Anchored Putters Rules Change (Effective January 1, 2016)

[Calamity Jane]

My Grandfather told me that Bobby Jones once said golf is a game of nerves. I am sure many greats of the game have said the exact same thing. A shaky putter on the last day, or any day, of a tournament will most likely not lead to victory.

What would Bobby Jones have then said about the anchored putter and how will the people of the future look back on the players that used them and the statistics they created? The anchoring of the putter quite obviously gives an unfair advantage when it comes to nerves. It also gives an unfair adtantage when it comes to wind. I have seen dozens of windy tournaments where this was blatantly obvious.

It was a sad day when an anchored putter won this years Masters. How could those in charge have let things go this far. If Bobby Jones were alive today he would have certainly had something to say about this. He was all about fair play and an anchored putter is definitely an unfair advantage for the few who use them.

I am not going to name any names when it comes to anchored putters, but I am sure most people would know who I am talking about when I say there was a player who had trouble with nerves throughout his career that switched to the anchored putter and then started winning tournaments left and right. He won more tournaments in the few years that followed the switch than he had won throughout his entire career prior and he is not alone in this statistic. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the advantage is very real.

It was the chance of an anchored putter winning the Open today that got me to write this letter. The history of the greatest and longest running tournament in golf would have been forever marred had this happened. I am so happy that Phil Mickeson ended up winning the tournament. Phil came over early and worked very hard on his links golf to win this Open. He is a true practitioner of the game and Bobby Jones himself would have been proud of his effort.

All I can do is hope that an anchored putter does not ruin the history of any more of the great tournaments to come until the day said practice is abolished. I also very much admire the players that had the fortitude to not switch to the anchored putter. It could have helped many players get their first win, or those with many wins get more, but if everyone had switched, the integrity of the game would have been forever lost.

[mvarley84]

If the advantage is as distinct as you imagine, I would think that way more players would have hopped on the opportunity.

And BTW, long putters are not being banned. The act of anchoring the putter to any part of the torso is banned.

I don't see the big problem with anchored putters, as I said earlier, if there was that big of a difference more guys would be doing it.

[mp33 man]

My Grandfather told me that Bobby Jones once said golf is a game of nerves. I am sure many greats of the game have said the exact same thing. A shaky putter on the last day, or any day, of a tournament will most likely not lead to victory. What would Bobby Jones have then said about the anchored putter and how will the people of the future look back on the players that used them and the statistics they created? The anchoring of the putter quite obviously gives an unfair advantage when it comes to nerves. It also gives an unfair adtantage when it comes to wind. I have seen dozens of windy tournaments where this was blatantly obvious. It was a sad day when an anchored putter won this years Masters. How could those in charge have let things go this far. If Bobby Jones were alive today he would have certainly had something to say about this. He was all about fair play and an anchored putter is definitely an unfair advantage for the few who use them. I am not going to name any names when it comes to anchored putters, but I am sure most people would know who I am talking about when I say there was a player who had trouble with nerves throughout his career that switched to the anchored putter and then started winning tournaments left and right. He won more tournaments in the few years that followed the switch than he had won throughout his entire career prior and he is not alone in this statistic. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the advantage is very real. It was the chance of an anchored putter winning the Open today that got me to write this letter. The history of the greatest and longest running tournament in golf would have been forever marred had this happened. I am so happy that Phil Mickeson ended up winning the tournament. Phil came over early and worked very hard on his links golf to win this Open. He is a true practitioner of the game and Bobby Jones himself would have been proud of his effort. All I can do is hope that an anchored putter does not ruin the history of any more of the great tournaments to come until the day said practice is abolished. I also very much admire the players that had the fortitude to not switch to the anchored putter. It could have helped many players get their first win, or those with many wins get more, but if everyone had switched, the integrity of the game would have been forever lost.

Once again I think many will agree that there have been many other changes to our great game that have impacted history far more than the anchoring of the putter. For instance I don't think that Bobby Jones ever envisioned 400+ yard drives...

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by mvarley84

If the advantage is as distinct as you imagine, I would think that way more players would have hopped on the opportunity.

Not necessarily.  Some may have considered it against the spirit of the rules of the original game, or may have anticipated that it would eventually be done away with.

It makes you wonder how long Ernie Els considered using it before eventually making the switch?

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by mp33 man

Once again I think many will agree that there have been many other changes to our great game that have impacted history far more than the anchoring of the putter.

For instance I don't think that Bobby Jones ever envisioned 400+ yard drives...

Um, who is that who is hitting 400+ yard drives???  I'd like to watch him on the next Tour telecast.

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Um, who is that who is hitting 400+ yard drives???  I'd like to watch him on the next Tour telecast.

Charl Schwartzel banged a 450+ drive on Saturday at the Open.

[Mr. Desmond]

Instead of anchored putters, another nice is created -- the 400g head, heavy shaft, longer length and counterbalancing - Odyssey has the Tank, SeeMore has counterbalanced putters and heavy heads, Taylormade has something like it, and customized putters like Edel have variable weighting and counterbalancing. If you have nerves, and a lot of us do for various reasons, you have more options.

