes out of the putter swing...

Perhaps, but does the "claw" grip not do the same? And a "cross handed" grip? Should we ban those, too? Most who use long putters would likely agree that judging the weight correctly, with a long putter, is more difficult than with one that is of conventional length.

Within the Rules, the best putting method is "side saddle," as one is facing the hole and the stroke is a straight back, straight through motion of the right arm, but I know of only one local tournament player who uses it and he is a very good putter. Ban the "anchoring" idea, and watch side saddle's use increase.

BTW: It was Craig Stadler who, when playing a stroke from his knees, placed a towel on the ground to prevent him from slipping. Knee pads with soft spikes installed were not permitted.

[BC MIST]

You still have to get the right speed and read the break correctly.

Should there be a rule on the way the putter is gripped and or the size of the grip?

Agree with your first point and there is a rule on the size of the grip in that cross sectionally, (if that's a word) the maximum distance is 1.75 inches.

Maybe they should also ban putter grips with flat tops.

[Grouchy]

Agree with your first point and there is a rule on the size of the grip in that cross sectionally, (if that's a word) the maximum distance is 1.75 inches.

Maybe they should also ban putter grips with flat tops.

Well, the fact is, they do ban all sorts of club features, so trying to make some sort of slippery slope argument ie "If they ban long putters, what's next?" is kind of moot. They banned square grooves, what was next after that?

We should probably keep in mind that they have stated that the rule change being contemplated is about the swing method, anchoring, not the specs of putter length.

"Anchoring is what we're looking at, method of stroke, and it's all about putting around a fixed pivot point, whether that fixed pivot point is in your belly or under your chin or on your chest. I don't distinguish between the two. It's a matter of stroke issue," he [Dawson] said.

Anyhow, next round I am anchoring my driver. Let you know how it works out! Just kidding.

[LobWedge]

I think the waters are just as muddy on this as they were before, considering the 54-hole leader was using a broomstick putter, and it failed him on the last 4 holes. Unless the R&A and USGA have some really compelling data to support the ban, I can see this becoming another ugly fight like the Ping battle was. A lot of players use longer putters to help alleviate back pain, so there's a therapeutic aspect that I don't think can be ignored.

For the record, I'm on the fence. It's too difficult to judge at face value.

[jeffc]

Agree with your first point and there is a rule on the size of the grip in that cross sectionally, (if that's a word) the maximum distance is 1.75 inches.

Maybe they should also ban putter grips with flat tops.

And maybe ban rules officials.

It's about the anchoring and nothing else as far as I am concerned. It's not the putter, it is how it is used. And yes we could look at all kinds of things in golf, and I am sure the powers do.

[jvincent]

I might as well weigh in on this.

I would not be surprised if they remove the current exemption on length (48") that putters currently have.

Removing the ability to anchor the putter is much harder to clearly define.

[John]

I guess i'm playing an illegal putter because my belly is just under 50"!

[John]

Thought i was confused, shaft length for everything but putters is 48" correct?

[jvincent]

It's not actually shaft length, but playing length as measured according to the diagrams in the appendix.

Putters are exempt though, so for now you could play a 6-foot nostril putter if you wanted.

[Grouchy]

Removing the ability to anchor the putter is much harder to clearly define.

Why do you say that? Couldn't it be something as simple as "At address, only the players hands may be in contact with the club"?

[justsomeguy]

Why do you say that? Couldn't it be something as simple as "At address, only the players hands may be in contact with the club"?

Using that definition long putters would not necessarily be "anchored", as some players who use long putters would have their hands between the club and their chest or chin. And you may have just penalized other players who utilize a forward press at address when putting. Even one-handed tap-ins would now have to be scrutinized to ensure that the club was not touching the inside of the arm.

Personally I'm a little leery of the USGA/R&A telling me how to swing a club.

[fundonny]

They wouldn't be telling you how to swing a club, but what club you're allowed to swing, no?

[adanac]

They wouldn't be telling you how to swing a club, but what club you're allowed to swing, no?

I suspect it would/should apply to all clubs. Some players are already having thoughts of belly chipping clubs, or anchoring their chipping club to their arm. Yips don't end at the edge of the green.

[sharkshooter]

Why?

I guess because it seems wrong. I know, really scientific and well thought out, but I am having trouble finding the right words to describe what I mean. Do we allow a golfer to lay on the ground and use the butt end of the putter like a pool cue? Can we duct tape the putter to the inside of our leg and use a kicking motion? How about an extremely short putter that fits in the palm of our hand and we can just sort of scoop the ball with one hand (with the putter head stricking the ball)?

Golf is a game of skill, not gimmicks.

[jvincent]

Why do you say that? Couldn't it be something as simple as "At address, only the players hands may be in contact with the club"?

If that were the rule, I could anchor my top hand against my chest and make a stroke. Only my hands are touching the putter but it is still anchored.

[nokids]

I guess because it seems wrong. I know, really scientific and well thought out, but I am having trouble finding the right words to describe what I mean. Do we allow a golfer to lay on the ground and use the butt end of the putter like a pool cue? Can we duct tape the putter to the inside of our leg and use a kicking motion? How about an extremely short putter that fits in the palm of our hand and we can just sort of scoop the ball with one hand (with the putter head stricking the ball)?

Golf is a game of skill, not gimmicks.

[jeffc]

Using that definition long putters would not necessarily be "anchored", as some players who use long putters would have their hands between the club and their chest or chin. And you may have just penalized other players who utilize a forward press at address when putting. Even one-handed tap-ins would now have to be scrutinized to ensure that the club was not touching the inside of the arm.

Personally I'm a little leery of the USGA/R&A telling me how to swing a club.

There are already a number of rulesas to how you can and cannot swing a club

[Chieflongtee]

)?

Golf is a game of skill, not gimmicks.

Beg to differ. How about all the adaptable drivers on the market? Closed face, open face.deep face,adapters.weight adjustable, face adjustable and the list goes on. What about seemore putters?


And the new dead aim putter?



and Edel