Do You Use a Long Putter?

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Nov

06

2007

Do You Use a Long Putter?

Posted by Double Eagle in Golf Philosophy

Long putters have been around for several years. You might have heard of them referred to as “belly putters”. That only really describes some of them.

For those unaware, I’m talking about putters that are significantly longer than what we’d think of as a standard putter.

The basic idea is that a player holds the end of the putter to their belly, chest, or chin. What that does is produce a more consistent pendulum stroke, removing some of the things that we now recognize as flaws in the modern putting stroke, such as wrist break.

The benefits aren’t just perceived, though. In his Putting Bible, Dave Pelz recommends giving it a try. His tests of thousands of players from his scoring game schools show that the majority of them make more putts of 6 feet or less with long putters than with any other putting method.

His testing also shows that anchoring the putter under the chin (creating more of a vertical pendulum) is marginally better than fixing it to the chest or belly.

Long putters are not without criticism though. Not so much toward their effectiveness, but more toward their fairness under the rules.

Many feel that anchoring the putter to your body is an unfair advantage over the traditional style. Critics point to elevated putting stats in some players who have made the switch.

So far, the USGA and R&A have refused to make rules limiting putter length.

Despite the benefits, some players have switched to long putters only to go back to a traditional putter. Vijay Singh is a perfect example. After some putting struggles, he switched to a long putter in 2001 and became much more consistent. However, in more recent years, he returned to a short putter at times.

My feeling is, that’s probably more of a mental move to overcome a bad putting stretch. When something isn’t working, it gets frustrating to the point where confidence drops too much. Switching to any new method that feels better at that moment in time has a way of recharging confidence and making the player putt better in the short term.

I’d like to know whether you use a belly putter or not. Vote in the poll below and let me know.

Also, I’d love to hear any opinions as to whether long putters and/or the technique of anchoring the club to the body should be banned.

Feel free to drop any thoughts into the comments.

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POLL: Do you use a long putter?

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There are currently 6 responses to “Do You Use a Long Putter?”

1
TP Golf Online said:

Paul Azinger felt that the belly putter allowed him to release the putter properly which allowed him to swing the putter better.

Posted on November 7th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
2
Double Eagle said:

For anyone that uses the “screen door” putting method (opening and closing the putter face), I can definitely see where anchoring the grip end against the torso would make that action more reliable.

Posted on November 7th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
3
Stewart said:

Is it illegal to putt with the end of the long putter tucked under your left armpit? (for right handed player)

I wrote to the USGA and they said it was OK, but if it isn’t then why isn’t anyone doing it?

Posted on August 17th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
4
Double Eagle said:

Stewart, if the USGA says it’s legal, then I’d say it’s legal.

As for why no one anchors it under the armpit, I can’t say for sure. Do you putt that way?

If I had to guess why more people don’t do that, I’d have to say that it probably diminishes the effectiveness of the pendulum action of the putter.

If you put it under your left armpit, then you pretty much have to play the ball off your left foot or you’re going to be delofting the club face. In a little experimentation now with a mop handle, it felt to me that to make a good follow-through, I had to turn my torso a good amount or else I couldn’t keep my left hand on the club (for longer putts requiring a longer follow through).

On the other hand, with the putter anchored to the chest, there’s a lot less torso action.

Another thing I noticed is that I can move the club (mop) along a more down the line action, whereas with it under the armpit, it’s very difficult to keep it square to the line throughout the stroke, one of the big benefits of a pure pendulum stroke.

However, if you do putt that way and it works for you, that’s all that really matters.

Posted on August 17th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
5
John Sheaffer said:

I have gone to a long putter because I could no longer use a standard one. I had a stroke and my left hand jumps all over the place when trying to putt, so by using a long putter I take the left hand out of play by anchoring it to my chest. I am having trouble with long putts “20 t0 30feet” however by leaving them 5 ft short or more or hitting them 6ft past the hole. I seem to have lost feel for this distance—the short putts seem to be OK.

Posted on March 22nd, 2009 at 8:41 pm
6
Double Eagle said:

John,

I’m sorry to hear that your game (and your life) has been affected by a stroke. On the plus side, you’re able to play golf still, which I’m glad to hear, even if not to your previous level.

One suggestion I can make with the putter is to try a putter that’s heavier than what you’re used to. It might help you to make a smoother stroke if your left hand is affecting your putting stroke, even while anchored to your chest. I’ve always felt like a heavier putter gives me better awareness of the head throughout the putting stroke. You may start to get a better feel for distance control.

You could just try getting some lead tape and applying it to your current putter to see how that feels. Careful to apply it uniformly or else you could inadvertently move the sweet spot to a different location.

Posted on March 22nd, 2009 at 9:57 pm

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