http://www.golfshake.com/news/view/3503/Should_the_Belly_Putter_be_Outlawed.html

Yes.

Yes.

Yes

no

No.

Sorry to buck the trend guys but providing its never used to get that club length when taking a drop I can't see a problem with it.

• If it was that good everyone would be using it.
• Should all putters be the exact same length - mine's 35" but yours is?
• Considering the number of belly putters on tour, the win rate isn't startling.
• How many course records have fallen to belly putters?
• I don't feel disadvantaged using a 'short' putter.
• Is a two ball putter, or any other with weird and wonderful weighting, unfair?
• The sand wedge also received mixed acceptance when first introduced. Should it be banned?

It isn't having phenominal success on tour, and its use means so many amatuers with the yips can continue playing rather than take up bowls.

no it shouldnt be outlawed

if when that club was "manufactured" it conformed to all R&A requirements then why should it not be allowed

its like asking if a ping g20 driver shouold be allowed as it "gives and extra 20yards"

as for the above post (no offence) but if it is a R&A conforming club the using it to ones own advantage for a drop purpose is just the same as using a driver

one thing i have learnt over the last two years playing golf  is,  if a rule is to your advantage then take it!!! i have seen numorous occasions where a tour pro has used all his rule knowledge/interpretation to his advantage and i applaud him,

1 for knowing the rule,

and

2 interpreting it to his benefit

No,

Or you make everyone use the same balls, the same make of clubs, the same degree of loft etc where would you draw the line?

Anthony, when this game was invented. both hands on the grip for every shot was the order of the day. Why allow this alien putter and method into the game in the first place.

Funny story, i was lucky enough to play some holes with and have dinner with MONTY, my friend at dinner asked him if he thought they should be banned, his view was the should not be another anchor point to the body whether it be belly putter or chin putter.

Now on the 13th green i was chatting with his dad who was there caddying for him, we were so engrosed in conversation he forgot to hand Monty his putter! Monty holed out with my friends belly putter, now who did we see this week at Abu Dhabi using the exact same belly putter as my friends??? why Monty of course!!!

Now i've only been playing a year and a half but my biggest gripe is the one club length rule for a drop as there is no rule(as far as i'm aware) to say you can't use a chin putter for a drop then there surely is an unfair advantage to the person dropping a ball with a club that length?

No, other than maybe gaining an advantage when taking a drop i can`t see a problem with it.

Personally, I don't like long putters but I see no reason to ban them.  If the advantage is really as great as most people seem to claim then why isn't every pro using one?

I can't help but think that advances in ball design are doing more to wreck the game than long putters.

Richard

Yes I see what your saying but as with everything someone always finds a way to try and improve thier own game, or add something to the original game, take the ball didn't someone make the dimples into a triangle shape or something to aid ball flight, or even leave a dimple out so as to ensure a better contact with the putter face? regarding the putter if it works for you, use it.  (I don't have one).

As long as it's allowed, if it helps some golfers putt better what does it matter.

Each to their own, Had a similar debate about big drivers a few years ago, now even the kids start out with them.

Cant see all of the fuss. You still have to earnm to use it & adapt your own style.

May even buy one if my putting doesn't improve!

I was under the impression that golf was played with two hands and anything else is outside assistance so whether these people get an advantage, and anything which assists maintaining the line of the putter stroke must be advantageous, then the answer is clear and simple. However, if they are deemed legal then you have the choice to use or not use one.

I can't say I like the belly putter though I have no problem with a long-shafted putter held with the hands far apart - it's the wedging against your belly, chest or chin that is the non-traditional part of the stroke. If it was going to be outlawed then that should have been the ruling initially - "it can be used but must only contact the hands, which themselves must not be in contact with any other part of the body" would have done the trick.

I don't agree that it's the same as adjustable driver weights (or adjustable putter weights, for that matter). You can't adjust either of these in a round, so they are merely devices that help you tune the club to your personal requirements rather than having to pay in advance for someone to do this artificially before you buy.

Personally, I (mentally) rub my hands in anticipation when I'm drawn to play against a belly-putter - as you rightly say, only a bad putter would ever swap to one so all you have to do is remind him of that and you are two-up! Seriously, I'm not that unsporting, I generally let his missed putts do that for me.

