primo Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 With all the talk of should the long putter be banned on tour, I thought we should open this up for discussion here. Personally I think it should be banned. One of my playing partners is now using one, and I do feel like he is cheating. He holds his at his chin and let's it hang down as a perfect pendulum. The lie angle isn't more than 80 degrees but it might as well be because the heel is raised off the ground. I do think it still takes work to get the lag putting down, however anything inside 10 feet is pretty much money. I haven't really tried one, although I have considered it many times. I just wish they would hurry up and make it illegal before I go out and buy one. Call me crazy but I feel like clubs should look traditional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FAQ Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 Personally I don't care what anyone uses if it works for them. I've tried them and I don't care for them. But, golf is hard enough. I'm all for anything that makes it easier for people. Especially the casual golfer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillypete Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I don't like them but I always prefer doing thinks the hard way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godfather1 Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I don't like them I just don't like the feel to it. :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primo Posted June 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 I guess what I should have asked is if the putter should be banned for tournament play. So I'll increase the scope of the discussion to should there be seperate rules for the PGA and the USGA. This would allow manufacturers to create equipment that would help the average golfer without worrying about the restrictions of pros. Now fine for the casual golfer I honestly could care less. However for the pros I do think the long putter is non traditional and shouldn't be allowed. I also think it's ok if a casual golfer uses a hi-cor driver. I guess what I'm saying is fine for casual golf use whatever the hell you want. In fact you can tell people you shot a 59, not like I'm signing a scorecard or anything, it's all just for fun. However when the stakes are high, nerves are part of the game... That's just my opinion... Hmmm... maybe I'll throw a 20" extension into my putter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillypete Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 people want to play what the pros play or atleast look like what the pros are playing. Need proof... the sales record of Nike Blades vs the number of people who can hit them. However seperate rules should be made for the Tour verses USGA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuffVader Posted June 3, 2004 Report Share Posted June 3, 2004 i dont think they should be banned. the only real problem i see with it is that maybe it shouldnt be anchored to any part of the body. hold it in your hands like any other club. if they ban it just because it is long, then that would open the door for all kinds of bannings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe295 Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 But Duff wouldn't having to hold a long putter in your hands defeat the purpose? I thought the reason they are so long is to anchor them somewhere on your anatomy. Although it might be interesting trying to hold Bernhard Langer's putter with both hands. I don't see that it needs to be banned, after all you still need to take it back and through correctly and apply to proper "hit" to the ball so it goes the correct distance. I've never seen anyone make any more putts with these than any other putter so I'm not sure of the advantage unless you get yippy..which will probably happen to me so I want something to fall back on. And when you come right down to it that's why I don't want it banned...I want the option to use it if I develope the need... :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuffVader Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 you dont have to anchor it against the body, i have a mid length putter and dont anchor it when i use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgk5 Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 If it is not anchored to the body, I say no. A rule could be written to allow any player seeing the "anchoring" to call a player on the infraction. The same deal for belly putters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLMelton Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 Personally I don't see the need to ban the mid/long putters for amateurs or pros. If you go for a different set of rules for pros then what happens to those amateurs that occasionally qualify for the Opens or Masters? What is traditional about golf, anyways? Hickory shafts, leather balls stuffed with feathers, tees that are just piles of sand and playing with a long sleeve shirts and a tie, now that's traditional and I'm glad we don't do it. Look at the shape of the Futura, some of the STX putters, Voodoo putters, Big and Baby Ben putters (just to name a few) and compare it to the original blade putters and tell me that those are traditional shapes. So I'm really not buying into the "traditional" argument very well when you look at the positive changed that have happened. Defining anchoring is going to be a chore. What if I choke way down on a 3 wood to chip/punch and the end touches my body during the swing (like I had to do from under the trees last week), was I anchored? The grip of the club is pretty well anchored to your hands when you are swinging. If you try to eliminate a split grip then it gets even more hazy. What about those that currently use the claw as a putting grip? That's a split grip and very untraditional. Ban the belly/long putter and I'll go back to my old SC or maybe just take my money and take up another sport. I'll miss golf if I do because it's the only sport that lets me drink and drive and chases me down with more alcohol while I'm on the course. I wasn't struggling anyways but I'm not doing this professionally so why go back. I think the golf industry will lose a lot of people that found something that kept them coming back every weekend and that's not a good thing to have happen. As long as it's legal I'll keep using mine and do a practice session with my SC every so often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe295 Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 you dont have to anchor it against the body, i have a mid length putter and dont anchor it when i use it. thanks for that, not something I knew.. