Tiger sizes up an old-fashioned putt at the 2010 US Open
Further to yesterday’s announcement of the USGA and R&A’s decision to reconsider the legality of putting techniques based on “anchoring” (ie. the bracing of the putter grip against the body), 14-time major champion Tiger Woods used his pre-tournament press conference at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am to join the lobby in favour of an outright ban.
Asked by Wei Under Par’s own Stephanie Wei if he felt being able to putt without anchoring the club against the body was a fundamental part of the game, Woods responded in the affirmative, saying:
“I’ve never been a fan of [anchoring]. I believe it’s the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum motion. I believe that’s how it should be played. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to that.”
In addition to stating his position on the subject, Woods offered a suggestion as to how the rules of golf could be amended to preclude the controversial technique used by a growing number of PGA Tour professionals, including USPGA champion Keegan Bradley and FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas.
“I’ve talked to Peter Dawson [head of the R&A] about this for a number of years, going back and forth over how we could word [a change to the rules].
“My idea was to have it so that the putter would be equal or less than the shortest club in your bag. And I think with that we’d be able to get away from any type of belly anchoring. You can still anchor the putter like Bernhard Langer did – against the form. But that’s still the art of swinging the club at the same time.
“But I think you can get away from the belly or the long putter by that type of wording, whether or not they do it or not. And Peter’s looked into it for a number of years, trying to get it to work, and you can actually measure everybody’s sand wedge and putter before you go out and play, that’s another thing, too.”
What do you think of Tiger’s solution? Is it capable of being implemented? And if so, should it be?
Comments below.
Conor Nagle
*Ed. note: My story for golf.com is now live — check it out. –SW
I think they should be allowed as long as they are under the 48″ limit for club length.
To ban the belly or long putter would just set the game back. Too many pros would object on the basis of freedom of choice. If they done this why not ban drivers with weighting systems or look at the ball which travels further and makes the game easier. Manufacturers who are pushing the limits everyday with regard to club developemnt and R&D would also object. And realy does anybody think that the belly makes a golfer putt any better under pressure to a conventional club. I dont think so just ask Vijay Singh or other pros who seem to miss big putts with it. The belly is here to stay just like it was when Torrance and Langer pioneered the concept some twenty five years ago.
Just about the first interesting and sensible thing I’ve heard him say in a press conference. I won’t even go into Tiger being against “cheating” though……..!
Auld Tom Morris would be rolling over in his grave at the thought of belly putters. They don’t even use belly putters in croquet!
I can’t anchor my driver at the top of my backswing with anything other than my hands they why should I be able to anchor my putter with my belly on my backswing?
Long putters are for the weak!
Suck it up and play golf with a real putter.
My son is a 4th year at the University of St Andrews and played Peter Dawson in the annual town vs R&A match. Keep up the good reporting you two!
GolfMatt says “belly putters are for the weak” but I’m sure GolfMatt is not a PGA TOUR player.
If the belly was really ‘illegal’ or helped in such a dramatic way, you would see a belly putter guy win every single week on TOUR.
But you don’t see that. There are many different putter styles and types and strokes that win each week.
We should be focused on growing the game and if belly putters help people putt better, then that’s good.
One last thing, anyone can go out and buy a belly putter. If they were really that good, every single player on TOUR would be using one (example: nobody uses actual wood clubs anymore). So, the point that not every tour player has a belly putter means it is a thing of preference and that’s all.
Leave it alone and let’s focus on something else that will help the game grow, not trying to ban something useful in some people’s golf games.
If you retroactively ban the longer putters, then you must ban any other unconventional way of putting. If you honestly feel that a long putter gives you a competitive advantage (it doesn’t), then left hand low, the claw, fat superstroke grips, all of those things need to go also. A long putter does not make the stroke for you. You can miss putts all day with the putter anchored in your belly (see the Phil experiment). The ship sailed on this issue a decade ago.
Mark
If it wasn’t for belly putters you wouldn’t see those guys on the Tour. Why doesn’t everyone use one ? Because those guys know how to putt. Putting is a skill. Learn it. Anchoring is a crutch for people who can’t putt and have a faulty technique. Tiger’s comments make sense.
They should be banned, and the bunkers should start to be played as a haszard.
Anyone that thinks that belly putters are a “crutch” or make up for bad technique has never tried to use one.
Long putters are fine.. anchoring is cheating in my opinion at the professional level. USGA.. and Local Associations are fine…just not on Pro-Tours. It’s similar to Aluminum Bats. Good everywhere else except the Major Leagues.
One issue is where or how do you “anchor” the putter. If you put it in your chest or belly some will say ban it, but if you “anchor” it against your left arm ala Berhard Langer (in the old days) or Matt Kuchar, is that ok?
The fine print will kill this issue.
I love the many responses. I am not sure where I come out knowing that Kyle Stanley was driving the ball 360 frickin’ plus yards on Sunday, and we are talking about putters. So the belly putter seems an easy target vs ball and club improvements. Banning the anchor seems a decent rule. Tiger, for all his faults, etc is one smart dude. What does ‘Carnac” e.g Jack Nicklaus say about all this? How about Gary Player, Palmer and Tom Watson?
