TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs Review

The club that thinks it's a belly putter - TaylorMade Daddy Long Legs Review

Guest review from Derek Clements.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why belly putters have become so popular among golf's elite? Almost without exception, they are used by golfers who want to take their wrists out of the putting stroke.

If you look at the stroke of any good putter you will find yourself watching a pendulum action, where the shoulders, arms and hands rock back and through the ball in one movement. Then look at the friends you play with, especially the ones who struggle with short putts – almost without exception, you see the wrists breaking. Critically, they tend to do so at the moment of impact, which usually results in a putt being pulled to the left of the hole.

Impossible to solve without resorting to a long putter, right? Wrong! TaylorMade just may have come up with the answer with their Daddy Long Legs putter. The standard putter comes with a 10-inch grip; the Daddy Long Legs' grip is 14.5 inches long and the club comes with a clear and simple instruction – choke down.

If you did that on a standard putter you would, of course, be gripping the steel of the shaft. Not only that, but the club would feel all wrong, too light and unbalanced. And that's the genius with this club – because it is designed for use with a long grip it has been balanced to operate at its most effective when you choke way down on that grip.

Now just ask yourself one simple question – if you choke down on a putter, what will happen? Yes, you've got it. You will take your wrists out of your putting stroke – it all has to be done with your arms. At first glance, the Daddy Long Legs may not be the prettiest putter in the world but from 10 feet and in it has no peers. It may take you a while to get the feel for longer putts, but it is worth sticking with it.

There's a beautiful feel when the middle of the putter face strikes the ball and the heel and toe-weighted head is obviously heavier than standard, which is another aspect of the club designed to take your wrists out of the stroke.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why somebody hasn't come up with this idea before. So the R&A and USGA can now go ahead and ban the belly putter, safe in the knowledge that there is a legal club on the market that will work for the likes of Messrs Bradley, Els, Simpson and co. And all the bickering will stop (maybe)!!

Derek Clements is a sports journalist with a particular passion for golf with over 12 years of experience covering golf and other sports including Chief Sub-Editor on the sports desk of The Sunday Times. To contact Derek email direct via [email protected]

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