DRIVE FOR SHOW, PUTT FOR $DOUGH$...

As we approach the end of 2012, there is one thing that has been on the minds of the rulers of the game: EQUIPMENT, specifically, THE LONG PUTTER.

It seems that it was just yesterday (actually it was about 2 years ago) that Mike Davis, Executive Director of the USGA said that he "didn't see the use of long putters as a big trend", then, just as fast as his words came out, Kegan Bradley wins the PGA Championship in 2011, then Webb Simpson wins the U.S. Open and Ernie Els wins the Open Championship (most commonly known as the "British Open") in 2012. And now, the two ruling bodies, USGA and Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews are talking about "doing something about it". Why?

I don't know about you, but I used to consider myself a "traditionalist" of the game, but I now play with an adjustable driver and fairway "woods", cavity back irons, graphite shaft on my driver and yes, Pro-v1 balls and still consider myself a traditionalist, but am I?

When Callaway's "Big Bertha" (much bigger than a traditional wooden driver) and then, the first Taylor Made's Burners came on the market, I refused to play them and continued playing my old MacGregor persimmon woods for a long time. Then titanium came along, and wound balata balls were slowly, but totally replaced by 2-Piece, 3-Piece, 4-Piece and now 5-Piece balls.

This style was once "illegal", Hogan didn't
play the British Open until it was legal...
the won it in his only appearance in '53

"Ugly" but effective

I first changed balls, then the rest of the equipment. By the mid 90's, "tradition" was out the window, and in my 40's, with new technology, I was hitting the ball longer than when I was in my 20's. There is no question that equipment has evolved, and now you hit the ball much farther than before. But you know what, the same happened in the 30's and 40's when hickory shafts were replaced with steel shafts. There is always evolution in technology. My putter, for the most part, was an Ping AYD model that I lost and never replaced. For a while, I couldn't putt consistently, now, again, I feel good with a Ping model at 34".

Originally, Sam Snead putted "straddling" the
ball between his legs.

His putting style was made illegal,
so he did the same thing from
the side... still won over 80 times

Equipment has changed everything so drastically that Augusta National, "America's Golf Course", has added at least 700 yards to Bobby Jones' and Allister McKenzie's holly grounds and historic layout. Regardless, all par-5 holes are still reached in two shots by the modern professionals. For the record, in 1997, when Tiger won his first Masters, he was hitting wedges to the par-5's 13 and 15, and mid irons to 2 and 8, but so were many of the pros, except not as consistently.

New courses across the country start at 7,200 yards and 300 acres. In comparison, Elk City -so you can have a starting point where to compare-, is built on about 160 acres or less! At 6,200 yards from the tips, our golf course is truly a "par-67" by modern standards. We have a high school boy, Logan Gore, who soaking wet, may weigh 145 lbs., but he can consistently hit it longer (280 yards and more) than all the tour pros of the 70's! Even women now days have  powerful swings that propels the ball over 260 yards!

Old Bernard Langer's putting style

Langer's new putting style. He
has had at least 6 different styles

In short, USGA and Royal and Ancient Golf Club have allowed technology do great leaps in improvement with all new equipment helping you hit it longer and straighter. Balls spin better, but stay on the air longer with great aerodynamics, balls last longer, clubs are lighter and loft are stronger (therefore the need for the "Gap Wedge" since the wedge loft changed from 51 to 47)  However, as golf courses have gotten longer, scores have remained the same among the average player. The only one piece of equipment that has a strong precedent of being closely scrutinized has been the flat stick... your putter. And it is coming again. Why? You ask. Who knows, maybe because these guys running the USGA can't putt anyway, and anyone who "breaks the rules of tradition has to be cheating". 

For instance, there was a time in which a center shafted putter was not allowed (remember the old "bulls-eye" still used by Corey Pavin?), it was not allowed until the late 40's or early 50's. Sam Snead's stroke (straddling the line of the ball) was banned, but he still won tournaments by facing the hole, and putting from his side.

Some professionals used to cut their putters to 25-28 inches, to make a shorter stroke, then came Bernard Langer, who, with the yips, who began using different strokes, one of them made famous with his win at The Masters: bracing the putter against his left forearm, then a longer putter under his arm pit. Then someone began bracing a long  putter under their chin or on the chest, and then, the "belly-putter" (heck, with my belly, I can make a "belly-putter" out of any putter of 34" and up!). A number of players use the long putter because it is easy on their backs, not necessarily because they can putt better. And now, the USGA, wants to ban long putters, or a "braced stroke" because Bradley, Simpson and Els won majors with a belly putter?

Anya's tee shots average 260+,
certainly above average, but
far from the longer women.

Logan Gore hits the ball easily over
280 yards! The average drive on tour
in the 70's was 

Come on USGA! The object is to get the ball in the hole in the least number of strokes possible. You still have to read the green, you still have to be steady with your hands and body under pressure. Adam Scott, with a longer putter, and supposedly, "easier" to use than Ernie Els' belly putter, failed to make putts down the stretch and lost the Open Championship.


Heck, if he USGA and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews want to change something about equipment... START WITH THE GOLF BALL, OTHERWISE, LET'S ALL GO BACK TO HICKORY !