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Belly Putters Cheating??

SuperStroke
coolbreeze

coolbreeze

Aspiring Golferr
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I'm just curious if anyone else feels the way I do that belly putters are sort of cheating. I know of course that they are legal, but I think that part of golf, and especially putting, is getting your arms and body to work together. Seems to me that a device that forces your core and arms to work together is a little like a training aid and not to be used on the course. I could be wrong, let me know.
 
I don't think they are cheating. In fact I'd like to try one. If it helped me with my putting I would definately buy one.
 
While I dont think theyre cheating because theyre legal, I hate them. I wish theyd just go away or be made illegal then we wouldnt have to see them anymore.
 
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I don't see a problem with them. How often do you see anyone on the PGA Tour win with them? I know no one has ever won a major with them.
 
Like OEM, not cheating because its not against the rules. I think they should be made illeagal. Same thing goes for those long putters like Bernhard Langer uses.
 
Belly putters look silly.

I'm waiting for the release of the new suction cup equipped forehead putter for a perfect pendulum motion directly under my eyes.:D
 
KUJayhawks said:
I don't see a problem with them. How often do you see anyone on the PGA Tour win with them? I know no one has ever won a major with them.
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That does not mean they dont help amateurs. There is nobody on the PGA tour that uses R flex shafts or some brands of irons, should we never touch those either? I am a firm believer in buying what works for a golfer, not based on tour usage.
 
OEM Kevin said:
While I dont think theyre cheating because theyre legal, I hate them. I wish theyd just go away or be made illegal then we wouldnt have to see them anymore.
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Just curious, why do you hate them? I find it odd i guess. I know people that hate my Nike square driver because it's square. People hate Niblicks etc... I just don't get it. Let people use what they want to use.
 
Barberakb said:
Just curious, why do you hate them? I find it odd i guess. I know people that hate my Nike square driver because it's square. People hate Niblicks etc... I just don't get it. Let people use what they want to use.
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It just looks all wrong. I dont hate people that use them but I do think less of them haha. I dunno dude, I just cant stand them. Learn to putt with a regular putter. Its just something I dont like.
 
I have had two over the years. I have putted really well and pretty ugly with the chest and belly style putters. I don't think they should ban them. You still have to put many hours on the putting green no matter what style you use. Look at Barnhard Langer on the Champions Tour, he has done pretty well with his the last few years however I bet he puts in many hours on the practice green. He's not a PGA player but a darn good Senior Tour Player. Sure it helps to have a more pendulum type putting stroke but for me, it is still the puttee not the putter that holes the ball.
 
I´m actually thinking of getting one. A good friend of mine plays one and its done wonders for his putting. Sure, I agree they´re not good-looking.

I grew up playing a lot of floorball, so I some times have trouble with active wrists to "steer" the ball on impact. A belly putter would probably quiet down my wrists, but I would probably look silly:banana:

(For those of you who doesn´t know floorball - Its sort of like Hockey, only much faster and indoors. I don´t know if you play it in US)
 
Ive never heard of floorball. Sounds fun. Is it on a hardwood floor like basketball?
 
While personally I dont like the look of belly putters, I think they are Niblicks, if it helps you get the ball in the hole in fewer strokes, go for it.
 
I don't think it looks good, but neither does my symple putting style that I sometimes use. To each his own.
 
The only smart thing Johhny Miller ever said was something to the effect of... "You don't see any good putters using long putters."
 
Barberakb said:
Ive never heard of floorball. Sounds fun. Is it on a hardwood floor like basketball?
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sometimes its played on hardwood, but its not really suited for hardwood - the ball just bounces and you can´t really shoot for **** (my opinion) on hardwood. Mostly played on softer floors. Sorry OT
 
JB said:
That does not mean they dont help amateurs. There is nobody on the PGA tour that uses R flex shafts or some brands of irons, should we never touch those either? I am a firm believer in buying what works for a golfer, not based on tour usage.
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My point was that I don't think it gives an advantage over other putters or you would see everyone using them. I feel like most people I see use them, use them because they have back problems, not because they prefer it to a regular putter. Look at the senior tour, there's tons of them. As far as comparing to R flex shafts, I don't get the correlation. I think pro's would use whatever would help them, be it a long putter or R flex shafts. It's just that neither of those help them.
 
