The Debate of the Long Putter

In the sport of golf, there has always been a debate about the use of "long putters." A long putter is a putter, just longer than the normal putter (which is normally 33 inches to 36 inches). There are 2 types of long putters: the belly putter, where the end of the putter touches your belly while swinging, and the chest putter where the end of the putter touches

A comparison of the lengths of putters

your chest. Some believe it is perfectly fine to use one, while others believe it is a swing aid which is considered cheating. The USGA (United States Golf Association) settled the argument by announcing they would start banning the ability to anchor the putter to your body in 2016. The reasoning behind it is simply the player must have a free - swinging motion through the duration of a swing without interference and the club should not be anchored to the body.  

So what does this mean the professionals and the average golfer?

Since the ban will not take place until 2016, anyone can still use a long putter, but it is recommended you start making the transition to a normal length putter. 

So what's so special about the long putter? And why is it being banned? Well technically the long putter isn't going to be taken away completely, just the ability to anchor it is being banned. When your putter is anchored to your body, whether it's the belly or chest, helps the player steady their hands. This is considered a big advantage for those players, especially on those nerve racking 4 footers. The USGA saw this as an unfair advantage and decided to outlaw the ability to anchor the putter.

Adam Scott putting with a chest anchored putter

Since 2011, four of the last ten major champions used an anchored putter. Keegan Bradley won the 2011 PGA Championship with a belly putter, Ernie Els won the 2012 British Open with a belly putter, Webb Simpson won the 2012 US Open with a belly putter, and Adam Scott won the 2013 Masters with a chest putter. This trend has been increasing the debate the use of an anchored putter, even some pros are expressing their opinions. In the Washington Post, Tiger Woods said he has always believed players should not be able to anchor putters. Arnold Palmer agrees with Tiger in the same article, saying "We don't need a contraption to play the game of golf." 

On January 1st, 2016 the rule of the anchored swing will be banned from the sport of golf. The topic of anchored putting has been debated for quite some time and it is finally being resolved.