Regarding the long putter.
"For a putter to work better than another one, it has to be better at helpin the user make a better stroke. One way is to develop a design that eliminates the sources of mechanical error. In engineering speak, each independent movement is a "degree of freedom". So does the long putter reduce the chances of making a bad stroke? Perhaps EXCESSIVELY (my emphasis), especially once you examine the major errors capable of creeping into your stroke:
1. Raising the putter up and down, casued mainly by bending the elbows too much.
2. Fanning the blade open or closed.
3. Forcing the putterhead to stay lower to the ground going back , thus knocking it off the proper arc, usually the result of uneven shoulder action.
4. Changing the shaft angle, as in a forward press.
5. Moving the putter in and out in the toe/heel direction toward or away from the feet.
6. Moving the putter back and forward along the intended target and stroke line.
IF YOU CAN ELIMINATE THE ROLE OF CERTAIN BODY PARTS, THEN YOU ELIMINATE THE ASSOCIATED ERRORS. That's really what a long putter does.
So the long putter eliminates 4 of 6 degrees of freedom: #1-4 listed above. Of course, longer putts require more feel, so eliminating degrees of freedom might make it harder to feel distance.
Frank Thomas 3/06