Oops. Just read Tiger’s full comments where he addresses the “anchoring” issue.
To me the modern ball is a bigger issue than belly putting. Reaching a 600 Yard Par 5 with a driver and 7 iron is ridiculous.
If they don’t reign that in, I don’t see the R&A or USGA making a drastic change on this.
If Tiger wants it banned, consider it banned. They’ll probably ban Rory McIlroy next.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the R&A eventually outlawed the belly putter. With no pratice, anybody can anchor the putter and have a semi-decent stroke. You don’t see great putters on tour using the belly putter but you also dont see really bad putters either. In putting, you have stroke path, aiming, and speed control. The belly putter eliminates one out of the three factors. Anyone who plays a lot can tell you that’s a huge advantage when all you have to think about is speed and aim. To me, anyone who has won a tournament with the belly putter has an asterisk next to their name.
Could this be a dig at Adam Scott and Stevie? Looking forward to their response down the road.
I don’t think this is a dig at Adam or any PGA tour member. Tiger said he’s been talking to Peter Dawson [head of the R&A] about this for a number of years. I’m sure he’s been against it long before the likes of Webb or Keegan started the belly craze.
MW. I have. They are so obviously a crutch. As Tim says they take a variable out of play completely that those with normal putters need to control and learn.
The ball is a different matter. Yes it goes too far but you still need to use the traditional skills of golf to put it on the fairway.
I. Am. So. Sick. Of. This. Topic.
It’s legal, get over it.
You moron, just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it should be. If we passed a law that every man named Kevin had to jump off a bridge, would you abide by it?
The belly putter does not remove the variable of stroke path at all. You can still make a stroke that is off path with the putter anchored in your belly. It may make it easier to have a more consistent path, but so does any number of other putting methods that I listed before. I’m telling you, take a belly putter out to a practice green and roll different length putts with it for ten minutes. It is a whole different beast that has just as many variables as a traditional stroke.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ haha beat @MO to the punch. ZZZZ off @MO
I agree with TW, the anchoring is the problem, not the length.
Golf equipment companies are making loads of cash off the long putter these days so I’m going to be suprised if Tiger (well, these days anyway) can move a mountain of money that size. Golf is currently in its own recession so whatever helps the economy of golf these days has to be a good thing, right?
@Peter O’ Flannery. Get your own Material!
Banning the anchored putter from the tour is not going to hurt companies that much. It would be a tour only rule and I highly doubt it would be implemented on mini-tours or college level.
@ MW. When you anchor the putter, it makes the low point exactly the same without really trying. I don’t know of any other methods that can produce that.
MW
I’m starting to think that you’re just a bad putter full stop.
I am not a bad putter at all. In fact I am a very good putter. I do own a belly putter among the dozen or so putters I own, but purely out of curiosity. Unless your belly is absolutely flat, and the belly putter is anchored on a swivel, then there will be movement and play in the stroke. Yes, it may be less than holding the putter conventionally, but it does not eliminate the variable completely. I stand by my conviction, if you take a belly putter out to a green and hit putts of varying lengths with it, you will see that it just as difficult (if not more difficult, which it was for me) than putting conventionally, if nothing else just because of the different technique involved. If you put a longer shaft into your driver, you can pick up distance, but you also bring other variables in to play. If you have used a belly putter, and you think that it is really easier than putting conventionally, then why isn’t it in your bag? But let’s face it, if you are against belly putters, nothing I say will change that.
I don’t remember hearing Tiger complain about this publicly in the past in interviews or has he? If not why start now?
The worse point in this is that we have another example of exploitation of the rules.
The people who devised a game had good intentions and set good rules.
The game is being ruined by greed of commercial innovations.
Look at tennis. Six hour grand slam finals. Brute force games with racquets made with war like power.
Stop the rot and keep golf as it was intended.
No long putters, proper balls, and sand bunkers with foot holes.
Fore!
Keep golf as it was intended? You mean we should all be whacking a feathery around with a sapling? I bet all you people still drive manual transmission cars with no power steering, iron your clothes with hot rocks, toast your bread over an open flame, and communicate via telegraph.
The bulk of courses we now use are made for equipment that does not produce flight of more than 250 metres.
The best games in the world are those where the rules stay largely unchanged.
Golf is one that should follow suit.
I kinda see both side of this argument. The issue is this: If you’re going to ban something, do it BEFORE it comes out and becomes prevalent, not after. YOU CANNOT BAN IT AFTER IT HAS BEEN LEGAL FOR SO LONG.
The USGA and Royal Ancient need to have forethought about these things. It’s their fault that it has gotten to this point.
I personally think that anchoring the club should be against the rules. Putting is a critical part of the game that decides winners and I believe that the most talented folders should win. In fact I would love to see a professional rule that all players competing should be playing blades. If you want to see the purest ball strikers of the game win. There is not tooany guys on tour that hit blades anymore but we all know the best ball strikers hit them… And win…
I sorta want to laugh at Tiger Woods outlawing anything with his personal life. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!!!!!!