In a “state of the game” essay on thegolfchannel.com, Arnold Palmer praises the USGA and R&A on its proposal to ban players from anchoring clubs against their bodies. Palmer said the ruling bodies took “a patient and thoughtful approach…. studying the issue for years and across all levels of golf before making their decision.”
Arnold Palmer
Nobody is a bigger fan of the King than me, but this time I have to say “Huh?” If the USGA/R&A really studied the anchoring issue for years and across all levels of the game, they would have found that very few average golfers long putters and belly putters and many of those who do play those putters do it because they have bad backs, not because they’re more dropping putts.
It seems a bit ironic that Palmer is singing the praises of the USGA/R&A anchoring ban proposal. In 2000, Palmer was front and center in Callaway Golf Company’s introduction of the ERC II driver, which exceeded the COR (coefficient of restitution) limits on club faces, specifically the faces of drivers.
“It is my view that the use of the ERC II adds to the enjoyment of the game and is in no way detrimental to it,” wrote a position paper on non-conforming drivers.
So the question is, why are long putters and belly putters any different?
