Woods ‘not a fan’ and wants action taken over long putters

Woods said at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am he has “never been a fan” of long putters that players either anchor into their belly or the broom-style putters that are pressed against the chest.

“I believe it’s the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum motion,” Woods said. “I believe that’s how it should be played. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to that.”

Woods said he has spoken to the R&A chief executive, Peter Dawson, the last several years about how the language could be written in the Rules of Golf that effectively would ban such putters. “My idea was to have it so that the putter would be equal to or less than the shortest club in your bag,” Woods said. “And I think with that, we’d be able to get away from any type of belly anchoring.”

He said the putter still could be anchored to the forearm, as two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer once did.

Keegan Bradley became the first major champion to use a belly putter when he won the PGA Championship. Bill Haas used the same style when he won the Tour Championship to capture the FedEx Cup.

The belly putters gained momentum late last year with Bradley and Webb Simpson, who won twice late in the year and who nearly captured the PGA Tour money title. Both considered themselves good putters who felt as though anchoring the club to their stomach made them even better.

For years, most players believed only players who were desperate to improve used such putters.

Ernie Els once criticised the use of belly putters, but switched to one late last year, and said: “As long as it’s legal, I’ll keep cheating like the rest of them.”

Phil Mickelson also experimented with a belly putter during the FedEx Cup playoffs last year. He since has gone back to a more conventional putter.

Colin Montgomerie is another who has tried one despite his feelings. He wrote in his autobiography: “I think that all long putters – yes, all of them – should be declared illegal.

“Long putters – be they anchored to the chin, the chest or belly – all give the player the three pivotal points of two hands and the body rather than just the two hands.

“You would never be allowed to have a brace that helped to keep your right arm on target when throwing a dart. Nor would you be allowed anything to steady the moving arm in snooker. It is extraordinary, to me, that golf officialdom has not acted on this score.”

That was ten years ago, but maybe now the long putter has only a short time left.