Professional Golf & Putting: Debate

Tiger

Tiger

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Yesterday I exchanged a couple of tweets with the GM staff member covering day 4 of the Open. The topic was Dufner's jumbo grip on his putter. Broomhandles, chunky grips and belly putters are helping a lot of Pros with their flatstick. We have all accepted improvements in driver, iron and wedge technology. Surely we should accept that our stifled traditions are outdated. A professional golfer wants to win tournaments that's their job. So as long as it is within the rules surely using whatever putting kit you want is fine as everyone else is entitled to look like a tit with a long putter. Discuss ;)
 
Absolutley agree. There was a right mix of styles and putters there. One thing to consider however is that technology has driven golf equiptment to hit the ball longer and straighter.
Where putters are concerned, desperation has driven things, resulting in letteral thinking and new theories.
 
Brooms/Bellys/2-thumb grips/ huge grips - all within the Rules of the game.
If you want, use them. Personally I find the longer putters impossible to use and the "big" grips ugly.
Until they outlaw it, you wanna look like a prize pillock then be my guest!! :D :D :D :D :D :D
 
The bit that I think should be banned is the anchoring of these long putters. A stroke should be a stroke and as soon as they anchor them and use them off this pivot point then it is not a stroke imo.

dont mind the length being as long or as short as they want but dont think they should be allowed to be anchored
 
I have switched to a belly putter but dont actually anchor it as I find it uncomfortable. It is easier for me to avoid being too wristy and have been putting a lot better with it.

I am tempted to try the 2 ball in standard form aswell as I feel its more down to the head style as opposed to length. whilst on the subject of length what about the other end and Garrigus with his 3 y/o kids putter!!
 
i think its perfectly acceptable!


its an easy way to identify the truly talented golfers out there who dont use them

against the ones who wouldnt even "make it" without all the new things etc making up for their obvious deficiencies in the way they play



:)
 
I'm only a newbie to the game, and still think that broom handle putters, belly putters, and any other kit that is anchored to the player to make a pivot point should be banned completely.

If they bring this into effect ready for next year, I'm sure we would see a massive change in the putting stats of the players who use the pivot point putters.

They should also limit the time taken for a shot/put to be taken. After all they dont need to do anything with the clubs apart from swing them and play the game. The reason for slow play is due to people mimicking the pro's. Same with Belly/broom handle putters.
 
They should also limit the time taken for a shot/put to be taken. After all they dont need to do anything with the clubs apart from swing them and play the game. The reason for slow play is due to people mimicking the pro's. Same with Belly/broom handle putters.
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Sorry, am I reading that correctly - the use of belly/broom handle putters result in slow play???

Is that what you're implying???
 
They should also limit the time taken for a shot/put to be taken. After all they dont need to do anything with the clubs apart from swing them and play the game. The reason for slow play is due to people mimicking the pro's. Same with Belly/broom handle putters.
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Sorry, am I reading that correctly - the use of belly/broom handle putters result in slow play???



Is that what you're implying???
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No not implying them specifically, but what people see they copy, get rid of them, let the game get back to pure strokes rather than pivot assisted
 
The bit that I think should be banned is the anchoring of these long putters. A stroke should be a stroke and as soon as they anchor them and use them off this pivot point then it is not a stroke imo.

dont mind the length being as long or as short as they want but dont think they should be allowed to be anchored
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I think you are spot on - teh Rules, and Decisions, state quite strongly that you cannot "push" the club in a stroke - i.e. fix the putter in place and then move the club forward. I personally think that any putt made with a fixed point must necessarily be a "push" and therefore an illegal stroke.

To date i presume that all debates on the legality of long putters have been focussed on their dimensions and geometry, but i have not seen any consideration of whether the stroke is actually a stroke or not
 
It's a good question, all of the other technology I can think of stil requires you to swing the club in the traditional manner so you still have to have the ability to return the clubhead to the ball in the right position. The technology might help hit it further for example but it is only really enhancing your natural ability.

I have no issue with fat grips but anything that allows you to use a part of your body not normally used in putting to stabilise the club and improve the direction is wrong IMHO.

Would I be allowed to put a towel under my armpit as I do sometimes in practicing to keep myself connected? Would I be allowed to extend my wedges so I could anchor the shaft in my belly to help my chipping? Would I be allowed to use the v-easy for that matter?

If a player can't hit a wedge accurately on a consistent basis he fails as a top level golfer. He can't use any kind of aid on the course to help him, he has to practice damn hard to improve. Why then should someone who can't putt strait use what is effectively a legalised aid to help him putt?
 
Would I be allowed to extend my wedges so I could anchor the shaft in my belly to help my chipping?
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I've got a Mizuno Hi Fli 2 iron/18deg

I practised for a while on teh putting green anchoring it in my belly and chipping with it and found it suprisingly accurate and consistent - couldnt pluck up the courage to use it in a round though
 
I have to confess to using a belly putter in the last couple of months and my putting has improved as a result resulting in a handicap cut and a "gold letter" win last week.

The fact is though, everyone can use a belly or broom handle putter if they choose , so, no one has an advantage, they are legal and like other things on here eg Skycaddies, electric trolleys etc it's a level playing field and your choice. Most of the Pro's who argue against them have used them ie Monty, Els and (Ithink) Faldo.

They arn't going to be banned anytime soon so get over it!


Chris
 
The bit that I think should be banned is the anchoring of these long putters. A stroke should be a stroke and as soon as they anchor them and use them off this pivot point then it is not a stroke imo.

dont mind the length being as long or as short as they want but dont think they should be allowed to be anchored
Click to expand...

I think you are spot on - teh Rules, and Decisions, state quite strongly that you cannot "push" the club in a stroke - i.e. fix the putter in place and then move the club forward. I personally think that any putt made with a fixed point must necessarily be a "push" and therefore an illegal stroke.

To date i presume that all debates on the legality of long putters have been focussed on their dimensions and geometry, but i have not seen any consideration of whether the stroke is actually a stroke or not
Click to expand...


If the putter is anchored to belly/chin and then swung in a pendulum motion surely it's the same sort of action as fastening the putter between your hands and swinging it in a pendulum motion..??
It obviously makes it easier to control the putter by anchoring it but the basic action is the same regardless.
 
I do think they should be cast into room 101 but sadly the powers that be have sanctioned them and so they will continue to blight a TV screen and more likely a putting green near you soon. I do think anchoring them agains the body must give them an advantage to some degree and therefore think they shoulde be banned from that perspective.

I think there should be a maximum length, say inbetween belly and broomhandle and that the anchorage be stopped. I've no problem per se with fat grips but lets try and make it a level playing field for everyone
 
My brother uses one of the 2 thumb grips, I tried it not so long back but just couldnt get along with it at all, each to their own I suppose.

I dont find chunky grips anything like as offensive as belly putters/broom handles etc, these ought to be banned completely in my opinion, as somebody has already said, a stroke should be just that. Something that effectively takes the wrists out of the stroke is cheating and I dont think (hope) it will be too long before the R&A do something about it.

Anyway, the be all & end all is that if us hackers can use 'normal' putters effectively then why cant the pro's??

Chunky grips etc is a different aspect altogether, when I got my clubs custom fit I had 3 or 4 layers of tape to make the grip bigger, can you regulate against that?
 
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