Anchoring is illegal but long putters are not. Should you give one a try?

Question: I thought anchoring was banned. How come I still see all these long putters on tour? Should I try one?

Answer: Ah, two questions in one. Very efficient. We’ll start with the ban.

Anchoring is most definitely banned. As of Jan. 1, 2016, golfers who had gotten used to sticking a club against their chest, gut, chin, ear or any other body part to prevent the club from swinging freely had to find a different way to putt. The anchor ban, however, was a playing rule, not an equipment rule. Long putters are very much legal (you didn’t think PGA Tour players could cheat out in the open did you?).

When the USGA and R&A approved the anchor ban through the creation of Rule 14-1b, then USGA executive director Mike Davis wanted to be clear the proposed rule did not restrict the use of any currently conforming equipment.

“We’re not trying to hurt the game, we’re giving you options,” Davis said in May 2013. “I say to [golfers], ‘We’re not going to take away your long putter.’ All you need to do is this [hold the club away from your body], where you control the whole club with your hands. So long and belly putters are still legal—as long as you don’t anchor them.”

That opened the door for players such as Adam Scott, Lucas Glover, Akshay Bhatia, Will Zalatoris and, of course, Bernhard Langer to employ broomstick putters merely by holding them ever-so-slightly away from their body. It also allowed Matt Kuchar to continue to brace a longer-than-standard putter against his forearm.

As for whether you should try it, that could be a question of commitment. Although there is no doubt that it can prove to be an effective method of putting, especially if you’re experiencing grief on the greens.

Long putters are very upright, allowing the putter to move on less of an arc and more straight back, and straight through. That’s a comforting feel, especially on those pesky three- and four-footers.

Your hands being split on the grip, combined with the weight of the putter, take your wrists out of the stroke, leaving the shoulders to rock back and through. This reduces the tendency to get yippy.

It does take some practice, especially on distance control. If you have that patience, Sonny Burgo, a master fitter at Pete’s Golf, a perennial Golf Digest 100 Best clubfitter, offers some advice.

“Golfers are willing or intrigued by going into a long putter when they have tried everything else,” says Burgo. “It offers a ‘fresh start." It also requires, in a way, a learning period so there’s no pressure and offers hope to golfers in the struggle. It can really help on the shorter more makable/stressful 2-foot to 10-foot putts. I have seen quite a few players make the switch and never look back.”

However, Burgo also notes the learning curve can be difficult and long for some. Long distance putts can be difficult to gauge from a feel perspective and finding a putter at the correct length, lie and weighting can be costly and requires being fit properly. Also some player's hate the optic or perception of using a long putter as some still believe it is not in the spirit of the game and feel people will watch them closely and make sure they aren't anchoring.

Still, the long putter, while not for everyone, can be life-altering for others, Just ask Glover, who won the 2009 U.S. Open with a conventional-length putter but had a career resurgence in 2003 after switching to a broomstick putter from L.A.B. Golf with a long shaft and split grip. “I needed a whole new idea,” Glover said after transitioning to the long putter. “A whole new brain function. The other one obviously wasn’t working. I’d been struggling with short putts for so long. I just thought I needed to teach myself to do something else and it’s been working. … Once you learn how to stand there and address it, it pretty much works itself. It’s been a nice change.”

It might be a nice change for you, too. Let us know how it goes.