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The Anchoring Ban

Anyone feeling the burn with the Ban taking effect in a little more than a month?

I am going to bust out my S Cameron for the final month of legal use.


Anyone going to stick with anchoring after the ban?
 
One of the guys I play with plans to stick with it.
 
I guess if you play most of your rounds solo then you can just carry on with the anchored putter
 
Man, just reading a few pages back, I was an angry fella
 
JB said:
One of the guys I play with plans to stick with it.
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Same here. I played a week ago with a guy and he says he is not dropping his belly putter after 12 years. He says screw the USGA.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
Same here. I played a week ago with a guy and he says he is not dropping his belly putter after 12 years. He says screw the USGA.
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The R&A created the rule
 
Been using the long putter since 1992.. I did practice with a old bullseye I had from highschool (1980 ish) . Will be a huge huge change . Especially the long putts

so so hate to give up as it has done wonders for my back. Honestly not sure what I will do, but I did prepare and play a dozen rounds with a short putter. A goofy rule
 
I was using a Cleveland Smart Square almost belly Counterbalanced as I am short the butt of the putter touched my shirt but it wasn't anchored, I was thinking I don't want the hassle of someone accusing me of anchoring it next year so I got it cut down to 33" and put a Superstroke Fatso grip on it just to see what it would be like. You are not going to believe this but I am actually putting better now, a 400 gram head at 33" and the big grip feel great it just moves like a pendulum straight back and straight through with very little effort.
 
barspin89 said:
In the 1000 rounds of golf I've played in my life I haven't come across one player using an anchored putter. The only players this rule will seriously effect is the pros who use them, and they're good enough to adjust to a standard putter.

If you read rule 14-3 it states: Except as provided in the Rules, during a stipulated round the player must not use any artificial device or unusual equipment (see Appendix IV for detailed specifications and interpretations), or use any equipment in an unusual manner:

Wouldn't you consider a belly or long putter unusual equipment? Compared to putters that were used for the previous 350 or so years of the game, I certainly would. And an anchored stroke is most definitely an unusual manner of putting. Find me a picture of someone putting like Adam Scott before 1985 and I'll eat my words. It's been indirectly stated in the rules for a long time. Blu, I respect your opinion and I most certainly don't want you to sell your clubs to the lowest bidder. Keep enjoying the game as I will, with or without anchored putters.
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I've got about 550 rounds under my belt & agree - I've never seen anyone use an anchored putter. I think the intent from the start should have been aimed at the pro's & let amateurs use whatever they want.
 
I dropped the broom last year.

When my neurosurgeon told me in 2002 I could either have back surgery or physical therapy and not play golf all summer, I left his office and when I got home I had a 48" broom.

I worked my arse off those 4 months to learn the technique and along comes the USGA 13 years later.

Yes, I can play with a conventional putter but my practice is very limited. Yeah, I could figure out how to use it (my beloved broom) in an approved manner, but that is yet another technique to learn and I guarantee someone would claim it appeared to be anchored when it was not.

I could have stuck with a broom (anchored) but I couldn't play in events, technically keep a handicap, and after all the snide remarks I got when switching to a broom, I don't want to listen to that crap anymore, especially now that anchoring is banned. Plus some people think the putter itself is banned.

Long story, sorry, but the brooms are in the closet and this winter I am learning the SeeMore process.
 


Or anchored putter stroke ban. You could have a center shafted long putter made with up to an 80 degree upright shaft - that's the maximum allowed by the USGA. And you could putt side saddle with it. Nothing says this can't work, especially if you have back problems.

If you already have a long putter, and the shaft isn't upright enough see if they can bend it a little. What have you got to lose? I had my Odyssey putter bent 5 degrees upright to match my SeeMore.

And we're 15 - 20 handicappers. Who cares about the putter? I hope they walked all the way back to the tee and rehit after they lost their ball in the woods instead of that 2 stroke penalty and drop. How do they know that's where the ball was? I'd give them sh*t about that.
 
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Everyone that I have met who anchors has told me they are staying with the anchored style. Realistically I don't blame them since the only reason not to would be if someone had a desire to have a USGA handicap or play in competitive events using USGA rules.
 
InTheRough said:


Or anchored putter stroke ban. You could have a center shafted long putter made with up to an 80 degree upright shaft - that's the maximum allowed by the USGA. And you could putt side saddle with it. Nothing says this can't work, especially if you have back problems.

If you already have a long putter, and the shaft isn't upright enough see if they can bend it a little. What have you got to lose? I had my Odyssey putter bent 5 degrees upright to match my SeeMore.

And we're 15 - 20 handicappers. Who cares about the putter? I hope they walked all the way back to the tee and rehit after they lost their ball in the woods instead of that 2 stroke penalty and drop. How do they know that's where the ball was? I'd give them sh*t about that.
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That's what I did - went sidesaddle. Now I can't imagine putting any other way.
 