KUJayhawks said:
My point was that I don't think it gives an advantage over other putters or you would see everyone using them. I feel like most people I see use them, use them because they have back problems, not because they prefer it to a regular putter. Look at the senior tour, there's tons of them. As far as comparing to R flex shafts, I don't get the correlation. I think pro's would use whatever would help them, be it a long putter or R flex shafts. It's just that neither of those help them.
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I think you are definitely confusing belly putters and long putters. You may want to check those out before making the comparisons.
 
Well correct me if I am wrong but I remember back when the long shafted putters made their first appearances that they were an answer for the guy that had gotten the yips and just could not cure them. There are a good many ways to describe the yips but for the most part they are a tendency to lose the ability to keep the hands and wrists quiet through the putt. They were first only being used by older golfers that had over time developed the aforementioned yips usually caused by a combination of age and nerves which resulted in lost ability under pressure to control the finer muscles that you need to putt. The longer shafted putter forced your body into a more upright position and allowed the player to use larger muscles to control the stick. They also made it easier for some players to use the claw grip which is also in part an answer to having gotten the yips.

Then the belly putter came along and you were controlling the putter more or less with your whole body which again allows the player to use different muscles to actually make the swing.

Bernhard has probably had more luck with the long stick than anybody else I can think off. The reason that you don’t see good putters using them is because they are really not the best way to putt the ball. If you can do it, using what we might call a standard putter and putting style is the best way to putt the ball. You give away huge amounts of feel putting with one of those long putters or one of those belly things. No truly great putter would do anything that would give away feel, unless he developed the yips.

Johnny Miller’s comments are most relevant as he was one of the first of the tour players to get them after the golfing community in general acknowledged this phenomenon and called it something. He was pitiful to watch sometimes. Arnold Palmer got them for awhile. What you see from a golfer that has them is a propensity to jerk the putter one way or the other almost like he gets a twitch just as he is trying to exert extremely fine levels of control over the club. As a result the ball just goes anywhere and it can make a pro look pretty foolish. Before the long and belly putters golfers tried all kinds of things to cure them, some going the sports psychology route (calm down buddy) some trying to use physical therapy to regain the control over the finer muscles that they had lost. Others just gave up and decided to not be so concerned with putting right on the finest edge of control and just took whatever result they got. So lots of guys that use them have no other way to really putt the ball. Can you imagine a guy chasing his ball around the green one putt after the other going this way and that until by sheer luck it went it? It does not get quite that bad for guys that have the yips but it can be almost that bad.
 
Belly and long putters should be banned.
 
I see no problem with them, they're legal. Golf is hard enough, do what works for you.
 
JB said:
I think you are definitely confusing belly putters and long putters. You may want to check those out before making the comparisons.
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I obviously know the difference but I figured we were just talking about longer putters in general. The same logic applies though. I know JB doesn't believe in comparing things for average joes compared to tour players, but if it gave any type of advantage you would see more tour players doing it. Tour players aside, how many people do you see playing them on public course? cuz I've never seen one. I work at a golf store and ive never seen one bought. The pro at my course used one for a while and that was just because it was easier on his back to practice with. I really don't see why they should be illegal.
 
I'd bag a belly putter if I thought it would help me, and I have tried one in a store. Unfortunately, I suffer from a condition that makes effectively using one physically impossible.

As far as banning them or making them illegal, that seems silly. If those who've said that would find they could knock four or five shots off each round's score, would they still make that statement?

Kevin
 
KUJayhawks said:
I obviously know the difference but I figured we were just talking about longer putters in general. The same logic applies though. I know JB doesn't believe in comparing things for average joes compared to tour players, but if it gave any type of advantage you would see more tour players doing it. Tour players aside, how many people do you see playing them on public course? cuz I've never seen one. I work at a golf store and ive never seen one bought. The pro at my course used one for a while and that was just because it was easier on his back to practice with. I really don't see why they should be illegal.
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I dont think anybody is saying it offers an advantage. But what works for a tour player does not mean it works the same for an amateur. Almost NO tour players use SGI irons. Does that mean they dont offer an advantage or help an amateur golfer?

If anchoring a belly putter to oneself helps someone putt, then it should not make ANY difference if a tour player uses it or not. The guys on tour dont NEED any assistance keeping their hands steady. Some amateur golfers might.

What helps one person may not help another.
 
I agree it is cheating its not like cavity back irons,fatshafts or adjustable drivers.You can use those clubs but you still have to make the same swing they dont sinc your swing and body together like belly putters sinc your stroke and body together.But thats my opinion.
 
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