Fair enough, going from your post, the issue isn't so much the long putter itself- but something to give a placebo effect, that improves confidence >> make more putts.

Unless, the tours want to standardize all equipment I can't really see how banning the long putter would change much long term

Sure it would make differences right here and now for Els/Scott, but given time those guys would find another method to improve. Side straddle, anchoring a normal putter to forearm etc

You're making a couple large leaps there, 47.

Assuming those guys would just conjure up some other method that works is a large leap. There are a finite number of legal methods.

And you are leaping to the conclusion that dagolfdoc posits the anchored putter a placebo effect. I think what he means is you switch and start rolling them in (or lagging very well) your confidence goes up, which is a compound positive effect of switching. Maybe you stop babying the 12 foot downhill putts because you aren't afraid of rolling 5 feet past. Maybe you are more confident you will sink that putt and don't even have the wasted thought of "don't leave short - but don't go too long, either!"

Agree to a point. I have seen the difference in both Els & Scott's stroke from short putter (where they both opened the face drastically through impact) to the anchored putter, where it releases/arcs/closes more rapidly through impact. This is obviously not super-secret knowledge, they just found something that would allow it to square more reliably. Definitely confidence is one of, if not the biggest factor in putting, but a player could not have confidence if they cannot square the face consistently.

I don't know if the governing bodies will ever ban the anchored putter - my thought is that it is too late - with 3 out of the last 4 majors won with an anchored putter, it is obviously a staple for many players, but it is still not "cheating" in my eyes. I've used them all, and you still have to have touch, skill, green reading, nerves, speed, etc. to make putts. IMO you have to be much more consistent and exact with an anchored putter - ball position & aim, than a short/non-anchored putter since it will return to the same spot more frequently with less room for minor adjustments during the stroke, intentional or not.

In the same way cross-handed helps many players, an anchored putter will help some as well. My teacher as a child, Paul Runyan (arguably the greatest short game player on tour ever), anchored his standard length putter to his belly on putts inside 3 feet back in the 30's, but no one really copied it until the belly putter became popular recently.

Cool. Had no idea "Little Poison" used that method on the short putts.

I'd love to know how many drinks Snead needed after that famous beatdown in the PGA.

BO

Amen to that! Paul said there were 4 par 4's he couldn't regularly reach in 2 shots, so he laid up. I've heard Snead outdrove him around 100 yards - don't know how close that is but Paul hit it nowhere. When I worked w/Paul he hit it about 220-230 & said it was the furthest he'd ever hit it because of graphite shafts. He was in his 70's at that point.

When he attached the putter to his belly, he slid his right hand way down the shaft so his right arm was almost straight. Said he didn't think he could miss inside 3 feet that way.

Just because equipment changes doesn't mean that any and all changes should be allowed. I'm sure you agree, so mentioning that equipment changes is an actual dumb argument.

True, but why not try to keep things as even across the generations as you possibly can?

Everything I said could be applied to hybrids, but it would be a much weaker argument.

The putter is the most used club in the bag by a freakin mile, which makes it a much bigger deal in this context.

You're right, I don't believe this argument is a rational reason to hate long putters. That's because whether or not I hate them has NOTHING to do with this argument/discussion.

Did you eat a lot of paint chips as a kid?


EDIT: to expand on that last point: Tiger Woods has nothing to do with my hatred of belly/chest putters. If he used one coming up would I still hate them? I have no idea. My first thought is I wouldn't have liked Tiger anywhere near as much because I've always hated long putters, but I honestly can't say for sure. My seemingly natural man-love for him might have been able to overcome it. But I've said nothing itt about Tiger being the reason for my hatred of them.

We know they'll have at least that since the change wouldn't go into effect until 2016. I agree a phase out period is the fair way to handle it.

I wonder though if the PGA Tour could implement a change sooner? Doubt they would of course but I don't see what would stop them if they wanted to.

lolctryi

i used a long putter on a putting green yesterday while waiting to tee off

i was far far worse with the long putter than with a normal putter. maybe i was doing it wrong, i dunno, but was quite easy to pull or push putts with it.

Only a 3 win day for the belly/long, not too shabby...

The setup is key. It has to be anchored correctly in order to swing properly. Once you get that part nailed down it's close to repeatable every time.

sounds tempting given how i putted today

There was a nice piece on TGC tonight about these putters/anchoring and it seemed like the only guys in favor of it were the guys actually using it. Almost everybody else agreed that it's against the spirit of the game.

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/liv...utters/?hj=xfs

Yeah that was a good watch earlier. Best point I took from it was the argument that all other eqt changes (hybrids, drivers, etc.) effect the ball itself, but the anchored putter has an effect on the motion, and even the nerve.

It was also interesting from ppl like Petterson who've used the long putter for 15 years saying this would kill their career.

It just seems to me that if this isn't killed now, 10 years down the line the majority of players will be using the anchored method. Having tried it myself for the last 3 rounds, i certainly see the alure of it.

The worst part is the ban won't take effect until like 2016. Even Ernie Els that last major champion has admitted he's against the long putters, but he's not breaking the rules by using one. He actually wants to go back to a normal putter before he calls it quits on the tour because he claims his best years with the putter during his career were with a normal flat stick.