Professional Golf & Putting: Debate

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
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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.
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And there in lies the problem for me, it makes it easier to control.
 
We're having this debate because someone won a major using a long putter on Sunday, yet they have been around for 20-odd years. Doesn't strike me as THAT much of an advantage if that's the success rate for them... so I'm quite content to let them remain.

Have you ever tried to use one in the wind? The instability of them due to their size tends to negate the advantages of the fixed pivot point.
 
And to immediately contradict myself :o , just read this interesting point about the low success rate with long putters up to now. From the Telegraph. Makes an interesting point...

"The truth is that the broom handles and belly putters have been used as a putter of second, third and last resort by people that can’t putt with a proper putter. That is why no one has won a major before using one, even though these clubs have been around for a long time. They simply haven’t been wielded by golfers likely to be regular major contenders"
 
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
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It`s already a level playing field.If you think a long handle putter will give you an advantage get one.
No one is stopping you.
 
It`s already a level playing field.If you think a long handle putter will give you an advantage get one.
No one is stopping you.
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Thats just it though, you shouldn't have to, and shouldn't be allowed to, gain an advantage from a piece of equipment such as these just to be on a level playing field.

Belly putters etc are for cheating gimps. FACT.
 
Keef, I see you use a Skycaddy. When I started playing, there was one marker post (150yds) on a hole, and then only on a few. Using your eye, judgement and feel was a core skill you had to develop along with the swing itself. Now GPS systems and the like are taking that element of skill out of the game. No poke at you for using one, but I'd rather ban them than long putters, but maybe that's just me.

I guess it depends on what you regard as being a bigger advantage, and how each individual chooses to play the game, as to what you want to see banned.
 
It`s already a level playing field.If you think a long handle putter will give you an advantage get one.
No one is stopping you.
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Thats just it though, you shouldn't have to, and shouldn't be allowed to, gain an advantage from a piece of equipment such as these just to be on a level playing field.

Belly putters etc are for cheating gimps. FACT.
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A belly putter will not AUTOMATICALLY give you an advantage over other players,it will only,if it suits you,enhance your game.A number of golfers have tried them,found no advantage and reverted back to a standard putter.
 
Keef, I see you use a Skycaddy. When I started playing, there was one marker post (150yds) on a hole, and then only on a few. Using your eye, judgement and feel was a core skill you had to develop along with the swing itself. Now GPS systems and the like are taking that element of skill out of the game. No poke at you for using one, but I'd rather ban them than long putters, but maybe that's just me.

I guess it depends on what you regard as being a bigger advantage, and how each individual chooses to play the game, as to what you want to see banned.
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But then you could argue that a GPS will tell you how far you have to hit the shot.....you still have to actually hit the shot, in the direction and the distance intended! It doesn't actually give you a physical advantage that a putter anchored up against something does.
 
A GPS doesn't hit shots for you? For that money I thought they did! And then give you a lift home.

You make a fair point about altering technique and the physical involvement in the swing. So my question is this. If you were a pro and were aware of a legal club that would supposedly give you a significant advantage in putting, wouldn't you try it?

Surely if you depended on results to make a living, you'd give it a try in practice? I'm genuinely curious how many pros have given them a go, albeit not publicly. They may not think it is in the spirit of the game, but if it's going to help you pay the mortgage, wouldn't you just say to hell with it?
 
How can you tell if a club is anchored? It could indent the clothing, but not be touching the body. It would be very hard to enforce.
I chip from around the greens with a rescue sometimes. I have to go right down the grip. I could anchor it, or not, but the difference is millimetres.

I can also anchor my right elbow when chipping. Is that allowed?
 
theyve been around for ages,are deemed legal,get over it..

GPS...Draw bias driver,putter heads the size of dinner plates with aiming guides all over them,you could go on forever......all legal and until they start taking pictures of what your using instead of a pencil to write your score.....get on with it,your holding up the 2ball behind,talk about anchoring......
 
I think the authorities got it wrong when they allowed the belly and broomhandle putters into the game and I wish they were not allowed.

Unfortunately, they are and this decision is not going to be reversed, at least not in the near future.

We are stuck with them.

For what it's worth, I think they should be illegal. And no matter how bad my putting, I would never use one.
 
It`s already a level playing field.If you think a long handle putter will give you an advantage get one.
No one is stopping you.
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Thats just it though, you shouldn't have to, and shouldn't be allowed to, gain an advantage from a piece of equipment such as these just to be on a level playing field.