InTheRough said:


Or anchored putter stroke ban. You could have a center shafted long putter made with up to an 80 degree upright shaft - that's the maximum allowed by the USGA. And you could putt side saddle with it. Nothing says this can't work, especially if you have back problems.

If you already have a long putter, and the shaft isn't upright enough see if they can bend it a little. What have you got to lose? I had my Odyssey putter bent 5 degrees upright to match my SeeMore.

And we're 15 - 20 handicappers. Who cares about the putter? I hope they walked all the way back to the tee and rehit after they lost their ball in the woods instead of that 2 stroke penalty and drop. How do they know that's where the ball was? I'd give them sh*t about that.
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Played with a guy earlier this season who'd started the move to putting this way after the ban was announced - you definitely can putt well this way, because he was draining EVERYTHING.
 
My 2 cents. If you don't play in any usga events or in any tournaments , then who cares if you use a belly putter? I don't ! I want you to have fun and enjoy yourself playing this game .
 
BigLeftyinAZ said:
My 2 cents. If you don't play in any usga events or in any tournaments , then who cares if you use a belly putter? I don't ! I want you to have fun and enjoy yourself playing this game .
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I have to agree with this. All these rules which can make it harder for the average golfer will kill participation. If your not playing in a tournament do what you want. Golf is supposed to be fun. If you need to anchor, anchor away


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They should make a play by yourself belly putter model since the USGA created that silly handicap rule.
 
Girardcorp said:
I have to agree with this. All these rules which can make it harder for the average golfer will kill participation. If your not playing in a tournament do what you want. Golf is supposed to be fun. If you need to anchor, anchor away


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nice post .. And if you play in outings and scrambles I think they won't care either. My problem is I do a little of each. I really want to make a run at our local county tourney this year. I'm positive they will have an issue with the anchoring rule. I've been easing into this rule slowly the last few years. My biggest issue is long putts, my speed and line are way way off with the short stick.

One rule I wish they would never have implemented. It not only made putting fun for me but really helped my back. I had major back surgery in 2002 in a mill accident. And this putter helped my back / especially in real warm weather when the pain really gets me
 
sabig27 said:
They should make a play by yourself belly putter model since the USGA created that silly handicap rule.
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Fwiw, it's not the putter that's illegal. It's the anchored stroke that's illegal.
 
Mystery Meat said:
nice post .. And if you play in outings and scrambles I think they won't care either. My problem is I do a little of each. I really want to make a run at our local county tourney this year. I'm positive they will have an issue with the anchoring rule. I've been easing into this rule slowly the last few years. My biggest issue is long putts, my speed and line are way way off with the short stick.

One rule I wish they would never have implemented. It not only made putting fun for me but really helped my back. I had major back surgery in 2002 in a mill accident. And this putter helped my back / especially in real warm weather when the pain really gets me
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As a fellow bad backer ... I switched to a 38" counterbalanced putter this year - the extra few inches really seems to take the pressure off my low back. If you haven't already - check one out...
 
LSMO said:
They had the club championships on golf channel the other day and i saw that guy putting. Looked goofy but it worked
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I was reading about him.
He got a horrible case of the yips, and switched to side saddle.
His first club championship he had two separate 4-putts, but still won the tournament.

I would have have been hard tempted to go back if I put up a couple 4-putts on that stage...but, I believe he was brand new to the method.
 
Who cares what it looks like? The USGA and R&A do. I got my short stick out and tried a couple different putting strokes that are definitely anchored strokes. Matt Kuchar's stroke is an anchored stroke. The forearms are locked to the sides. I didn't find this stable enough of a brace with the belly putter, so there's a German who holds the putting grip against his left arm with his right hand! What is the main difference? Appearance. It looks more like a traditional putting stroke.

Then you can take a standard length putter and anchor both forearms to your sides and use your large muscles to swing the club back and forth. In fact in the USGA illustration I'm going to put below forearms held against the body. Why isn't this an illegal stroke? Appearance. It's more traditional appearing and doesn't offend the "sensible eyes." This illustration is from the USGA.

Screen-Shot-2012-11-28-at-9.18.38-AM.png


So one or both elbows braced against the body is a legal stroke! You can do this with a long putter. Take your left elbow and brace it against your ribs and hold the putter in your left hand, as long as your forearm is not braced against your chest you're good. You can putt side saddle and have a perfect point from which to have the pendulum swing. Why is this legal?

[h=4]Anchoring the Club[/h]In making a stroke, the player must not anchor the club, either "directly" or by use of an "anchor point."

Note 1: The club is anchored "directly" when the player intentionally holds the club or a gripping hand in contact with any part of his body, except that the player may hold the club or a gripping hand against a hand or forearm.

Note 2: An "anchor point" exists when the player intentionally holds a forearm in contact with any part of his body to establish a gripping hand as a stable point around which the other hand may swing the club.
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They defined "directly" and "anchor point."
 
This is what you get for having a common set of Rules between the USGA and the R&A. The USGA wanted the groove rule which has proved to have zero effect giving in to the R&A on the anchoring ban in return.
 
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