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGB Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 One of the best amateur golfers in the Philippines has used a long putter for the last twelve years. He blew out his back and would have had to give up competitive golf if not for this club. Yes, he also had his putting woes. He went to great lengths to show me the cobbled together putting stroke he once used to qualify for the British Amateur in St. Andrews. I cringed in horror. But in the end, he needs it for his back, just so he can play golf. After years of competitive tennis and squash, my back's not in the best shape. I can't practice my putting as long as I'd like because it gets really tight on me and I have to lay on my back and stretch it. I'm seriously considering getting a long putter to play with as a long term investment. If and when my back does give out (I'm getting closer to 50 than I'll admit) I've got something to fall back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clubfitters Posted June 6, 2004 Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 primo, it's hard to see the problem w/the long putter, when we have no problem w/a driver that comes w/nuts & bolts & a lug wrench. jeff/clubfitters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primo Posted June 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong :cool: I am not a big man :-) So my putting woes continues through last weekend, so much so that I stopped by my pro shop on my way home, and threw in a 12" extension into my Betti BB-43. Added a Winn belly grip and well... I sure hope they don't make these things illegal anytime soon. I can focus more on the line and speed rather than my stroke. I cut my putts nearly in half, however that isn't saying much as my putting has been absolutely horrendous lately. Let's just say I've just been barely breaking 90 and avering 15 GIR. Pretty sad... and really freakin frustrating. My first round with my new creation, and well let's just say the honeymoon is on. I don't want to say to much yet as I want to get some time to make sure I'm gonna stick with it. BTW total cost to turn your favorite putter into a belly? 10-15 bucks. You need to buy the grip and a shaft extension takes all of 10 minutes. Worth a try, you can always change it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PxExG Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 just make the putter the shortest club in your bag! solves everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bma725 Posted June 12, 2004 Report Share Posted June 12, 2004 just make the putter the shortest club in your bag! solves everything. Not at all. What about guys like Ray Floyd who used a putter that was 37 inches long, a normal grip, a normal stroke, no anchoring at all, simply because the longer putter forced them to stand taller aleviating some of their back pain? Should they be forced to go to a shorter putter even though they are doing the exact same stroke as everyone else who uses one? This thing won't get solved, believe me. Banning anchoring doesn't work, because some of the greatest putters of all time like Billy Casper and Bobby Locke used to anchor their putters to the inside of they're legs. Anchoring is not strictly a belly/long issue. Banning length doesn't work, because people can make a normal stroke with any length putter. And, if enough people get upset because of a possible ban, there's even talk about a lawsuit against the USGA under the ADA. Doing anything opens a can of worms the USGA doesn't want to touch at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PxExG Posted June 12, 2004 Report Share Posted June 12, 2004 Brian - if the putter is 37" so what? If his problem is legitimate then his wedges would also be that long to help his back. On account of the flat lie angle on some wedges they would have to have been even longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_Junior Posted June 12, 2004 Report Share Posted June 12, 2004 I do not use a belly putter, but i have tried one (ping lil'b i think it was) and it was a nice putter. I think if they were gonna ban them it should have been a while ago, people have been using them for a while and if you ban them you'd have some peoples careers in ruins and lots of people probably forget how to put the normal way. There is alot of people that use belly putters these days and there would be some very mad people. If it is an easy way to putt, the people complaining about them do have the option to use them to. It is fair game if you ask me, i don't think they should be banned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zing Posted June 13, 2004 Report Share Posted June 13, 2004 i think they should be banned from tournament play, i was playing in a tourney last weekend, some old guy had one, stuck right in his old gut or something, f**ker was draining s**t in mid/high competition tourney.. i think like Els said, it takes the nerves out, i dont think theres a chance if that handle wasnt in his enormous gut he woulda been draining those, but i use a futura so what do i know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bma725 Posted June 14, 2004 Report Share Posted June 14, 2004 Brian - if the putter is 37" so what? If his problem is legitimate then his wedges would also be that long to help his back. On account of the flat lie angle on some wedges they would have to have been even longer. No in fact many of the players who go to a 37-38 inch putter still use standard if not shorter wedges. There's completely different spine angles and muscles in the back that give you problems when you're hitting a sand wedge than when you're standing over a putt. Its a whole different body position. In the past I've gone to a 37.5 inch putter because of some back pain, but its pain that only occurs when I putt. I could still go all out on drives, iron shots, wedges you name it, my full swing would be pain free. But slumping over a 33inch putter can be absolute murder on a bad back. The natural putting stance is one of the least athletic positions you can be in, its terrible for your back, especially if you've already got other problems. No offense, but the putter being the shortest club is a terrible idea. They only advantage with a 37-38 inch putter is the health benefit. You still have to make a real stroke, the same type of one anyone using a 35 or 33 inch putter is making. It doesn't take the wrists out of the stroke, it doesn't make you a better clutch putter, it doesn't make it impossible for you to mis-hit putts, it doesn't give you a better roll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zing Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 but i think it does lessen your nerves on ur puttting grip as opposed to holding a 34 in. putter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgedCBuser Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 belly and long putters are ok w/ me so long as the shaft isn't anchored anywhere on the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpescato Posted June 23, 2004 Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 Dudes, look at the Ping Doc model thats out now. Is that too wide and should it be banned? Whatever the USGA allows is law in my book. Those long putters look awfully stupid but I tried one and it worked well, although I won't buy one. They are probably especially great for women, as it must be second nature what with them having sweeping in their blood...hahahahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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