At my club anyone with a belly putter gets absolutely slaughtered in the clubhouse, especially if they have done well. Personally, I don't mind them, if the R&A ok it, who are we to say.

'Only a bad putter would switch to a belly putter' - that's actually a very good point. At my level I'm sure it wouldn't make a lot of difference, but for the pro's' whose only job (within reason) is to practise all day, I find it odd they use them (suppose like a lot of things it's down to what gives you the most confidence). I would like to putt with a snooker cue, but apparently I'm not allowed!

Played with a guy last year who had a 'chin' putter for long putts and a normal putter for inside 6 feet. Worked for him. Like having same degree wedges with different bounce on them in your bag. Personally don't like them even after using one. Can't see or feel the advantage myself.

They came in about 10 years or so ago with Vijay Singh being the most high profile player using it then. Was a fad at the time, few people tried it then faded away until this latest batch of players using them.  I dont see any advantage. You still have the same judgement element of pace, length and break.  If there was any rule to ban an upwards length of putter, would there be a limit of how short it could be?? My putter is 29in, so I certainly hope not!!

NO

I agree with Dave.

I would go as far to say that someone who is an excellent reader of the greens and putts well with a conventional putter would also do the same if they had to use a belly putter etc if they had enough practice.

It does not give them an advantage over their opponent.

I would also go as far to say that to prevent the use of long putters would be discriminating against some golfers who through their own physical disabilities can't use a regular length putter. 

Interesting reply from Chris - I always assumed the long putter was for shorter putts where the face alignment is critical and the short putter for long putts where the feel for distance was more important.

I'm sure Colin is right - anyone who is a good putter could learn to use a long one - but why would they bother?

Now I'm going to have to work out what disability would require a long putter rather than a short one, given that the affected golfer can presumably use all the other clubs in his bag in a reasonably conventional way.

In my opinion, is the putter is hinged on the chest or belly, then they are made illegal.  If the putter is only held by the hands, and not touching any other part of the body, then it is ok. This would then come down to the golfer to learn a technique.

As it is, I would never bee seen using a belly/broom putter...they are ugly! 

Terry, disabilities could be anything physical that effects their stance, posture, ball position, swing. 

Failing eye sight, arthritis and probably many more. 

Loss in confidence or the dreaded Yips cause golfers to look for alternatives to their present putter to improve their game.  Some golfers are just poor putters because they lack technique and commitment to quality practice or coaching to improve their putting and lay the blame with their present putting tool.  Some try these thinking they will be the holy grail and what they have been missing all along.

After watching some golfers on the course i sometimes wonder, is the TOOL the club or is it the one holding the club.

What we have to accept here is that what ever TOOL we use to Putt with there is always the same element of Human Error  involved and that has to be accepted.  This fact alone is present with all putters so it comes down to each individuals own combined abilities when putting or playing any other shot.  Using the most suitable putter from all the different brands and types that are available will only make you so good, a players own ability is the difference between good, decent and poor putting averages.

I personally don't care what putter my opponents use, it can be a brick on a stick so long as its legal, they still have to get the ball in the hole same as me.  I am playing my opponent not his putter.

So, until it is proven without doubt that these long broom handle and belly putters have the best putting stats these putters should be allowed to be used.   I would say many pro's must have tested them out to see if they do improve their putting and most must have decided they were not for them. 

Quite right, Colin - in fact, anything that enables people to enjoy this game without getting too frustrated with themselves is okay by me. If it's that good I'll use it too even though, like Matthew, I'm offended by the aesthetics. I don't like golf buggies, either, but if it's ever the only way I can get round a golf course I'll buy my own!

Another good point is in your last paragraph, about allowing the long putters until it's proved they are better. Of course, if it could be proved they are better it would have been done already, all the pro's would use them, and so would the rest of us by now. Clearly they are not better, except for the few players who have found they remove some of their lack of confidence on the greens.

It's a moot point whether they would have been allowed or retrospectively banned (like 500cc drivers or maximum COR faces) if they had been proved to be a distinct advantage. I love your phrase "brick on a stick" - guess what I'll be saying to the next singles opponent who pulls out the long pole!