What is the big PGA controversy over long putters?

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What is the big PGA controversy over long putters? image

Why is the use of 'belly putters' controversial?

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Answer by Richard FellnerEditor of Inside Golf Magazine, 35 years experience in golf and the golf industry

A belly putter is part of a larger group of putters known generally as "Long" putters. In general, these putters have a longer shaft than the standard putter, which is around 35 inches long (but can be between 34-37 inches).

These long putters can reach a golfer's belly, chest/sternum or even chin. The longest ones are known as Broomstick putters, as their length resembles a broomstick. 

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The controversy surrounding these putters is not about the putters themselves, but rather around how they are used. In most cases, they are "anchored" against the golfer's chest or belly, which basically means that the butt end of the shaft is shoved into the belly thereby creating a third point of contact with the body (the hands are the first two points). This 'anchoring' minimizes movement by the wrists and creates a fulcrum for a more pendulum-like stroke (considered to be optimal to sinking putts). This also is thought to help reduce the Yips, which is an affliction whereby a golfer can't putt due to, say, excessive shaking/twitches/movement by the wrists (a general definition. Yips have many definitions, but all center around putting.)

Some people believe that anchoring a club to your body is against the nature of the game (since you cannot do the same with, say, a driver or other clubs), and that anchoring should be banned from the game.

Long putters have been around for decades. They were primarily used by senior golfers to help them play better for longer. This leads a lot of people to state that it is now "too late" to ban them*. (However, the USGA/R&A recently banned a new type of groove on wedges, and rolled back to an earlier version, so a precedent has been set).

With three of the last four golf Majors (as of 2012) won by players using long putters (Bradley, Simpson, Els) the controversy (heated up), with golf's ruling bodies now wondering if we will see, say, junior golfers start using these things.

*The United States Golf Association and The R&A, golf’s governing bodies, announced the adoption of Rule 14-1b of the Rules of Golf that prohibits anchoring the club in making a stroke. The new Rule will take effect on January 1, 2016, in accordance with the regular four-year cycle for changes to the Rules of Golf.

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