Keegan Bradley's USPGA victory accelerated growth of the trend.
Yesterday’s announcement that golf’s governing bodies, the USGA and R&A, are actively considering the implementation of a rule outlawing “anchoring” (ie. the bracing of the golf club against the body during the swing/putting stroke) will come as a relief to those alarmed by the sudden prevalence of belly putters, at both professional and amateur levels.
According to Mike Davis, grand fromage of the USGA, both institutions agreed to take a “fresh look” at the issue after it became clear that it had “become a much bigger topic” with, one presumes, much wider implications than anyone anticipated.
“We are looking at it from a perspective that … what we should look at for everything: What is good for the game, for all golfers, long term?
“…More players are using it, both on the elite level and the recreational level. We want to be sure that we are looking at all the angles and thinking about what is in the best interests both of the traditions of the game, the history of the game, and what we think would be good for the game.”
(via J. Achenbach)
While Davis didn’t make explicit the grounds on which the USGA would consider challenging the technique, it is understood that the R&A are particularly concerned by the manner in which the clubs can be used to stabilise the putting stroke in adverse weather conditions (wind, rain, Qatari dust storms…).
Personally, I think the issue will (or at least should) be reduced to a question of whether or not an individual should be allowed to provide an artificial fulcrum to either a putting stroke or full swing [my list of objections here].
The USGA is expected to address the subject in greater detail during the week of this year’s US Open.
Conor Nagle
It will be a massive surprise if they do anything about this.
Bottom line is this- you still have to make the stroke and put the ball in the hole. Using a belly putter does not automatically make you a better putter. It may give you more confidence, but as with any putting style, it comes with its own positives and drawbacks. If the governing bodies wanted to do something regarding this issue, then they should have acted before players used belly putters to win on tour.
Ten years too late!!! Will the blowhards at USGA/R&A ever be proactive?
Put an asterick next to Keegan’s wins.
@MW – fine, your right, maybe it should been done before. So that said, is it now untouchable? Why should that be ? No astericks @KC, just a going forward rule change. My guess is they would give a grace period – so after 2014 or something, anchoring is illegal -not long putters like Tiger said, just anchoring.