Guan Tianling And The Anchoring Ban

Derek Lawrenson thinks 14-year-old Guan Tianling's win in the Asia Pacific and subsequent Masters berth using a belly putter should be yet another sign that the governing bodies need to act.

Yes, you’re right, the governing bodies should have snapped this dreadful implement in half at birth. But if you’re in any doubt that it is never too late to do the right thing, then the sight of 14-year-old Guan Tianling winning his spot at the Masters using one of the damn things should convince.

In other words, the future stars are now not even bothering learning the complexities of putting with orthodox equipment, and why should they when this form of legalized cheating offers such an easy way out?
The Royal and Ancient and the United States Golf Association have seen the future, and know that if they don’t act now a conventional putter in another decade will be about as common as a persimmon driver.

Belly Putter Rant: "The course designers are the ones who have lost sight of the spirit of the game."

I had such high hopes for Dr. Craig Farnsworth's plea to save the belly putter and anchoring, figuring he was going to make the straightforward but certainly valid point that some everyday golfers would be discouraged if you took away something that has made the game more enjoyable for them.

Farnsworth's point is built around the "spirit of the game" argument cited by anchoring antagonists and he takes the governing bodies to task for not defending the spirit of the game by allowing a hot ball.

And you know who is to blame for violating the spirit of the game? The architects!

So far, the ball is so hot -- let alone the equipment changes -- it has made many courses obsolete for better players, especially PGA Tour players. One answer for this dilemma is to make course changes. That's why we're seeing courses at 7,600 to 8,000 yards. In addition, we can add more bunkers, design greens with multiple sections, and make other adjustments to strengthen the "challenge."

It's no wonder that amateur handicaps have changed little in decades. The course designers are the ones who have lost sight of the spirit of the game.

And therefore anchoring should be allowed to offset the evil work of the architects.

Can't we get some sanity back when it comes to the game -- the spirit of the game -- by starting to realize that present course designs are ridiculous at best? Modern green complexes scare the average player because when they are on the green, they are relegated to a three-putt, at best.

At best, no.

Scott: "It makes going out on the course less stressful, knowing you're going to putt alright all the time."

AAP's Darren Walton reported these comments from anchorer Adam Scott which, while earnest, probably will be added to the USGA/R&A's circumstantial evidence file.

Long regarded as one of the world's premier ball-strikers and the winner of 18 tournaments globally, Scott admitted during his Open charge at Royal Lytham that his old putting "ups and downs were horrible".

"It eats you up," he told AAP.

"It's such a mental part of the game and for me walking out there feeling really solid with it for the last 18 months, I feel like I'm not ever going to shoot a bad score.

"It makes going out on the course less stressful, knowing you're going to putt alright all the time."

He makes it sound like a drug.

Webb Still Hasn't Heard Sound Reason For Anchoring Ban

From an unbylined AP story quoting Webb Simpson at the Grand Slam of Golf, and while the language wasn't perfect, he seems to be suggesting that banning anchoring of the putter will be more problematic if it's the USGA doing the banning instead of the PGA Tour. Not that Commissioner No-Controversy would ever do something to protect the game.

"If the USGA bans it, I think it's going to be a whole other ballgame if the PGA Tour bans it," Simpson said.

"It's going to be tough if they do ban it. It's going to be tough for a lot of people. Not players, I think it's going to be tough for the committees to really have their stance on it. If you look at the facts, last year there was no one in the top 20 of strokes gained category that anchored a putter."

"So the argument of, 'It's an advantage', you have to throw that out there," he said. "There's a bunch of arguments going around but I haven't heard a good one yet."

And he continued to point out a bigger change in the game and he continues to be correct.

"We all know that the R&A and USGA love to keep golf as original as possible," he said. "But I think with the changes in the grooves, the golf balls, the drivers — you've got a little persimmon head 20 years ago the size of a fist, and now a titanium head 460 cc. In 1980, the long drive guy was hitting it 285, and now if you hit it 285, you're one of the shortest guys on the Tour. To me, it's a bigger change to go from that size head to what we play now than the putter."

Totally Unscientific Polls: Ban Anchoring Via Rules Of Golf

With nearly 500 votes, 56% want to see the Rules of Golf rewritten to ban the anchoring of the putter. Bifurcation took 32% but if you were to lump on the 13% for some form of split between the everyday game and the professionals, that would get us up to 45% thinking some split between the two is called for.

Previously, nearly 1000 votes were cast with 69% casting in favor of a ban.

The numbers here, which Nate Silver would not find very scientific, back up what the USGA is suggesting they have heard from the public on this delicate topic.

It's been suggested both publicly and privately that there may be player lawsuits over this, but if the public support is so strong, do those players risk reputational harm or do they have a legitimate gripe?

Either way this should make for an interesting winter.