The Case for Long Putters to Remain Legal

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: December 20, 2012

commentComment        

For those that follow the links closely in the offseason, you may have heard about the proposed ban on anchoring putters that's being considered by the USGA and the R&A. 

Known as rule 14-1b, the proposal essentially disallows the usage of an "anchor point," as mentioned by a previous B/R piece on the subject. 

For the most part, the press's initial reaction to the potential rule change has been relatively supportive, claiming that belly putting is only used as a cure for the yips, or worse, it will lead to drastic changes to the game down the road.

Even major PGA Tour players are getting in on the action.

Tiger Woods voiced his opinion (via ESPN) in November, saying the technique is "something that's not in the traditions of the game," adding that "[w]e swing all other 13 clubs. I think the putter should be the same. It should be a swinging motion throughout the bag."

Other golfers who have spoken against anchored putters include Steve Stricker and Tom Watson, with the latter mentioning to Australian Golf Digest: "I firmly believe it is not [a stroke]."

With all of this in mind, however, there are still some compelling reasons to consider striking down proposed rule 14-1b while it's still in its 90-day grace period.

In the early-eighties, drivers in the 150cc range were commonplace, and stainless steel drivers had just begun to catch on in the professional circuit. As this technology improved, particularly from steel to titanium, the size of driver heads began to increase, with some models hitting 500cc in the early-2000s. 

To reign in this cubic expansion, golf's governing bodies limited driver size at 460cc in 2003-2004, and according to Planet Golf, the move was preceded by the 460cc Cleveland Launcher, which "had been released as a 330cc model" one year earlier. 

In other words, the USGA and R&am...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!