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Worse Rule - Putters vs Wedges

JB

JB

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Which rule change is worse in your opinion.
Groove Rule from a few years ago, changing the way manufacturers make grooves and making it tougher out of rough lies, sand, etc?
Anchored Putter going into effect now, changing the way you hold the putter if you were one to anchor?
 
Groove rule.

Belly putters never should have been allowed to start, in my personal opinion, where the groove rule is much more asinine.
 
Groove rule agree with JMan that Anchored Putters shouldn't have been allowed in the first place

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Anchor Ban.

Everyone used square grooves at some point, a very small percentage of players belly/anchor putted.
 
Groove rule, from a manufacturer's standpoint. Cost them a lot of money in lost inventory for pretty much nothing, since they figured out how to get the majority of that lost spin back.

From the amateur standpoint, the anchor rule. If you didn't have spin issues before, the groove rule didn't really do much to you. If you can't putt for whatever reason whether it be physical limitations or whatever, now you have to change your style of putting that you may have been doing for years.
 
I think the anchoring ban is worse. I feel like that's a perfectly legitimate alternate method of putting. The R&A / USGA seem to feel like it makes your putts for you and guess what? It doesn't.
 
For me it is the Anchored Putter. I don't see why it matters if a guy wants to anchor his putter or not. If it made that much of a difference would everyone not end up trying or doing it.
 
Jman said:
Groove rule.

Belly putters never should have been allowed to start, in my personal opinion, where the groove rule is much more asinine.
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I agree with this
 
Wow I would not have thought so many would say groove rule
 
Anchor ban.
Groove rule is for the pros, does almost nothing for the amateur.
Anchor ban may prevent people from playing golf, due to back issues.
 
Groove rule. Changed nothing on tour (which was the only reason for it) and we got to pay the $millions it cost the OEM's to retool. The USGA has totally lost touch and should be overthrown by another group.
 
I think they are both equally silly. The sad thing is I think many of the rules of golf are asinine and take much of the enjoyment out of the game.
 
I'm going Option C - Both.

I continue to believe we need bifurcated rules so that technologies and techniques which grow the game and make it easier for us normal people are allowed. The anchoring and square groove bans do nothing but hurt us regular people.
 
Spivey said:
Anchor ban.
Groove rule is for the pros, does almost nothing for the amateur.
Anchor ban may prevent people from playing golf, due to back issues.
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I have back issues - have had since I injured my back in the early 1980's whitewater kayaking. I still never let that stop me from playing golf with a standard putting stroke.

tequila4kapp said:
I'm going Option C - Both.
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tequila4kapp said:
I continue to believe we need bifurcated rules so that technologies and techniques which grow the game and make it easier for us normal people are allowed. The anchoring and square groove bans do nothing but hurt us regular people.
Click to expand...


I choose to disagree with that premise. The groove ban had almost no effect on the amateur game. The anchoring ban only affects a small proportion of the golfing public. They made the prohibition to stop it from becoming more popular and simplifying an important traditional skill of the game.
 
This thread is not about agreeing or disagreeing with rules as a whole or the USGA for making them.
This is about which is worse, even mildly.

If you think both are great, thats fine too, but that is not what this one is about.
 
Gotta admit, until I lose more weight, any 34.5" and longer putter IS anchored to me. Tried a long counterweighted the other day at DSG and it was way up into my gut. First thing I wondered was if I'd be called out for anchoring. :clown:

But I choose the wedge grooves. I don't think it did much after the OEMs figured it out.
 
I think the worse rule is banning the anchored putting. In my opinion of course if it was that much of an advantage and easier to hole putts, every player on every tour would do it.
 
Personally, neither of these rules have a significant impact on me. My game is not good enough for grooves to really matter and I have never use the anchored putting technique. However, I think the anchoring ban is more destructive to any mission to get more people in the game and to make it more enjoyable. It's not like anchored putting hasn't been around for 25 years, now all of a sudden its a problem. I always thought that a mission of the USGA was to advance and expand the game, they have a funny way of doing so.
 
The anchored putter rule.

While I don't use it, I tried it for about six months and went back to conventional. There were rounds I putted great with it, but I have those same great putting rounds now. There were also rounds I couldn't make anything with it. I have those rounds now as well.
 
I think they are both stupid usga decisions but the anchoring ban is worse. If it even keeps one person from taking up the game or forces them to quit because of physical limitations then it is a huge fail for the game of golf.
 
Jman said:
Groove rule.

Belly putters never should have been allowed to start, in my personal opinion, where the groove rule is much more asinine.
Click to expand...
+1 My thoughts exactly and I couldn't have said it any better.
 
From what I gather there is no evidence that shows anchored putting has an advantage over non anchor but I'm the boat with others that it shouldn't have been allowed to start with.

the groove rule is silly and while it's took sometime OEMs have found ways around the rule to make wedges perform similarly IMO.

bother rules are equally bad though
 
Jman said:
Groove rule.

Belly putters never should have been allowed to start, in my personal opinion, where the groove rule is much more asinine.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better myself.
 
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