Professional Golf & Putting: Debate

[kid2]

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.

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.

"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.

You should read statements a little more clearly Snelly....

I said it was "One" of the worst statements not "The Worst".......And i stand by it.

I do take on board what your aiming to say and why you side slightly with the O.P. but ask yourself this...
If the putter is deemed and unfair advantage by yourself and others then why isn't it having a bigger impact on the scene.
If it was that much of an advantage then everyone would surely use one...
Add to that the fact that putting is an art and not a science.

It’s significant to note that attitudes may change over time. Ernie Els and Adam Scott, for instance, spoke out against the long putter earlier in their careers, only to turn to it in recent memory as a cure to their foibles on the greens. By the same token, heads at the USGA and R&A may opt to rethink their positions and ultimately deep-freeze the controversial club. For now, however, it’s legal. Whether it will ever be legitimate is, of course, another matter altogether.

 

[Snelly]

You should read statements a little more clearly Snelly....

I said it was "One" of the worst statements not "The Worst".......And i stand by it.

Silly me. That makes a huge amount of difference. I take it all back!

 

[Snelly]

If the putter is deemed and unfair advantage by yourself and others then why isn't it having a bigger impact on the scene.

To clarify, I don't think it is an advantage, nor did I say it was. I said it was an added touch point and that is not what golf is supposed to be about. You hold the clubs in your hands. It is wrong to have a putter connected to you in another, added way. The authorities got it wrong. These clubs should not have been made legal. If you use them, I think you are going slightly against the spirit of the game. That is my opinion. I don't care if it's Ernie Els or a complete hacker using it, it is still not quite proper.

Not all change is for the better. Not much use crying over spilt milk though....

 

[MashieNiblick]

I too feel uneasy about the anchoring aspect of belly and broomhandles as I agree with those who feel it calls into question whether it is truly a "golf" stroke which in my opinion is essentially and traditionally a free swing of the club held only in the hands.

Years ago it was ruled that hitting the ball while standing astride the line (like croquet) was not a golf stroke and they changed the rules outlawing that style of putting which the great Sam Snead among others had adopted. My personal feeling is that when people started using broomhandles they should have done the same and outlawed the anchoring of a club against the body.

However I do not in any way consider that anyone who uses a broomhandle or belly putter and anchors it against their body is a "cheat". They are playing entirely within the rules as laid down by the people who run the game and that's the game we choose to play.

We all now accept centre shafted putters but once upon a time they were banned. The Rule makers make the Rules and we play the game.