Re-Write the Anchored Putter Rule

[Golfingdad]

3 hours ago, billchao said:

You can claw grip without the hands touching each other, so no, I don't think that works.

And then there are one armed/handed golfers and people who putt with only one hand on the club.

Forgot about claw, and didn’t consider handicapped players.

OK ... how about legislating that clubs can only have one grip and give it a maximum length?

Two issues I already see: one, it’s legislating the equipment somewhat and not the strike, and two, it wouldn’t forbid players from gripping on the shaft (cue Michael Scott).

But that’s still my thought process ... trying to think of some way to encourage or force players to keep the hands nearer each other, thus making a fulcrum point more difficult.

[iacas]

8 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

But that’s still my thought process ... trying to think of some way to encourage or force players to keep the hands nearer each other, thus making a fulcrum point more difficult.

But then you'd still need the anchoring rules, or guys could put their hands together… and stick the butt end into their belly.

[SG11118]

What is meant by "soft anchor"? 

[iacas]

On 1/29/2018 at 8:51 AM, iacas said:

Brandel's point was that maybe the shirt even acts as a "soft anchor." That by feeling whether your thumb moves against your shirt, you can keep your thumb and thus effectively the butt of the club in the same place. Maybe you even rest your thumb against a button.

This from the OP.

[SG11118]

OK - I can see the ROG don't really ban touching of clothing currently. 

A couple of the 2017 putting strokes I've seen BL make, his upper hand acted somewhat like an anchor, but not 100%.  It moved around maybe an inch or so during the stroke.  Not understanding the term, I was thinking that maybe a "soft anchor" could be considered anchoring your forearm to your body for a portion of the swing as long as it doesn't stay anchored throughout the entire swing and as long as it doesn't make a completely fixed anchor point that doesn't move at all during the swing.  This would kind of be a grey area of Note 2 as well, but it would be tough to argue this as legal.

You definitely shouldn't be able to pinch your shirt with your fingers to make a "soft anchor" point.  That shouldn't be too big of a rule modification.

[LAMountaineer]

As is stated above by others, IMO both Scott and Bernard clearly violate the spirit of this new rule.  Also IMO the one clear remedy is to take a step that the RNA/USGA failed to do earlier -- limit the maximum putter length for tournament play. And, any contact by the putter or hand/wrist in contact with the putter on any part of the body above the forearm is a violation and subject to a penalty.  Scott and Bernard are both in violation from what I see, and the PGA / USGA should enforce that rule.  However, by limiting the putter's maximum length, this grey area could be eliminated.

[Rulesman]

I suspect they don't want to take on the equipment manufacurers

[iacas]

3 hours ago, LAMountaineer said:

As is stated above by others, IMO both Scott and Bernard clearly violate the spirit of this new rule.  Also IMO the one clear remedy is to take a step that the RNA/USGA failed to do earlier -- limit the maximum putter length for tournament play. And, any contact by the putter or hand/wrist in contact with the putter on any part of the body above the forearm is a violation and subject to a penalty.  Scott and Bernard are both in violation from what I see, and the PGA / USGA should enforce that rule.  However, by limiting the putter's maximum length, this grey area could be eliminated.

A 35" putter could be a belly putter to a junior golfer, or a shorter player. Raymond Floyd putted traditionally with a 37" putter.

It's not practical to regulate the length of a putter.

[NEhomer]

If anchoring was such cheating and an advantage, why did only one in 4 players anchor?

 

 

[iacas]

24 minutes ago, NEhomer said:

If anchoring was such cheating and an advantage, why did only one in 4 players anchor?

That's not really the topic here. That may have been a good question a few years ago.

[NEhomer]

What perceived advantage was addressed by the ban? Was it just because it looks awkward? 

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, NEhomer said:

What perceived advantage was addressed by the ban? Was it just because it looks awkward? 

Not at all the point or topic here.

Respectfully.

If you're asking as it relates to the actual discussion here, the point was to remove anchoring as the ruling bodies felt it wasn't a stroke, that the putter should be a free swinging implement that aligns with how we use our other clubs. They felt that anchoring was not "making a stroke," which is a big part of why they addressed it through that rule.

[MuniGrit]

On 1/29/2018 at 9:27 AM, Fourputt said:

Maybe something as simple as "The hands and forearms must be clearly free from contact with the torso or other possible anchor point."

That would apply to regular strokes too. 

[Divot Master]

A player suspected of making an illegal stroke with their putter shall be required to apply whipped cream to the body side of their fist, wrist, and forearm, prior to their next putt. If any whipped cream gets on their shirt, a 2 stroke penalty will be applied.

[mdl]

On 3/2/2018 at 12:55 PM, iacas said:

A 35" putter could be a belly putter to a junior golfer, or a shorter player. Raymond Floyd putted traditionally with a 37" putter.

It's not practical to regulate the length of a putter.

Wait, why not.  It seems like it would be pretty easy to use some version of @colin007's idea of tying it to the length of other clubs in the bag and make it so it would be very hard to anchor just because of the equipment.  And then keep the current rule to prevent something like, say, using Michelle Wie's crazy stance in order to anchor or something.  If anything that seems easier than trying to tighten up the current rule in a way that basically just means Langer has to wear a spandex workout shirt on the course to not break the rule.  

[iacas]

1 minute ago, mdl said:

Wait, why not.  It seems like it would be pretty easy to use some version of @colin007's idea of tying it to the length of other clubs in the bag and make it so it would be very hard to anchor just because of the equipment.  And then keep the current rule to prevent something like, say, using Michelle Wie's crazy stance in order to anchor or something.  If anything that seems easier than trying to tighten up the current rule in a way that basically just means Langer has to wear a spandex workout shirt on the course to not break the rule.  

Why do something else and then ultimately "then keep the current rule"? Why not just tweak the current rule a little to make it better?

Plus, the longest club in your bag could easily be 45" to 48", so…

… you'd have to make it the shortest club in your bag, which again would eliminate, say, Raymond Floyd's perfectly normal, legal, etc. putting stance with a 37" (IIRC) putter.

[mdl]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Why do something else and then ultimately "then keep the current rule"? Why not just tweak the current rule a little to make it better?

Plus, the longest club in your bag could easily be 45" to 48", so…

… you'd have to make it the shortest club in your bag, which again would eliminate, say, Raymond Floyd's perfectly normal, legal, etc. putting stance with a 37" (IIRC) putter.

 

Because I think it'd basically be impossible to tweak the current rule in a way that would allow a playable but truly, definitely unanchored broomstick stroke without requiring spandex shirts.  So just enforce a more traditional stroke through club length.  And you don't have to say longest club in bag.  For the foreseeable future, there will be traditional looking irons in the bag.  @colin007's proposal of no longer than your longest iron allows a normal sized person to putt traditionally with a 37" putter even if they're using hybrids to replace up through 5i.  And then you don't need to worry as much about how tight the anchoring rule is because the only way to anchor would be to go Michelle Wie.  If that stance plus questionable anchoring became a fad, then maybe you have to revisit the whole thing.  But that seems pretty unlikely, and you can deal with it if it happens.

[Vinsk]

3 hours ago, Divot Master said:

A player suspected of making an illegal stroke with their putter shall be required to apply whipped cream to the body side of their fist, wrist, and forearm, prior to their next putt. If any whipped cream gets on their shirt, a 2 stroke penalty will be applied.

Then BL’s shirt would look like a 2 year old’s at a Cool Whip party.