COMMUNITY

I've tried one once and I thought it was impossible. Whether or not the USGA bans them or not is an issue I'm in between on. I wouldn't care either way. I won't root against Adam Scott just because he uses a long putter or any player with a long putter for that matter.

So far it doesn't seem like any equipment, swing coaches, etc. has consistently given anyone an edge. As long as everyone has the same competitive opportunity and it isn't illegal I don't have an issue with it.

I hate the way it looks to but its working for Scott.

does not anchoring a club to body include gripping your putter low on the grip and taking your hand and grip the handle to your forarm?

Didn't Erine Els rip Vjay for using one back in 2004 and look who is using one, Els. If Scott wins today with the long putter you will see them flood the Pro sceen. I have tried a couple its ok. I don't like hybrids but I would not cheer for a pro using one nor would I want it banned.

Well, thank goodness you're not in my foursome Norm. I don't think it would take too many holes for me to get tired of hearing you bitch out it. It's the same argument as with the grooves, or any other equipment ruling. Regardless of which rule in which sport you choose to analyze, there is usually some degree of polarization among the constituents in debating the pros and cons of its merits.

Who gives a flyin' who ha??? If they made aluminum bats legal in MLB do you think the players wouldn't use them to remain competitive? If there was really such an advantage to the long putter, every player in the game would take advantage of it.

The bottom line is that the rules are the rules. Don't worry about it, they'll change again soon enough anyway. It doesn't matter if your ball is 1/4 inch over the OB or 20 yards, you incur the same penalty. Sometimes they go against you and sometimes they help you tremendously. Why don't we just spend our energy discussing issues that we DO have some control over, like idiots on the course who need to spend a significant amount of time on the range FIRST, and work their way out of the "clueless" category regarding the rules of the game.

*I didn't mean for this to sound quite as harsh as it does, but I just got up and I don't feel like rewriting it. hehe

BTW: I committed to switching to the long putter this year. I starting trying to steer my faithful conventional putter of 25 years and couldn't sink a 3 footer to save my life. I bought a Taylor Made Monza Spider long edition. It took some getting used to. While it gave me more confidence on short putts and replaced "fear" with "fun" in my putting, it really hasn't improved my putting stats overall. If you follow any of my writing at all you know I track EVERYTHING. I am "Mr. Spreadsheet." My putts per round; per hole; and per GIR are virtually the same. I will say that my back really appreciates the long putter though...especially when I'm practicing for an hour at lunch.

Shoe, I'm curious about your overall putting stats. You say that the long putter has increased your confidence on short putts...that suggests to me that you are making more short putts but if the stats are the same then it also suggests that you are geting fewer short put opportunities, or the ratio of short to long is not statistically significant, or you are missing more long putts even though you are making more short putts. I'm not trying to challenge your stats just trying to understand what is really happening. Personally, when I tried the long putter my short putting improved but my long putts were worse, I just didn't seem to have good distance control with longer putts. I went back to the short putter.

I am actually getting fewer 3-5 footers but I'm hitting almost all of that length. My length of 1st putt has dropped slightly, my feet of putts made per round and per hole has improved slightly as well. I got the putter in May - I'm going to post a few graphs for you to look at in a minute. It sounds like you can look at the data and maybe put together the "whole picture" better than I have been doing. My putter came with two X 4 gm weights and I was leaving everything short. I switched to 2 X 16 gms and shazzam, I'm on target. I get the long putts started on line better than I did with the short putter. I like what I see standing up as opposed to crouched over. There are two schools with the long putter. 1. You freeze your entire body and use a pure pendulum motion. 2. You stand slightly less upright and use a rocking motion similar to the conventional method (this is what Adam Scott is using.) I actually take advantage of both: pendulum method 10' and in, and rocking on anything longer. Light grip pressure also has helped leave a lot of tap in second putts on the longer efforts. I'm confident enough now to think that it's not so much my putting technique that causes my misses, as it is just not having the talent or teaching to read greens better. Line is relevant to speed as I'm sure you know so, as I implied, my misses are ending up much closer than they used to.

I think I might give it a go again just because you said it was good for the back. I went to plumb bobbing just so I didn't have to squat behind the ball to get a line. side to side is ok on the back but bending over a putt is tuff. I will letyou know how it goes.

I've got a few like that too. There's one dog leg right on Seymour Johnson AFB at Three Eagles. I like to fade it around the corner but if I use a 5wood and miss the fade, I'll blow it through the fairway 20 or 30 yards in a bunch of trees with hard pan & roots for dessert. I use my 2 or 3 hybrid depending on which ones I have in my bag that day. If I miss the fade, at least I'm usually in the first cut of rough on the far side of the fairway.

I think they'd get a lot more respect if they did their research BEFORE they made a rush to judgement eh? Nothing worse than wishie washie leadership. At least be consistent.

I have lots of back pain and a long putter is not as hard on my back. I don't putt any better with it but it does feel better.