I know i'm gonna get jumped, but I don't think the "if it was an advantage everybody would use them" line is a good argument as to why it should remain legal.

It's clearly an advantage for the guys that cant putt for **** with a short putter, no?

I'm not good with words...

If there is no advantage to using the long putter, why are so many players switching to them and seeing success?

well, k. bradley and w. simpson didnt switch but started playing them at least back in college. ernie switched but most would agree his putting might have improved of late but he was no doubt a better putter in the past with the short stick. other recent majors are all short stick putters. long putters can definately help certain type of players, but the overall impact or advantage gained is not something that's a game changer.

do you think that long putters would work for players like steve stricker, brad faxon, ben crenshaw?

It proves that long putters are an advantage for those players. What about the players who try long putters, don't like them, and switch back to traditional putters? Making a blanket statement that long putters are a definitive advantage in golf is dumb.

Furthermore, just because some players improve their games with a change in equipment, why is that automatically a good reason to ban that equipment? Why aren't we still using featheries and hickory shafts and wearing tweed jackets?

Hopefully Tiger will start using a long putter.

btw im not advocating long putters in general. i personally cant use them, and besides, my putting is the strength of my game. however, i think other rule changes with regard to equipment should precede the roll back of a long putter. especially in regards to curtailing the added length shots produce by the technology going into equipment. changing 510 par 5s into par fours because everyone hits it 330 now is a bigger problem in my view.

Ok, so I need to wait for someone to walk over and remove the flag stick. That certainly speeds up play.

IIRC this was the so-called "Nicklaus rule", in response to his notoriously slow play, in particular on the greens.

When you're anchoring a club against your body, it that really in the spirit of the way the game has been played for centuries? Yeah, there have been equipment improvements, but these improvements don't change the way the game is played at a fundamental level; the swing remains generally the same as it has been. Whether it's a hickory-shafted mashie hitting a featherie or steel-shafted 5-iron hitting a rubber-and-plastic heavily engineered ball, the way players used their clubs to accomplish the goal of holing their ball remained the same in a general sense. But never before have people wedged a club up against their bodies and waved it back and forth like a pendulum. The USGA and R&A have to make this decision; my stance is that I am against it.

They have shown their will to take away something as menial as square-grooved irons and wedges, so what makes anyone think they won't have the guts to take long putters away? Again though, it's their decision, not mine.

I'm not in favor of long putters, but Billy Casper anchored his hands against his left leg 50 years ago. From what I've heard his stroke would be declared illegal, which is a complete joke.

Why is it a complete joke?

I can't touch my leg with my hands when I'm putting? Why is it not a joke?

Do you seriously think players/USGA/R&A from 100 years ago would have outlawed a putting stroke like Casper's?

And why do you think square grooves are "menial"?

Yes, they'd be even more likely to do so imo.
Because statistical analysis comparing the distance to the pin both from the fairway and from the rough before and after the rule change showed no measurable difference. I'd link if I could find it. (edit - http://golfweek.com/news/2011/jan/05...e-effect-tour/ -this is a decent starting point but still not the thing i was looking for. a stats blog did a big thing on it IIRC)

That's a valid argument and I don't disagree with it. I'm on the fence on the issue, I think there's some very good arguments both for and against banning the long putter.

But whenever the discussion comes up, there's always a bunch of silly illogical arguments as well, and I think it's important to point out why they're silly. One such silly argument is "makes the game easier = banworthy".