R&A chief ‘concerned’ by belly putters

Brad boy: Are US PGA champ Keegan Bradley’s days using the belly putter soon to be numbered? 

Dawson admits to intense discussions taking place on long ‘short sticks’

The chief executive of the R&A, Peter Dawson, has admitted that his organisation is ‘concerned’ at the growing trend of professional golfers using long and belly putters -but added that any move to ban them is still a long way off.

The debate about players anchoring long ‘short sticks’ to their midriffs has intensified over the past 18 months or so, with the clubs gaining credibility thanks to Keegan Bradley becoming the first player to win a major using one at the US PGA Championship last August.

Other high-profile players to have converted to belly putters include Phil Mickelson, Webb Simpson, Fred Couples and even Ernie Els, the South African having previously been vehemently opposed to the clubs.

Speaking at a media day for the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes, Dawson said that the R&A is closely monitoring the increase in the use of the clubs on the game’s professional tours but doesn’t anticipate any move to ban them being straightforward or happening any time soon.

“There’s no doubt that we have seen a considerable upsurge in the use of long and belly putters at the professional level in the last 12 months in particular,” said Dawson. “At some tournaments, the percentage of the players using them has approached or indeed once or twice gone just over the 20% mark.

“Not only has the move been significant in overall quantity, more and more players of a young age are using these longer putters because they feel it is a better way to putt rather than rescuing themselves from being unable to use the shorter one.

“So yes, we are concerned about it, and it’s very much back on the radar because of this move in the last 12 months, and I don’t think that’s a secret. I think the USGA perhaps gave an indication that that was the case a few weeks ago.”

Dawson added: “The subject is being looked at more from a ‘Rules of Golf’ and ‘method of stroke’ angle than it is from a length of club angle. The reason for that is that if you thought you were going to do something about long putters by saying the putter may be no more than 40 inches long, that would still allow short people to perhaps belly putt but not tall people. So limiting the length of club, if you’re going to do something about this, is not a very sensible way to go.

“The other suggestion we’ve heard is that the putter should be the shortest club in the bag. Well, that doesn’t do a lot of help for the poor tall chap who’s got a bad back and can’t bend down very easily. It also doesn’t prevent the advent of belly chipping, or indeed belly putting with, say, a 1‑iron. So the shortest club in the bag argument doesn’t do anything.

“So it is being looked at on a ‘method of stroke’ basis because there is a rule of golf that says you can’t push, scrape or spoon as a method of stroke.”

However, even if the R&A and golf’s other governing bodies do determine that the use of belly putters is in contravention of the ‘Rules of Golf’, nothing can be done to outlaw their use until at least 2016 when the next revisions of the game’s rules are due to be published.

“I rush to say that no decision has been made about this and I don’t know if one will be,” added Dawson. “If it’s being looked at as a matter of stroke in the rules of golf, that means that there would be no action prior to January 1, 2016, when the next quadrennial revision of the rules of golf is due, because it’s being looked at as a method of stroke.

“And the real question is do we see in the future of golf that this type of stroke should be allowed or not, even though I quite admit it has been around for some time.

“On the one hand there’s the argument you’ve let it go so long you can’t do anything, the other argument is it’s never too late to do the right thing.

“There are discussions ongoing at quite an intense pace, but I don’t know what the outcome will be, and I stress no decision has been made yet.”

What do you think of long or belly putters? Are you opposed to their use or think that they are fair game? Would you like to see them banned? Leave your thoughtsin our ‘Comments’ section below.

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered