courses that will appear on
golfdigest.com. The Time for Nine list includes courses that allow and promote nine-hole play for men, women, juniors and families on layouts that make it easy to do so. “Five-hour plus rounds
of golf are incompatible with the compressed time that many of us have avail- able for recreational activi- ties,” said USGA President Glen D. Nager. “Time for Nine is a fun and creative start to promoting the nine-hole round of golf as a complete and enjoyable experience that is consis- tent with the traditions of playing the game.” Nine-hole rounds of
golf are fully compatible with both the Rules of Golf and the USGA Handicap System.
What is your favorite putting drill? Tips from Our Top Ams
RUSSELL HUMPHREY My time is limited. I don’t get to practice as much as everyone else, but when I have 15 or 20 minutes, I
spend it around the putting green. I work on 3- to 4-footers. If you can get comfortable with those, it helps you be freer with your long putts.
RICK REINSBERG When I am playing a course I’ve never played before, I’ll go to the practice green and hit a bunch of long
putts across the green, and then a bunch of short putts. That helps me get the speed down.
Anchoring Ban Official, Will Begin in 2016 W
hat the USGA and R&A proposed in November becomes official in 2016:
anchoring the club to make a stroke will be illegal. The penalty will be two shots in stroke play, or loss of hole in match play. After a 90-day commenting
period on the proposed ban, the USGA and R&A decided to adapt Rule 14-1b, which says, 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.
The USGA and R&A ultimately decided to uphold the ban to define
what is the essence of a stroke: making a swing. “Rule 14-1b protects one of the most important challenges in the game of golf: the free swing of the entire club,” said Glen Nager, president of the USGA. “The traditional stroke involves swinging the club with both the club and gripping hands held away from the body, requiring the player to direct and control the movement of the entire club. Anchoring is different: Intentionally securing one end of the club against the body, and creating a point of physical attachment around which the club is swung, is a substantial departure from that traditional free swing.”
For a comprehensive photo gallery detailing legal and illegal putting strokes beginning in 2016, visit
USGA.org.
ShagBag
SCOTT HARDY I like putting under a string. I’ll hang it re- ally low so that I keep my putter low to the ground, and it helps
with my line. I have my team do it all the time.
JIM KNOLL
My favorite drill is to practice putting one-handed. Using just the left hand (for a right-handed
golfer), practice sinking 4- and 5-foot putts.
SUMMER 2013 /
NCGA.ORG / 11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76