Category: PGA Tour

To the USGA: Arm-Lock Putting is Anchored Putting

To Anchor or Not to Anchor…..

Putting is my favorite thing to do while playing golf.  So much so, I have a putting green in my basement and a bunch of putters laying around, including several Scotty Cameron’s made specifically for me.

I was never a fan of anchored long putters because it provided a crutch to those players who were not good putters or did not practiced enough to be a good putter. 

I still think that allowing the usage of long putters on tour should not be allowed and it opens the door to scrutiny as has been the case with Scott McCarron and Bernhard Langer on the Champions Tour.

The governing bodies banned anchored putting on January 2016; but did they? 

Introducing Arm-lock putting.  Let us be honest, Arm-lock putting is nothing more than anchoring a putter grip to your forearm restricting a “free flowing swing”. Was this a compromised to appease the “yipsters” out there on the professional tours?

Arm-lock putting may not be the textbook definition of “the player’s forearm held against his or her body to establish a stable point”.  By locking the grip, or “resting the grip against the forearm” the putter is technically locked against the body and therefore establishing a stable point.

Whatever the reason behind it, it is still anchoring by another name and it should be banned all together.  Putting requires skill, grit, patience, and controlling one’s nerves under stress. 

To me, skillful putting is what separates a Major Champion from a journeyman, and it should be preserved in its purest form.

It is time for the USGA and the R&A to right this wrong. Make putting great again!

https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/images/rules/anchoring/understanding-anchored-strokes.pdf

Professional Golf; You have been Canceled

Image courtesy of golfmagic.com

I remember the first time I was introduced to the game of golf.  It was back in 1994 and my first set of clubs were a used set of Beryllium Cooper Dunlop blades.  Ever since, I have loved the game and have been a loyal follower of the Tour, be the regular tournaments, the Majors, or the Ryder and President’s Cup.

I was fortunate to have witnessed the “Golden Era” of Tiger Woods and how he changed the game, not only for us as fans, but for the Tour.  Tiger Woods made me want to watch and play a rather boring sport.

The PGA Tour has been a very entertaining endeavor until 2020.  In 2020, the PGA Tour made the decision to morph their entertainment business with politics.  Probably because they did not have the guts to stand to pressure groups or because they believed they owed something to society, only they know the real motives.

As a fan, it has been a very disappointing year and frankly I have not watched much of it.  Like the NBA, NFL, and other sports, the PGA Tour decided to become a social lecturer instead of doing what they did best, sell a great apolitical product.

Most Americans watch sports to get away from the realities of everyday life and this has been taken away for the sake of politics.  Like many people I know, I do not follow any of these sports and professional golf has been the latest sport entity to join the ranks. 

The PGA of America latest shenanigan was to cancel the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump National over the violence at the Capitol.  The PGA of America is blaming President Trump for the riots.  Are you serious?  What evidence does the PGA of America has President Trump was responsible for the mayhem that ensued at the Capitol?  I will give you the answer, none, because non exist.

The R&A also decided to join the nonsense by stating they will not use Ailsa Course at Trump Turnberry in Scotland.  Cheers!

Once again, the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, and the R&A, have jumped the gun and joined the crazy liberal mob, without information, without facts, and without thinking of the consequences their actions are going to bring to their wallets and audience.

Under these circumstances, I have decided to boycott the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, the USGA, and the R&A, The Golf Channel, and any television or radio transmission that has anything to do with professional or amateur golf.  Perhaps, one day, they will come to their senses and return to entertain instead of lecturing on social issues.  Until then, they will never get a rating or a dime from me, period.

Fortunately, I love the game and have a rather good game of my own.  So, why watch when I can play?  I thought golf was the last sport to stay away from politics and social nonsense, but I guess they were too weak and succumbed to a false sense of social pressure.  They should have stuck to supporting charities and stayed away from politics which they do not understand.

They decided to cancel me out as a fan, therefore I am canceling them.