US Senior Amateur Champ Vinny Giles calls for ban on Belly Putters

[Terry Lavin]

This is from Jim Achenbach on Golfweek, who is covering the Senior Amateur at Kinloch, where Vinny Giles unloaded on the USGA for its inaction on belly putters.  I think he is exactly correct, but he has more gravitas to make these statements, as a US Amateur champ, a four-time Walker Cupper and as the winner of the US Senior Amateur a couple years ago at Beverly CC.  Here are the highlights:

“It’s been a good eight years that I’ve used a long putter,” Giles said. “I could go back (to a conventional short putter), and I wish the USGA had the guts to outlaw them (long and belly putters).

“We should not be able to putt with those things. We shouldn’t be able to putt with anything attached to our bodies.

“Why they’re so gutless, I don’t know. I want them to just say, ‘OK, we make the rules.’ If the PGA Tour wants to say, ‘We’re not gonna play by 'em, we’re going to bifurcation,’ fine, let 'em go.

“But we, as the USGA, should definitely outlaw those putters. There’s no issue, as far as I’m concerned. Nerves are part of the game. Crutches aren’t, and these putters are crutches.

“And that’s coming from somebody who uses one. It’s a lot easier for somebody who doesn’t use one to make that comment. I’m 100 percent in favor of a ban of them.”

[archie_struthers]

 

Good one Vinnie!   I'm with him on this one. How can you justify the Sam Snead straddle ban and allow this. Either allow both or neither!

[Jud_T]

Glad to hear it but I'd be shocked if they reversed this at this point...

[Dan Kelly]

Nerves are part of the game. Crutches aren’t, and these putters are crutches."

Hear, hear, Mr. Giles!

One correction, though: Some aren't crutches; they're Krutches -- as you'll see here (the short version): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AKJ4vvjKNs

[Garland Bayley]

I know three players at my club that use them. Two say they are the best way to legally cheat that they know of. The third has a nervous condition, so I have never discussed the putter with him. It seems an obvious aid in his case.

[Kalen Braley]

Terry,

Thanks for posting this.

That's probably the best rebuttal yet i've heard to "a swing is a swing".  A swing is not a swing when it eliminates nerves and having a shaky hand.

[JSlonis]

That's certainly an interesting stance for Vinny to take, especially since he's used a long putter for eight years.  I've used one for 17 years and I don't feel the same way.

[George Pazin]

Guess I'm the only one who doesn't see what the big deal is. I don't like them, I won't use them, but I don't see why it's necessary to ban them.

Much like I can hook or slice any hook- or slice-preventing driver, I'm sure there are plenty of people who will still struggle with nerves while using belly putters or long putters. They help some, not all, just as hybrids help lesser golfers hit it high and soft, two ball putters help people who struggle with alignment, big head metal drivers help people who couldn't smoke a wooden driver like the Shark or Jack, etc.

One point in their favor: You won't see clubs tearing up courses to defend themselves against the onslaught of belly putters.

[John Keenan]

Would this impact the long or broom stick putter?  The belly putter is attached to the body the true long putter is not.   Bernard Langer uses what I feel is a broom stick 50 inch or so

[Jud_T]

One point in their favor: You won't see clubs tearing up courses to defend themselves against the onslaught of belly putters.

well I suppose once everyone's using them you could see guys designing greens that not only roll at 12 but have no flat 5 footers...

[John Kavanaugh]

Old Mac is the first course designed in defense of belly putters.  They do not work well in the wind or on long putts.

[Garland Bayley]

George,

See reply #1 above.

[David_Tepper]

You can clearly use a long putter without having it touch or anchored to the chest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW4XlVF-_g4

[Sam Morrow]

Do as as I say, not as I do.

Vinny Giles

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Good for you Vinny. He beat a good friend of mine from Lafayette, La in the first round of match play this week. Big putter are crutches and need to go. I am getting the yips now myself but will put left handed before I good to a crutch.

[William_G]

I'm with Vinny, the USGA is gutless on this issue.

[Doug Sobieski]

Just so I'm clear....

The call by those in favor of a ban is to outlaw a TYPE of stroke, where the club is "anchored" somehow to the body. So....

- Bernhard Langer's old method of grabbing his left forearm would then be illegal, even with a conventional putter, since he anchored the shaft to his forearm?

- If a player with a short (traditional length) putter wanted to rest their left hand (for a RH player) on their left thigh to act as a fulcrum, that would also be illegal, correct?

- When putting with a long putter (not a "belly" putter), the only "anchor point" is my left thumb on my sternum (the club doesn't touch anything but my hands). I could just as easily brace my forearm to the side of my chest, so my thumb is no longer touching my chest. Would that be legal? If you didn't want it to be legal, then you'd likely need to regulate the length of the putter. In the case of length, how are you impacting very tall people? My long putter is a belly putter to people over 6'3" or so. To someone close to 6'10"+, what would a "standard" length putter be?

I'm curious how a Rule would be written so that it didn't somehow inadvertantly allow/disallow something that it wasn't intended to regulate. And I don't want someone to come back with "Thou shall not anchor thy club to thy body", as that is not how Rule language works. Let's pretend it's 2011 for a second, and you've seen how Rules are worded in The Rules of Golf.

How do you write the Rule so that it works properly without a zillion loopholes or gotchas?

[Terry Lavin]

Do as as I say, not as I do.

Vinny Giles

I would amend that to say:

"Do as I say, not as we are currently permitted to do."   

[Jud_T]

"Mr. Shivas, White Courtesy Phone...White Courtesy Phone for Mr. Shivas"

[Dan Kelly]

"Mr. Shivas, White Courtesy Phone...White Courtesy Phone for Mr. Shivas"

Maybe Shivas would endorse the change, if it were coupled with a Cheater Line ban.

[John Keenan]

Is the issue fixing the putter to your body, the length of the putter or both?



 

[Ken Moum]

How do you write the Rule so that it works properly without a zillion loopholes or gotchas?

They can't, which is reason No. 1 on the list of why they aren't currently outlawed.

Every single proposed rule I have seen would both fail to eliminate a huge percentage of the long putter users--simply for the reasons you state, AND create a huge problem of complex and disputed rulings on the golf course.

I am a better-than-average putter with a short putter, and could never putt a lick with the broomstick, and the belly setup baffled my until recently. 

I finally figured out that I needed to anchor a belly almost on my left hip.  I've been using a belly now for a half-dozen rounds, and the most significant change is my ability to make putts over 20 feet. I almost never make them with short putters, and I'm averaging more than one a round with the belly.

K

[Tim Martin]

 It`s sort of like politicians who decry corporate donations but say that they have to accept them to keep the playing field level.

[jeffwarne]

I'm with Vinny, the USGA is gutless on this issue.

So let's allow drivers and balls that propel the ball 350 yards that impact ALL championship courses (and indirectly most courses),
but outlaw clubs that presumably allow one to continue playing without the yips.
We already knew the USGA was gutless.
If they follow Mr. Giles advice they're stupid too.

[Terry Lavin]

"Gutless" is onerstatement, perhaps to effect bthe rest of his position will find a lot of support even if they never change the rule.