I rollled a Tank #7 a week ago on store turf over a few bumps and this putter does not twist - it stays on line, and the follow-thru is effortless. Would like to try a Versa Tank and see what it does over a few weeks...

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by Mr. Desmond

Charl Schwartzel banged a 450+ drive on Saturday at the Open.

With like 150 yards of roll

[Mr. Desmond]

Originally Posted by bplewis24

With like 150 yards of roll

Yep.

Landed on the greeen within 20 feet of the pin. Missed the putt... doesn't matter. He had a poor day on Sunday.

[mp33 man]

Um, who is that who is hitting 400+ yard drives???  I'd like to watch him on the next Tour telecast.

Bobby jones was considered to be a long hitter in his day and he would average 250 yards with an occasional 265 yard bomb... guys nowadays average 305 with the occasional 350 yard bomb and I know that I've seen Rory,Day, Bubba and Tiger all hit 400 yarders in a tournament.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by mp33 man

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fourputt

Um, who is that who is hitting 400+ yard drives???  I'd like to watch him on the next Tour telecast.

Bobby jones was considered to be a long hitter in his day and he would average 250 yards with an occasional 265 yard bomb... guys nowadays average 305 with the occasional 350 yard bomb and I know that I've seen Rory,Day, Bubba and Tiger all hit 400 yarders in a tournament.

You are way off.  Only the top 12 on the PGA Tour average 300 yards or more, and only the top 3 hit 305.  Most of those 12 are not, and likely never will be, household names.  #1 and #2 in the world are both in the 290 range.  You are making the same mistake as the guys on this board who "average" 300 yards when in reality 300 is their long drive, not their average.  The extremes and the average are very different things.  The best players may be capable of hitting longer, but control is so much more important that they don't try.   I'm afraid that I don't have a lot of respect for players, pro or amateur when the only thing on their resume is the ability to be long and wrong.  It's just another case of ego exceeding ability.

And the 400 yard drive at the Open was an aberration.  A few of them might get close at Kapalua on occasion (#17 and #18) because of the way the course is laid out, but it takes all of the conditions being perfect, and then they still have to be lucky.  Even on the concrete fairways they had at Muirfield the smart players played for control.  Hell, even at the Long Drive Championships they don't hit 400 except by accident (2012 winner hit 393 yards).

[newtogolf]

Originally Posted by mvarley84

If the advantage is as distinct as you imagine, I would think that way more players would have hopped on the opportunity.

And BTW, long putters are not being banned. The act of anchoring the putter to any part of the torso is banned.

I don't see the big problem with anchored putters, as I said earlier, if there was that big of a difference more guys would be doing it.

The advantage isn't universal.  I'd probably have the same results with an anchored putting stroke as I do with a traditional stroke.  Those that made the switch and stuck with it obviously felt an anchored stroke provided them with better results or they wouldn't have made the switch.

The anchored stroke has been used by professional golfers that have suffered with the yips, have back issues, grip/hand issues or just hit a bad patch with a traditional stroke.  They stuck with the anchored stroke because it helped them lower their score.  If you're competing against someone that is using a soon to be illegal stroke in order to win, they are at an advantage (physical or mental) compared to if they were forced to use a traditional putting stroke.

[mp33 man]

You are way off.  Only the top 12 on the PGA Tour average 300 yards or more, and only the top 3 hit 305.  Most of those 12 are not, and likely never will be, household names.  #1 and #2 in the world are both in the 290 range.  You are making the same mistake as the guys on this board who "average" 300 yards when in reality 300 is their long drive, not their average.  The extremes and the average are very different things.  The best players may be capable of hitting longer, but control is so much more important that they don't try.   I'm afraid that I don't have a lot of respect for players, pro or amateur when the only thing on their resume is the ability to be long and wrong.  It's just another case of ego exceeding ability. And the 400 yard drive at the Open was an aberration.  A few of them might get close at Kapalua on occasion (#17 and #18) because of the way the course is laid out, but it takes all of the conditions being perfect, and then they still have to be lucky.  Even on the concrete fairways they had at Muirfield the smart players played for control.  Hell, even at the Long Drive Championships they don't hit 400 except by accident (2012 winner hit 393 yards).

1) I am not way off, that part of the argument was based on a comparison of "long hitters" from different eras, I apologize for not spelling out every little detail for your feeble mind. 2) I never said that every player or even most players averaging 305, I simply said that "guys" average 305. That could imply as many as 100 players or as little as 2 players. 3) I never said anything about hitting it the farthest also makes you "#1 or #2" in the world, it just so happens that Bobby Jones was one of the longest in his time and one of best, if the best, of his time. 3) I never said anything about this weekends drives either. I think it was Stenson that hit a 305 yard 5 iron so this weekend wasn't a really good show for averages. 4) No explanation needed http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/the-long-ball-good-times-keep-rolling-firestone/ Moral of this story is "do better research before saying that someone is "way off". I was simply trying to make a comparison between long hitters nowadays changing the way that golf courses are set up and even designed therefore altering the way that the game is played. In my opinion that is a much bigger deal than some anchoring a putter. BTW, I average around 250 to 290 yards, I don't know exact numbers because I don't keep track like some. I would like to think that I'm a decent golfer who leans on good ball striking and IRON PLAY to get around the golf course, I'm not that guy...

