A Parting Shot In The Long Putter Controversy

[k-troop]

How is this the least repeatable, clunkiest, and most difficult to perform under pressure stroke you have ever heard of? Its simply a long putter an inch (or so) away from touching the stomach. Think before you write. [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/91133/] [/URL]

Looks like a perfectly normal putting stroke to me. And with that 40" putter, he should really be able to boom those putts out there, but his accuracy may suffer a bit.

[MS256]

How is this the least repeatable, clunkiest, and most difficult to perform under pressure stroke you have ever heard of?

Its simply a long putter an inch (or so) away from touching the stomach.

Think before you write.

That's not what the OP described at all so I can't see any relevance to either what the OP said or Tee2Trees' response.

[Fourputt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseyThursday

How is this the least repeatable, clunkiest, and most difficult to perform under pressure stroke you have ever heard of?

Its simply a long putter an inch (or so) away from touching the stomach.

Think before you write.

That's not what the OP described at all so I can't see any relevance to either what the OP said or Tee2Trees' response.

I'd have to see a photo of the set up to have any idea what the OP was talking about.  I'm assuming that he was talking about hands separated with one on the top of the grip, using a broomstick stroke, but his idea that it's more stable than anchored is pure hogwash.  That doesn't mean that it might not work for him, but it can't possibly be more stable.

[Tee2Trees]

How is this the least repeatable, clunkiest, and most difficult to perform under pressure stroke you have ever heard of?

Its simply a long putter an inch (or so) away from touching the stomach.

Think before you write.

Well the pic definitely helps me understand, but that doesn't look long enough to be a belly putter as the golfer would have to bend way over to get that thing anchored against his sternum.  At any rate, I can't imagine any benefit to having the extra shaft length sticking up to catch your shirt.  If it is the heavier weight/SW you are after there are more elegant solutions available.

[JerseyThursday]

I can't imagine any benefit to having the extra shaft length sticking up to catch your shirt.  If it is the heavier weight/SW you are after there are more elegant solutions available.

Some players, including a few on the tour, prefer the higher MOI that can be obtained with a longer putter (that isn’t meant to be anchored).
In fact, Odyssey introduced a putter last year called the Tank made specifically for this.
See photo and description below.

Nicolas Colsaerts became the second PGA TOUR player to put Odyssey's new Tank putter in play this season — Matt Every was the first at the Northern Trust Open — when he used a 40-inch version on Thursday at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

The Belgian, who joined Callaway Golf at the beginning of the year, had been using a conventional Odyssey Black Series i #1 for the last few months, but when he showed up at TPC Blue Monster at Trump Doral on Monday, he decided to give the counterbalanced model a test run.

Colsaerts spent the first three days working with a 40-inch version of the putter, which uses a counterbalance weight, heavier 400-gram head and heavier 150-gram shaft to quiet the hands during the stroke.

The additional weight in the putter is supposed to engage the big muscles to promote a more pendulum stroke that helps keep the wrists from breaking down. Odyssey officially launched Tank — which is the company's alternative to anchoring — this week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

The putter comes in short (34- and 36-inch) and long (38- and 40-inch) models. The short model has a total club MOI that's 34 percent higher than a standard putter, while the long option is 109 percent higher than a standard putter.

Tank's balance point is also lower on the shaft, providing a more conventional approach that players like Colsaerts prefer.

While Colsaerts didn't make any major adjustments to his Tank, he did have the White Hot insert tweaked for added consistency.

http://www.pgatour.com/equipmentreport/2013/03/07/colsaerts-the-second-to-try-odyssey-tank.html

[JerseyThursday]

That's not what the OP described at all so I can't see any relevance to either what the OP said or Tee2Trees' response.

Thats because I wasn’t talking about the OP’s modified broomstick method of anchoring. Hence, the reason I didn’t quote him with my responce. My comments were about the same issue with anchoring to the belly. At least Tee2Trees understood where I was going with it. You, apparently not.

