to a more sober, fair and orderly society. Would an 18th Amend-
ment of golf induce players to make belly putters in basement hideaways? Sneak onto speakeasy courses that cater to illicit clubs? Create opportunists as violent as that Nucky Thompson guy on Boardwalk Empire? Nah, although I can envision protest bumper stickers being printed even now: “If belly putters are outlawed, only outlaws will have belly putters.” Seriously, the USGA and the Royal and Ancient must be facing issues more pressing, and even existen- tial, than belly putters. The health and future of the sport remains dicey. Major initiatives are under dis- cussion to make the game friendlier and less hostage to rules as inscrutable as the Internal Revenue Code. So why ban a club that may make the game slightly easier for some players, espe- cially now? It’s not as if the Blue Coats didn’t have their chance back in the day, before belly putters became more prominent. Former USGA Techni-
cal Director Frank Thomas, who made rulings on equipment for more than a quarter century, did indeed want to ban them. In an interview with TravelGolf. com he lamented that: “Of all the decisions I made, that was the one that was overruled, unfortunately.” Well, for once the Commis- sioner of Conformation did not get his way.
But the argument against long putters endures,
what’s the problem? Granted, the aesthetics
of the belly aren’t particular- ly dashing. The stiffness of the anchored stroke makes some golfers look like a mechanical stork. But even conventional putting has often brought out the Inner Furyk; think only of Jack Nicklaus and that slightly open stance, tucked-in back elbow and distinctive crouch that suggested severe stomach cramps. But does the belly putter
however tainted by hypocri- sy that could almost shame a congressman. The gist is that holding the butt end of the shaft against one’s sternum or stomach enables you to make a more stable and consistent pendulum stroke, which is ostensibly an unfair advantage against someone crouched over a regular-length stick, grip- ping the club with only the hands. As putting guru Dave Stockton recently observed: “I never under- stood how they could make it legal to anchor it on your body. . .when they outlawed Sam Snead’s croquet style with nothing anchored.” Because long putters
were mostly employed by senior recreational players and certified head-cases like Bernhard Langer, no one other than Thomas and the usual cranks much cared. Tom Watson, who can get his underwear in a bunch over a drifting dandelion, railed against “this big broom putter.” In 2004, Ernie Els scrunched
up his face and said, “I think they should be banned.” Old golfwriter Dan Jenkins proclaimed: “I loathe and despise the long putter with every fiber in my body.” Let’s hope Old Dan is getting sufficient dietary fiber.
But the scene has
changed. With his left arm sticking out like some giant chicken wing that escaped Col. Sanders, Adam Scott used a 49-inch putter during a runaway four-stroke win at the 2011 Bridgestone Invi- tational. Els deployed one at the recent
Frys.com Open, fanning his way into conten- tion. Precocious Keegan Bradley and young Webb Simpson use long putters, which are de rigueur on the Nationwide Tour. Dave Stockton, whose
excellent new book Uncon- scious Putting shows golfers how to put athleticism and instinct into finding the line and rolling the ball, is test- ing long putters to under- stand how to incorporate them into his teaching. So
really convey an illegal ad- vantage? Els once contended it takes nerves out of the game. Phil Mickelson says it helps with short putts. Oth- ers swear it calms the yips. However, as with im-
mutable physics of sailboats, racecars and golf clubs, a design element that conveys an advantage in one dimen- sion often takes away from another. Since the lag put- ting that’s critical to getting off the green in regulation depends mostly on touch, the mechanical stroke of a belly putter on a 30-footer might well counterbalance its short-range edge. The true advantage of a
belly putter is that it enables old guys to practice without a debilitating backache, the great hazard of the practice green. And it’s practice that makes for better perfor- mance, not the putter. If the Grand Poobahs of golf ban bellies and inadvertently also outlaw practice, then only golfers who practice will be outlaws.
Jay Stuller is an author, journalist, corporate speechwriter and frequent contributor to this magazine.
WINTER 2012 /
NCGA.ORG / 27
PHOTO: USGA
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