[dave67az]

Originally Posted by mp33 man

1) I am not way off, that part of the argument was based on a comparison of "long hitters" from different eras, I apologize for not spelling out every little detail for your feeble mind.

2) I never said that every player or even most players averaging 305, I simply said that "guys" average 305. That could imply as many as 100 players or as little as 2 players.

3) I never said anything about hitting it the farthest also makes you "#1 or #2" in the world, it just so happens that Bobby Jones was one of the longest in his time and one of best, if the best, of his time.

3) I never said anything about this weekends drives either. I think it was Stenson that hit a 305 yard 5 iron so this weekend wasn't a really good show for averages.

4) No explanation needed

http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golftalkcentral/the-long-ball-good-times-keep-rolling-firestone/

Moral of this story is "do better research before saying that someone is "way off".

I was simply trying to make a comparison between long hitters nowadays changing the way that golf courses are set up and even designed therefore altering the way that the game is played. In my opinion that is a much bigger deal than some anchoring a putter.

BTW, I average around 250 to 290 yards, I don't know exact numbers because I don't keep track like some. I would like to think that I'm a decent golfer who leans on good ball striking and IRON PLAY to get around the golf course, I'm not that guy...

Don't take this the wrong way, but how can your "average" vary by 40 yards?  Are you saying that your shortest drive is 250 yards, and your longest 290?

[mp33 man]

Don't take this the wrong way, but how can your "average" vary by 40 yards?  Are you saying that your shortest drive is 250 yards, and your longest 290?

Odd isn't it... I'm actually able to work the driver better than my 3w so yea I'll hit a 250 yd high fade or a 290 yd push draw depending on the hole. This is really off subject but a couple weeks ago I hit a 314 yd low fade on the first hole, I think that I did the math wrong though because the course was really wet (which means I should've gotten no roll), it was uphill (it was playing longer) and I didn't feel as though I got all of it but we all three came up with the same math. I probably average closer to 275 but I don't know because I hit a variety of different shots and distances with the driver, so I'm saying that my average is somewhere in that range.

[meenman]

Originally Posted by mp33 man

Odd isn't it... I'm actually able to work the driver better than my 3w so yea I'll hit a 250 yd high fade or a 290 yd push draw depending on the hole.

This is really off subject but a couple weeks ago I hit a 314 yd low fade on the first hole, I think that I did the math wrong though because the course was really wet (which means I should've gotten no roll), it was uphill (it was playing longer) and I didn't feel as though I got all of it but we all three came up with the same math.

I probably average closer to 275 but I don't know because I hit a variety of different shots and distances with the driver, so I'm saying that my average is somewhere in that range.

If you are using *math* to measure your drives, you are nowhere near realistic with your average. Unless you are using a GPS to measure your drives, your distances are over fabricated. What the tee box says is the distance to the green is not measured in a straight line, it is measured by how the hole is supposed to be played.

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by meenman

Quote:

Originally Posted by mp33 man

Odd isn't it... I'm actually able to work the driver better than my 3w so yea I'll hit a 250 yd high fade or a 290 yd push draw depending on the hole.

This is really off subject but a couple weeks ago I hit a 314 yd low fade on the first hole, I think that I did the math wrong though because the course was really wet (which means I should've gotten no roll), it was uphill (it was playing longer) and I didn't feel as though I got all of it but we all three came up with the same math.

I probably average closer to 275 but I don't know because I hit a variety of different shots and distances with the driver, so I'm saying that my average is somewhere in that range.

If you are using *math* to measure your drives, you are nowhere near realistic with your average. Unless you are using a GPS to measure your drives, your distances are over fabricated. What the tee box says is the distance to the green is not measured in a straight line, it is measured by how the hole is supposed to be played.

This^^

Using "math" to figure yardages on courses is useless - holes are mismeasured or changed after the card is published, hole lengths are deliberately inflated, and holes aren't usually measured in a straight line.

GPS is the most accurate, and measuring on Google Earth at high zoom is a good second choice (can get you within 3 or 4 yards if you are careful and honest with your measurement points).

[mp33 man]

This^^ Using "math" to figure yardages on courses is useless - holes are mismeasured or changed after the card is published, hole lengths are deliberately inflated, and holes aren't usually measured in a straight line.   GPS is the most accurate, and measuring on Google Earth at high zoom is a good second choice (can get you within 3 or 4 yards if you are careful and honest with your measurement points).

I don't think this would help my already slow play :)