Long Putters / Belly Putters

[Dreamer2]

having owned a belly putter I have to say they are no easier to use than a normal putter. I was able to hole out a lot of 2-6 footers with it but long putts were a nightmare. Changed to a standard putter (ping anser) and although I miss more shorter putts I feel a lot more confident long putting.

I reckon they are here to stay and have no qualms with folks using them

for me its not weather you can use them or not ,,the fact is if your under pressure (eg putting for 200 grand for the win or 10 grand if you miss) with the 2 handed putting the body reacts different there is more movement swinging with the putter under pressure ,,the belly putter as got to help to keep the swing more stable

this is why i thing more and more people will win because of the belly putter

the biggest prize in golf is winning a major you can be number one in the world & still not win a major

but you can win a major in your Rockie year of joining the pro's with the belly putter

that Say's it all for me

 

[DappaDonDave]

I'm assuming that's a reference to Keegan Bradley, who really only won because the leader had a complete melt down and he managed to keep his head! After a slight screw up.

You can't put his win own to putting alone. He's got to get the green in the first place.

 

[TheJezster]

I dont really get the debate about it all to be honest. It's a club. You still have to swing it and putt the ball so I dont see the issue.

I cant see how they would be any easier at all. People talk about fixing them to your body, but who wears the exact same clothes everytime? What i mean by that is, one day you might be wearing a t shirt, the next it might be a t and jumper or even a thin fleece (these make your body thicker and thus you wont have the exact same stance as before). Hell, you could even be having a "fat" day and the end of the club against your belly could be causing you pain, so you adjust slightly. There are plenty of variables that suggest they could actually be harder to use. At least with a normal putter you can keep your stroke the same every time.

What happens when it rains on Sunday and your wearing a t, jumper AND rain jacket as opposed to Saturday when all your wore was a t shirt? Now thats a big difference!

Nah, no advantage for me, it's just another club, some will use them, some wont. Simple as that.

 

[Dreamer2]

did you start playing golf yesterday ,,your clothing is no help to playing golf,,the swing is the same in a pair of pants you may need the shoes to keep the grip :ears:

 

[TheJezster]

did you start playing golf yesterday ,,your clothing is no help to playing golf,,the swing is the same in a pair of pants you may need the shoes to keep the grip :ears:

I didnt say the clothing helped anything??? I said it COULD potentially make it harder, because the stoke wouldnt necessarily be the same. Back to school please lol

 

[Tommo21]

No disrespect to any answers gone before, but we are talking about using something else other than our hands, that’s the point. As I said before, if I make a buckle that anchors the butt of the belly putter would that be acceptable, I can see it coming as more and more tour players are going down this route. It doesn’t matter really, but I’m one of those who think the putter should be the shortest club in the bag.

 

[stevie_r]

did you start playing golf yesterday ,,your clothing is no help to playing golf,,the swing is the same in a pair of pants you may need the shoes to keep the grip :ears:

jockeys or boxers? different swing there for sure

 

[Bobmysterkaymer]

it doesn't bother me,the option is there for people to use them and if players are struggling with their putting then whats the issue with them trying something different?

it doesn't work for everyone so it can't be a sure thing,a definate advantage over everyone else,what's the advantage?the fact it is anchored the body...so what?it clearly isn't an advantage because it would work for everyone and it simply doesn't.

so for that reason i don't care whether it gets banned or not..makes no difference if you ask me.

Why can't the same be said for gps apps on the iPhone!

 

[Snelly]

I completely agree with Tommo21 and Imurg. They are both absolutely right.

I would go further though and say that the long putters do bother me. They are not right for golf and I don't think anyone should use one as a point of principle. Whether they are legal or not, they are wrong. The authorities have made a mistake in allowing them.


They should be banned. Hopefully soon.

 

[Iaing]

These long putters aren't exactly a new development. They've been around for years.
They do seem to be becoming more common though.
Do I think they should be banned ? No.
What I do think should be banned is the anchoring or bracing of the putter ( or any other club ) against the body.

 

[PIng]

Am I right in thinking you can use these long putters to measure where you drop the ball if you get relief from a sprinkler head or something? I seem to remember something from last season where a player with a long putter was able to drop on the green rather than the fringe, and so was able to putt instead of chip. Seems all wrong to me.

