Noticed all the cross-handed putters at the top of the leaderboard?

[Michael Whitaker]

Spieth
Willet
Harrington
Ooshuizen
Goosen?

Allis made a comment yesterday that cross-handed golfers were inferior because it is an inferior style of putting. What an absolute geezer he is!

[Jon Wiggett]

Michael,

Allis was talking from the point of view of the old fashioned purist for whom any deviation from the text book style of putting (or putter for that matter) is not a thing of beauty. Not everyone's point of view but it seems it is Peter's to which he is entitled. I am assuming your use of the word 'geezer' is meant to be negative though here in Blighty it means 'chap' or 'bloke' or 'man.

Jon

[Bob_Huntley]

John,

I beg to differ, it has always been that "geezer" is deemed to be a man of some antiquity.

Bob

[Jon Wiggett]

Bohb,

I beg to differ but not only.

Geezer is a slang term for a man. It can carry either the connotation of age and eccentricity in the UK. In the US the term typically refers to a cranky old man. Originated in an area of Essex, Basildon

Jon

[A.G._Crockett]

Michael, you could throw in Furyk, who is only 6 shots back, Dunne, who putts using the two thumb grip, Scott, who uses the broomstick, and Garcia's saw grip, and the message becomes that "conventional" putting simply may not be a great way to putt under tournament pressure; there are just too many things that can go wrong.  I'd go so far as to argue that the best putters over the decades have simply been those great enough to overcome the inherent issues with vision, alignment, and the stroke itself.

[Bob_Huntley]

Bohb,

I beg to differ but not only.

Geezer is a slang term for a man. It can carry either the connotation of age and eccentricity in the UK. In the US the term typically refers to a cranky old man. Originated in an area of Essex, Basildon

John,

My early years were spent in England and the Rhodesia's, I never heard the term used for a young man. I guess my dotage gives me away.

Bob

Jon

[Bob_Huntley]

Bohb,

I beg to differ but not only.

Geezer is a slang term for a man. It can carry either the connotation of age and eccentricity in the UK. In the US the term typically refers to a cranky old man. Originated in an area of Essex, Basildon

John,

My early years were spent in England and the Rhodesia's, I never heard the term used for a young man. I guess my dotage gives me away.

Bob

Jon

Michael, you could throw in Furyk, who is only 6 shots back, Dunne, who putts using the two thumb grip, Scott, who uses the broomstick, and Garcia's saw grip, and the message becomes that "conventional" putting simply may not be a great way to putt under tournament pressure; there are just too many things that can go wrong.  I'd go so far as to argue that the best putters over the decades have simply been those great enough to overcome the inherent issues with vision, alignment, and the stroke itself.

[Bob_Huntley]

Bohb,

I beg to differ but not only.

Geezer is a slang term for a man. It can carry either the connotation of age and eccentricity in the UK. In the US the term typically refers to a cranky old man. Originated in an area of Essex, Basildon

Jon

John,

See The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Old person, old creature and some other stuff.

[Michael Whitaker]

Jon,

I meant cranky old man... which is what Allis is.

I've never seen the word used any other way... but, as much as I love the place, nothing in Scotland would surprise me. 

[Brent Hutto]

Don't worry Mike. Next Rules cycle after 2016 they'll ban cross-handed and claw/pencil gripping the putter.


Doesn't look good and is untraditional plus Speith and these other oddball grippers are winning a lot so it must be a huge advantage just like the broomstick and belly were.

[Duncan Cheslett]

John,

I beg to differ, it has always been that "geezer" is deemed to be a man of some antiquity.

Bob

Not so, 

 I've lived all of my fifty-five years in the UK and can assure you that the word 'geezer' is completely interchangeable with 'bloke' or 'feller'.

It might well of course, have a different connotation in the US.


As for cross-handed putting, I am seeing it more and more amongst my playing partners. It makes sense - allowing the leading arm to be a completely straight pendulum with the shoulder as a fulcrum. I suspect that the Spieth effect will make it all but universal, for a year or so at least.

I read once that Jack Nicklaus regretted not adopting the cross-handed putting stroke in his early days as it could have helped him to have become more successful!

One of my pals - and a 6 handicapper - takes it further,  playing his whole game cross-handed. It is somewhat un-nerving to watch!

[Bob_Huntley]

John,

I beg to differ, it has always been that "geezer" is deemed to be a man of some antiquity.

Bob

Not so, 

 I've lived all of my fifty-five years in the UK and can assure you that the word 'geezer' is completely interchangeable with 'bloke' or 'feller'.

It might well of course, have a different connotation in the US.


As for cross-handed putting, I am seeing it more and more amongst my playing partners. It makes sense - allowing the leading arm to be a completely straight pendulum with the shoulder as a fulcrum. I suspect that the Spieth effect will make it all but universal, for a year or so at least.

I read once that Jack Nicklaus regretted not adopting the cross-handed putting stroke in his early days as it could have helped him to have become more successful!

