Mythbusters: It's Going, Just Not Quite Gone Yet...
‘It’ started with “Diegling” in 1924 when Leo Diegel putted hunched over with the butt of the putter in his stomach. ‘It’ progressed when Richard Parmley patented ‘it’ in 1965. The debate was sparked in 1989 when Orville Moody won the US Senior Open with ‘it.’ ‘It’ is the belly putter. And ‘it’ is the focus of this first edition of MythBusters.
Myth: More people are winning majors using an anchored putter
The issue of Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Ernie Els, and Adam Scott winning a cumulative Grand Slam using anchored putters in a 9 major stretch triggered this debate. However, that is only 4 of the last 9 victors, which is less than half. More people are not winning majors using an anchored putter. To further emphasize the point, Bradley’s 2011 PGA Championship triumph made him the first to secure a major anchoring his stroke.
Let’s not pretend that there haven’t been exceptional putting performances in majors prior to his win. Rory McIlroy did win by 7 strokes at Kiawah and 8 strokes at Congressional using a conventional putter. This myth is busted.
Myth: Using anchored putters provides an unfair advantage
Carl Pettersen led the way in 2012 with the extended flat blade finishing 21st in Strokes Gained on the PGA Tour. That wasn’t even among the 20 best players that season. Furthermore, PGA Champion Keegan Bradley finished a less than impressive 97th in 2011. Let’s take a look at the statistics of notable anchored putter users since this trending performance in majors began in 2012:
Strokes Gained 2014 (To Date)
Webb Simpson 6th
Adam Scott 18th
Ernie Els 21st
Keegan Bradley 76th
Tim Clark 99th
Carl Pettersen 132nd
Strokes Gained 2013
Webb Simpson 40th
Keegan Bradley 49th
Tim Clark 85th
Adam Scott 102nd
Carl Pettersen T111th
Ernie Els 126th
Strokes Gained 2012
Carl Pettersen 21st
Keegan Bradley 27th
Webb Simpson T54th
Ernie Els 112th
Tim Clark T123rd
Adam Scott 148th
To date, no loyal anchored putter user has finished inside the top 20 in Strokes Gained using an anchored putter. Adam Scott may have used a broomstick to win The Masters, but he also failed to crack the Top 100 in Strokes Gained last year. This myth is busted.
Myth: There aren’t any tools available to help players make the transition from long putters to short putters
Adam Scott is seen here using a device very similar to the Pendulum Rod from Eyeline Golf. It is allowing him to make a stroke without the actual putter being anchored to his body. This transitional device will help players of all skill levels make the necessary changes to comply with the imminent rule change. Given that there are products to help you make the change without adversely affecting their game, you guessed it. This myth has been busted.
Thank you for reading this first edition of MythBusters on anchored putters. If need help moving away from the anchored stroke or just want to stabilize your stroke with your current putter, ask me about the Pendulum Rod. It will do wonders for your putting and helping you play Your PAR Golf. Click HERE to print the full version of this article or click HERE to contact me for a future lesson.
References:
How it All Began: A History of the Long Putter, Golf Channel Digital
PGA Tour Stats: Strokes Gained Putting, PGATour.com