 

[sweeneytoddd]

No disrespect to any answers gone before, but we are talking about using something else other than our hands, that’s the point. As I said before, if I make a buckle that anchors the butt of the belly putter would that be acceptable, I can see it coming as more and more tour players are going down this route. It doesn’t matter really, but I’m one of those who think the putter should be the shortest club in the bag.

You don't use your hands to putt, you use your shoulders. You dont use your belly to putt either , you again use your shoulders. And also with the long putters you still use your shoulders.

 

[Ethan]

The R&A and USGA have missed their chance to ban them. They can't do it now that there have been so many tournaments won with them, including a major. To do so would cast a shadow over those players' wins. Not to mention the fact that there could be legal action by a manufacturer which even if unsuccessful could bankrupt the regulators.

 

[MashieNiblick]

I'm in the Imurg camp on this. It's not about whether or not it is an advantage it's about whether it is "golf" as we know it. Personally I'm not sure it's really a "golf" swing if the club is braced against the body.

In the 60's when people (and not just anyone, the great Sam Snead no less) tried putting by standing astride the line, like croquet, the authorities banned it on the grounds that it wasn't golf. Why not? You still have to read the green, line up the putt, swing the club with the necessary speed, but they just decided that's not how the game should be played. Same with this in my view. Granted it is marginal and I understand the view that it is a golf swing, it's just that my view differs. However, the R&A and USGA say it is and as long as it's legal I have no problem with people doing it.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Watched the debate on Sky Golf last night and clearly Holmes and Oosterhuis don't like them. I think it's something that needs addressing as fixing them against the body does seem to be against the spirit if not the rules themselves. I thought Oosterhuis made a vaild point (no really) and said the PGA were looking at it but it woul need a two year warning before they could think of imposing it. Bit like when the non-conforming driver list came out. I do think its wrong but until it is against the rules themselves nothing will change

 

[wull]

Am I right in thinking you can use these long putters to measure where you drop the ball if you get relief from a sprinkler head or something? I seem to remember something from last season where a player with a long putter was able to drop on the green rather than the fringe, and so was able to putt instead of chip. Seems all wrong to me.

i'm don't think you can take relief onto the green.....if you were not already on the green.

i may be wrong though!

 

[thecraw]

for me its not weather you can use them or not ,,the fact is if your under pressure (eg putting for 200 grand for the win or 10 grand if you miss) with the 2 handed putting the body reacts different there is more movement swinging with the putter under pressure ,,the belly putter as got to help to keep the swing more stable

this is why i thing more and more people will win because of the belly putter

the biggest prize in golf is winning a major you can be number one in the world & still not win a major

but you can win a major in your Rockie year of joining the pro's with the belly putter

that Say's it all for me

Clearly you've never tried one then if that's your view. Its actually false. If you make a bad stroke with a belly putter if has the exact same effect as a short putter as you rock your shoulders. Come up early or push it or pull it, it reacts the same way.

Another false statement is "locking or anchoring" the putter into the belly. You rest the butt if the putter against you, you don't ram it into your belly button or stuff it between a roll of flab. Do that and the putter won't swing freely when you rock your shoulders. The lighter you grip it the more natural the stroke.

Same as the broom, its not clamped onto your chest like your taking a heart attack. In fact my putter doesn't touch my chest. My left hand rests slightly against my chest and I promote a pendulum stroke from there.

Also for all those moaning and huffing and puffing about the HUGE ALLEDGED advantage of this style of putting. What were your views when Langer clamped the short putter against his left arm??

 

[Val]

It's taken someone a long time to win a major with one, plenty decent players have used them for years, Tim Clark used one to win to win the players a few years ago and I can't remember the hoo ha then

 

[Crow]

The R&A and USGA have missed their chance to ban them. They can't do it now that there have been so many tournaments won with them, including a major. To do so would cast a shadow over those players' wins. Not to mention the fact that there could be legal action by a manufacturer which even if unsuccessful could bankrupt the regulators.

I don't think it's too late to ban them, there have been rule changes before with drivers and more recently grooves and this has not devalued the wins that went before. It will require a warning period as has been said but there is no reason why it can't be done if the will is there.

 

[Tommo21]

You don't use your hands to putt, you use your shoulders. You dont use your belly to putt either , you again use your shoulders. And also with the long putters you still use your shoulders.

Sorry.....should have pointed that out.............yes, I lift the putter with my two hands and I putt and hold it with my two hands. I dont put another part of the putter against my body when I putt. It only touches my two hands. Hope that clears it up for you. You're on about putting technique and thats not what we're on about.