Anchoring Ban - Langer

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I think it was. For several reasons. First off, I think it is a pretty unneccessary rule. If anchoring would give that much of an advantage to players, then more players would have done it. It was just one method of putting and there is no real reason to ban it. But if you really want to get rid of it, it would have been far better and easier to regulate the equipment and ban, for example, putters over a certain length (maybe in relation to the height of the player, if you don't want to put taller players at a disadvantage here). Much easier to police than the regulation on technique which is really almost impossible to spot by looking at a player.
 
Langer is making a mockery of the rule; but only occasionally does he actually infringe it and doesn't get penalised when he does.

The picture shown in that article, if it was an actual stroke, clearly is in breach as the thumb is against the chest.

Most of the time, he does this in practice but clearly moves the hand clear of the chest to make the stroke.
 
Just look at Keegan Bradley for the reasons why Anchoring was introduced in the first place. He's now struggling as he simply can't putt.

Putting is a skill just like any other part of the game (probably the most important and hardest skill to master). Having 16 year olds turning up to tournaments anchoring, is not how the game wants to be moving forward. So the ban was right IMO. And i think Langer is still anchoring, even if he is using the rule to it's extreme.
 
I have always maintained that the current rule is virtually unenforceable as there is too much left to individual interpretation. I agree 100% with Capella, either allow long putters any way people want to hold them or maximise the length of the club.
 
We had a big discussion about this a while ago at our roll up. One of the guys is on the R&A Rules committee and is a rules official at the open. He said it had been looked at and as Langer moved his hand away as he makes the stroke its not breaking the rules
 
Agree. Can't see how its any different.

Even a putter up the forearm al la Webb Simpson is also anchoring, IMO.
 
Capella said:
It was just one method of putting and there is no real reason to ban it.
Click to expand...
So do you feel that any method of putting should be allowed? For example, the croquet-style putting that Sam Snead used to good effect back before I was born? Anyone know why that was banned, anyway?

I don't really have strong feeling either way - sort of on the fence about it. But perhaps if enforcement is so difficult, it would be simpler not to have the ban?

Capella said:
... it would have been far better and easier to regulate the equipment and ban, for example, putters over a certain length (maybe in relation to the height of the player, if you don't want to put taller players at a disadvantage here).
Click to expand...
We have a chap at our club whose belly is of the type that makes it possible to anchor with even the shortest of putters, if you get my drift ;)
 
patricks148 said:
We had a big discussion about this a while ago at our roll up. One of the guys is on the R&A Rules committee and is a rules official at the open. He said it had been looked at and as Langer moved his hand away as he makes the stroke its not breaking the rules
Click to expand...
I think they're just making it harder for themselves. It's either anchored or it isn't. Even if he only does it for a bit of the backswing, that's still anchoring.

As others said, just ban putters over a certain length, that has to be easier.
 
cliveb said:
We have a chap at our club whose belly is of the type that makes it possible to anchor with even the shortest of putters, if you get my drift ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, but when I try to picture this, it does not look like a very stable setup, more a bit wobbly :D

I really don't care how people do get the ball into the hole, tbh, as long as they use the putter for it and not their shoe or something. And I think it would suffice to define what a putter has to look like ... in the terms of shaft (length from ... to ... inches long), grip (already defined ad nauseum as it is), clubhead of a certain maximum size and weight and maybe, if they think that important, a clearly defined clubface that the ball has to be hit with. And then people can use that tool any way they see fit, anchored, croquet-style, behind their back, through their legs, I don't care. For full swings they don't have any limitations there either. Just whatever works best.
 
There is no need to re-open the debate: there was a discussion and a rule was introduced! It had the clear aim of stopping players 'anchoring' (e.g. not using 3 points of contact on the body).

Langer had putting issues and found having 3 points of contact reduced his hand action and solved his problem. Despite the rule he has developed a method (as have others) that gets around the wording of the rule (most of the time).

IMO he is obviously circumventing the rule and not playing within the spirit of the game as defined and should be penalised. If he (or any others) are allowed to bend/break this rule then what about any other bending/infringements?
 
drdel said:
There is no need to re-open the debate: there was a discussion and a rule was introduced! It had the clear aim of stopping players 'anchoring' (e.g. not using 3 points of contact on the body).

Langer had putting issues and found having 3 points of contact reduced his hand action and solved his problem. Despite the rule he has developed a method (as have others) that gets around the wording of the rule (most of the time).

IMO he is obviously circumventing the rule and not playing within the spirit of the game as defined and should be penalised. If he (or any others) are allowed to bend/break this rule then what about any other bending/infringements?
Click to expand...

Make your mind up :D
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If Langer's thumb is touching his lose polo shirt and not his polo shirt against his body the putter isnt being anchored but agree it comes down to the integrity of the player.Cant imagine Langer is trying to dupe anyone and I think its about time they left him and other long handled putter users alone as theres no way this could be enforced unless theres blunt proof.
 
This always looked like an accident waiting to happen.

Hard enought to judge when wearing a shirt but what about when wearing a waterproof of wind top?

I never understood how he was allowed to carry on when almost nobody else used this method including guys like Adam Scott.
The difficulty is that the player tends to call a penalty when they infringe. If there has to be clear daylight between he top hand and the chest we are going to be back in the nightmare of TV reviews because you can bet the broadcasters / press will focus on him - especially when he is playing in the US.
 
mikejohnchapman said:
This always looked like an accident waiting to happen.

Hard enought to judge when wearing a shirt but what about when wearing a waterproof of wind top?

I never understood how he was allowed to carry on when almost nobody else used this method including guys like Adam Scott.
The difficulty is that the player tends to call a penalty when they infringe. If there has to be clear daylight between he top hand and the chest we are going to be back in the nightmare of TV reviews because you can bet the broadcasters / press will focus on him - especially when he is playing in the US.
Click to expand...

I agree completely Mike. It is way too open to personal interpretation. At what point does 'anchoring' stop? If your upper arm touches the side of your chest, is that anchored? Or your elbow? Or half way down your forearm? Just too many variables!
 
To me, the ban was introduced to try to make players "swing" the putter in the same way all other clubs are swung. In this regard it's failed. There can be no other reason to implement such a ban because as others have said, anchoring wasn't universally making putting any easier.
The ban has failed because players like Langer are acting outside the spirit of the rule. Personally I have no issue with the long putter but if the rule is in place then I do have an issue with those who break it or do not comply with the spirit of the law.

BTW, if you can incur a penalty by touching the top of a blade of grass in a hazard, then why isn't touching your shirt breaking the anchoring rule?
 
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