Belly putters etc are for cheating gimps. FACT.
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Well, I never!!!

I've been called many, many things in my life but I'm now a cheat apparently....... :mad:

I'm the first to admit that my putting is the weakest part of my game. If my putting matched my driving ability, I'd be off <4 - I can tell you that for nothing.

Now, if my driving was rubbish I can go to any of the driver manufacturers and they'd custom fit me for a driver that would eliminate my slice/hook/fade/block/pull. They'd have me hitting the ball nicely down the fairway.

My take on that is learn to hit a driver - any driver - don't have draw bias/slice bias - that's the easy was out.

The same can be said for irons that are offset, etc. Buy yourself some blades - then we're all on an even playing fields.

I use a belly putter and I'm proud to!!! I know it says to every other golfer that I can't putt but whilst you're struggling to get to the green in regulation, I'm lining up my putt or three....... :). By the law of averages, some of them will go in....... :o
 
I wish people would stop chucking the word "cheat" around.
Use of the offending articles is not against the Rules so those using them cannot and should not be labelled cheats.
You may not like them but they are legal - just like Big Phil using the Ping wedge a while back, totally legal.
You're a cheat if you wilfully break Rules.......

In this game "Cheat' is a dangerous word to use.
 
I wish people would stop chucking the word "cheat" around.
Use of the offending articles is not against the Rules so those using them cannot and should not be labelled cheats.
You may not like them but they are legal - just like Big Phil using the Ping wedge a while back, totally legal.
You're a cheat if you wilfully break Rules.......

In this game "Cheat' is a dangerous word to use.
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Yeah, well said Imurg.

:D :D :D :D
 
Long handled putters may help when taking the 2 club relief :-0


Not a fan but they are legal, so fine by me. In the end how many ad's tell you you will get more spin, more distance, less putts and more fairways - from my memory almost all advertising in golf - but if you use these then you 'should'putt better - I know I might try one sometime - tho tbh my best putting is with my 4year olds putter and I have thought about taking it out a few times, Would I be cheating using a short putter?????
 
Thats just it though, you shouldn't have to, and shouldn't be allowed to, gain an advantage from a piece of equipment such as these just to be on a level playing field.

Belly putters etc are for cheating gimps. FACT.
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I think that this has to be one of the worst statements that i have read on here in a long while...

Would you use the word "Cheat" so loosely to brand people that use High MOI drivers ,Which nearly everyone uses now Pro's included....

Today's 3 wood has the same length shaft as a driver of 20 years ago so that we can hit the ball longer with faster swings.

Hybrids are being used instead of Long Irons.

Professional's are using Game Improvement irons week in week out.Would you call them "Cheats" too?...

Get with the times my friend. The game is changing for the better and its been made accessible through technology to more and more people every day.

Use what makes the game easier.
 
Thats just it though, you shouldn't have to, and shouldn't be allowed to, gain an advantage from a piece of equipment such as these just to be on a level playing field.

Belly putters etc are for cheating gimps. FACT.
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I think that this has to be one of the worst statements that i have read on here in a long while...

Would you use the word "Cheat" so loosely to brand people that use High MOI drivers ,Which nearly everyone uses now Pro's included....

Today's 3 wood has the same length shaft as a driver of 20 years ago so that we can hit the ball longer with faster swings.

Hybrids are being used instead of Long Irons.

Professional's are using Game Improvement irons week in week out.Would you call them "Cheats" too?...

Get with the times my friend. The game is changing for the better and its been made accessible through technology to more and more people every day.

Use what makes the game easier.
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"Cheating gimps" sounds like a tongue in cheek statement to me and a long way from stating someone is a golfing cheat in the true sense. Saying it is the worst statement on here etc is a bit of an exaggeration in my view as I think that takes it literally, out of context and is subjective.

And the point you make about hybrids and so on is completely erroneous. As stated on this thread, the issue with these putters is that they give an added point of attachment to the body which is not what is intended in the game of golf. You are supposed to hold the club in your hands. Not wedge it into your gut or slot it under your chin.

So, whilst I wouldn't say that putters with these long handles are for cheating gimps, I would say, were I to wish to creatively insult those who have them, that they are for.... "gimps who either don't understand that golf's ruling bodies made a very big mistake when they allowed these clubs to be legally used so should not be played with as a point of principle" OR for "gimps who do understand this but still use them anyway because they are not gentlemen or players."

Of course, I have no wish to insult anyone with a long putter, so would not dream of saying this. Not yet anyway.



Snelly.
 
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