One of my pals - and a 6 handicapper - takes it further,  playing his whole game cross-handed. It is somewhat un-nerving to watch!

John,

I beg to differ, it has always been that "geezer" is deemed to be a man of some antiquity.

Bob

Not so, 

 I've lived all of my fifty-five years in the UK and can assure you that the word 'geezer' is completely interchangeable with 'bloke' or 'feller'.

It might well of course, have a different connotation in the US.


As for cross-handed putting, I am seeing it more and more amongst my playing partners. It makes sense - allowing the leading arm to be a completely straight pendulum with the shoulder as a fulcrum. I suspect that the Spieth effect will make it all but universal, for a year or so at least.

I read once that Jack Nicklaus regretted not adopting the cross-handed putting stroke in his early days as it could have helped him to have become more successful!

One of my pals - and a 6 handicapper - takes it further,  playing his whole game cross-handed. It is somewhat un-nerving to watch!

Duncan,

I left England about fifty years go and cannot remember "Geezer" being anything but old.

Bob

[Duncan Cheslett]

What can I say?  Words change meanings over time and from one part of the country to another.

I am reflecting a modern-day northern English perspective... 

[Michael Whitaker]

Duncan,

I have putted cross-handed for well over 15 years... which is why I took note of Mr. Alliss' comments.

Arnold Palmer's grandson, Sam Saunders, was on the Clemson University golf team for a short time. I do some work for Clemson Golf and met Sam at a fund raising function. He said his grandfather told him he would putt cross-handed if he could start over. If it's good enough for The King, it's good enough for me! 

By the way... the UK version of the Urban Dictionary gives the following meaning for geezer:  A guy, a bloke, a person in general. The British equivalent of the American slang word "dude".

[Niall C]

I played with a young guy in an open day at Cruden Bay about 7 or 8 years ago. He was a local lad on a golf scholarship at an american university and he putted cross handed which was the way he was taught to putt by his coaches. Have to say if he had putted as well as he played in the rest of the game he might have been playing at St Andrews this week. Unfortunately for him his putting was poor. I doubt his grip had much to do with it.


FWIW with regards to geezer, the only times you really hear it said these days (outwith a Guy Ritchie film) is with the prefix "old" in front which probably suggests it doesn't necessarily mean old in itself, but then I don't live in the south.


Niall

[Jon Wiggett]

Bohb,

maybe the reason is that despite the hint you seem unable to notice what the see.

Jon

Now where's that 'h' gone

Duncan,

my experience of the use of the word geezer is as yours.

Michael,

I was not sure if geezer had another connotation in the USA.

Jon

[JLahrman]

I have been putting cross-handed for 22 years. I'm 40 years old. When I was 18 I felt my stroke was too wristy. I tried cross-handed on the putting green one day, found that it decreased the amount of wrist action in my stroke, and started using it. It would feel odd to do it any other way.

Not sure if I count as a geezer. Probably depends on who you ask.

[Wayne_Kozun]

Arnold Palmer's grandson, Sam Saunders, was on the Clemson University golf team for a short time. I do some work for Clemson Golf and met Sam at a fund raising function. He said his grandfather told him he would putt cross-handed if he could start over. If it's good enough for The King, it's good enough for me! 

But back when Arnold was young you had to really hit the ball to get it rolling on the greens as the speeds were so much slower.  Some of the guys used a lot of wrist action in their putts as you can see on the old WWOG shows or tournaments that pre-date the mid 60s.  I doubt that cross handed putting would work so well on very slow greens.

[Doug Siebert]

I've been putting cross handed since I was 15 or 16 - about two or three years after first taking up the game.  I felt like that separated the putting stroke from a regular stroke, so it made a lot of sense to me.  I don't recall but I'm sure I probably tried it after a few bad putting days, but once I tried it I liked the way it felt and have never deviated from it.

Still using the same PGA T-Line from high school, too - complete with the original grip which yes looks as bad as you'd imagine it would.  I get so much shit for it I am never regripping the damn thing - it isn't like a slick grip is a problem with a putter even in the rain and with me never wearing a glove.

[Bob_Huntley]

John,
 
 
 from The American HeritageŽ Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

• n. Slang An old person, especially an eccentric old man.

 
Go to Google and see how many entries come up as above.
 
I grew up in London and Beaconsfield some eighty five years ago, it may well have been an oddity of the South that I did not hear the same form as you.
 
Bob

[Jon Wiggett]

Bohb,

maybe so though maybe you missed it being used in other ways back then as you miss stuff now

Jon

[Bob_Huntley]

Bohb,

maybe so though maybe you missed it being used in other ways back then as you miss stuff now

Jon

John,

You may well be right, as I am sure will be in the same boat some years from now.

Bob

[Jon Wiggett]

Bohb,

maybe so though maybe you missed it being used in other ways back then as you miss stuff now

Jon

John,

You may well be right, as I am sure will be in the same boat some years from now.

Bob

Hat stand, Bohb, Hat stand.

Jon