Putting rules question-unique

I have a friend that is a decent golfer. However when he gets on the green and putts, thats where something gets a little strange.

It happens whether he is making a 18 inch putt, 12 footer or a 25 footer, he goes thru somewhat of a routine, like we all do.

he analyses the slope, grain and speed, takes his normal putting practice stroke- looks normal .

next he grounds the putter behind the ball like we all do

He takes the putter back like normal, but as he comes thru the ball there is a very faint sound of contact. he uses an old oddysey putter- like 35 years old.

His putter face as it comes in contact with the ball matches the speed of the ball ( perhaps a touch faster) the illiusion is that the ball is staying on the putterface for an extend length of time and distance.

On say a fast 10 footer, the putter face concts the ball and remains in contact for another 9, 10, 12+ inches, only then does the ball roll & seperate away from the putter. Its strange looking. To me it looks like he is pushing or steering it.

I know how putt and Imake every attempt to roll the ball to the hole, rather than just strike it and decell.

here is rule,

14-1. Ball to Be Fairly Struck At

The ball must be fairly struck at with the head of the club and must not be pushed, scraped or spooned.

I guess it would be considered a push?

Do you agree or not agree? your thoughts are appreciated.

I don't want to be the one who gets in his head, but if he is eventually going to get called on it, I guess he should know.

I would say that might be physically impossible. Even on a putter the ball will leave the putter at a faster speed than the putter is moving. So unless he moves the putter extremely slowly and is actually pushing the putt, I think this is an optical illusion of some sorts.

Its not impossible,  it looks like its pushing, his hands and arms follow ahead of the putter face. If the ball at the moment of impact is traveling at X, then the putter is traveling immdediate after contact a X.01.

Ground the putter behind the ball, then push it 6-8inches and give it a roll, thats exactly what it looks like.

I guess I would are gue that the putter face is not cleanly striking the ball.or if it is perhaps hes contacting it twice?

in your original post, it says that he takes the putter back like normal, but then when he strikes the ball it stays on his putter face for what seems like 9-12 inches after the strike.  Just from what you are describing it sounds impossible, unless his follow through is the exact speed of the ball (which would be nearly impossible to keep up). Seems like with the speed of a putter swing being so slow that it is an optical illusion, especially since you say you are hearing a faint sound of contact, the ball would have to leave the putterhead...

If he takes the putter back as "normal" I don't think it could be called a push.  If he actually manages to maintain contact that long, I can't see how he could avoid an occasional, or even frequent double hit!

First we do have fast greens & actually what prompted this post, was I suspected once or twice within the round that he had doubled contacted the ball, as subtle as it was. ( it was not as distincted like double contacting a wedge shot our of thick rough or sand)

Think this for a moment, after a lengthy lag of a putt by your friend while you are tending the pin, he comes up short, you give him the putt. Now you want to roll the ball back to him. So you are pushing a ball forward slowly with the face of, then you decide you want to push it the final 15 feet to him, so you increase the speed of the putterface to roll it faster away....now compress that movement of the putter into an 8 foot putt.

I value everyones input

I don't see how you can double contact a putt.