[mdl]

What's going to be the exact definition of anchoring?  Just that neither the putter nor hand will be allowed to touch the body?  Obviously the belly putter users only option is to basically use a slightly shorter putter and just a classic putting stroke with a longer shaft.  But will the broomstick guys (Scott) be allowed to stick their wrist against their chest instead of their hand or butt of the putter?  Forearm?  You're already allowed to pinch your elbow in against your body in a classic putter stroke, so presumably it'll be legal to try to come close to replicating the anchored against the chest style by at least jamming the front elbow in and maybe using a slightly shorter broomstick?

[Golfingdad]

What's going to be the exact definition of anchoring?  Just that neither the putter nor hand will be allowed to touch the body?  Obviously the belly putter users only option is to basically use a slightly shorter putter and just a classic putting stroke with a longer shaft.  But will the broomstick guys (Scott) be allowed to stick their wrist against their chest instead of their hand or butt of the putter?  Forearm?  You're already allowed to pinch your elbow in against your body in a classic putter stroke, so presumably it'll be legal to try to come close to replicating the anchored against the chest style by at least jamming the front elbow in and maybe using a slightly shorter broomstick?

Somewhere buried in the anchored putters thread is a graphic showing examples of exactly what is and what isn't legal.  The gist of it is that nothing below your elbows can be anchored against the body, nor can the club, obviously.

So, yes, I believe that the last example you describe (the bold) is totally legal, albeit really hard to do.

[Texian]

http://www.usga.org/uploadedImages/USGAHome/rules/UNDERSTANDING%20ANCHORED%20STROKES.jpg

[Golfingdad]

Somewhere buried in the anchored putters thread is a graphic showing examples of exactly what is and what isn't legal.

http://www.usga.org/uploadedImages/USGAHome/rules/UNDERSTANDING%20ANCHORED%20STROKES.jpg

LOL ... yeah that's it.  Thanks!

[Patch]

I don't mind folks using long putters. That said, I might have a issue with those really long, broom stick putters being used to measure a drop area. I know the ROG allow them to be used, but I'd much rather see the golfer's driver being the longest club approved to be used. A broom stick putter that is any where from 48" to 52" seems like it would give an unfair advantage over the rest of the field that did not use these longer critters.

[k-troop]

I don't mind folks using long putters. That said, I might have a issue with those really long, broom stick putters being used to measure a drop area. I know the ROG allow them to be used, but I'd much rather see the golfer's driver being the longest club approved to be used. A broom stick putter that is any where from 48" to 52" seems like it would give an unfair advantage over the rest of the field that did not use these longer critters.

Definitely gave Adam Scott a drop today that he considered favorable. He needed every inch of that putter; though, to be fair, not sure it saved him a stroke.

[MS256]

If some people continue to use the chest length putter without anchoring it looks to me like an argument waiting to happen. The forearm could be close enough to look anchored and not be fairly easily.

[iacas]

If some people continue to use the chest length putter without anchoring it looks to me like an argument waiting to happen.

The forearm could be close enough to look anchored and not be fairly easily.

Honestly, I think it's going to be a "spirit of the game" type of thing. We trust our opponents not to be cheating in lots of cases. We let them alone in the woods, we are looking at our own ball while making a swing, etc.

I think there will be some instances where someone may accuse someone of anchoring, but they won't be widespread at all. They can't be widespread, after all, if you think about it - very few amateurs anchor the putter! The ruling bodies nipped it in the bud for the amateur game, which was lagging well behind the use in the pro ranks.

[CarlSpackler]

A friend who anchors sent me this link. He is all happy that he can continue to use his long putter. I think it looks ridiculous.

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/golf-fix-new-way-putt-long-putter/

[boogielicious]

A friend who anchors sent me this link. He is all happy that he can continue to use his long putter. I think it looks ridiculous.

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/golf-fix-new-way-putt-long-putter/

Bowling for dollars!  It does look a bit odd like croquet.