Ban Aimpoint! Ban long putters! Thanks to a war of words between Collin Morikawa and Lucas Glover, that is all I am hearing this week.
I use both, at least to some degree, am I doing something wrong? Aimpoint has been around at least a decade, and the long putter has been around for longer. The long putter has at least evolved since anchoring was outlawed.
TLDR, it is all because rounds are taking too long. Again.
First, some basics.
What is Aimpoint? When putting, the player stands beside or on either side of the line of their putt, somewhere around the halfway point or closer, and ‘feels’ the break. If their body’s equilibrium has them falling to one side, that is the direction the putt breaks. Next, they ‘feel’ how much the putt breaks on a scale of 1-4. A 1 is an almost flat putt and a 4 is a putt with more slope. The player then walks behind the ball, closes one eye, holds 1-4 fingers over the ball with the middle of the cup on one side of the finger(s), and the other side showing where to start the putt.
What is the long putter?
When first invented, it was a putter that was 45-50 inches long, and the idea was to ‘anchor’ the end of the putter up against your chest with one hand. The other hand merely guides the putter on the pendulum. Today, anchoring is outlawed by Rule 10.1 and has been since 2016. Now, to use the long putter one holds the butt end of the putter slightly in front of their chest, as to not anchor it, and make the same stroke.
What could this really be about?
The early season golf news has included a conversation about pace of play – notably commentator, and two-time LPGA Major Champion Dottie Pepper – and the five-plus hour pace of play at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Pace of play evolved into Aimpoint. Why?
Does Aimpoint add too much time? One could argue that if a player is standing between the ball and the hole, they cannot be behind their ball reading the break in the traditional fashion or at the ball stroking the putt. Also, if your fellow player is standing between their ball and the hole, another player cannot realistically hit their putt until you move.
One could also argue that Aimpoint causes players to add extra footprints around the hole. If they are holding up the 1-4 fingers over the ball, they cannot be reading the putt traditionally. I see how it could as it adds extra steps to reading a putt. If done correctly, and players work together during the ebb and flow of a normal round of golf, Aimpoint’s chief concerns dissolve into the background.
Does Aimpoint really work? I do not know really, but I feel like it gets me to a starting point on where to start my putt.
Does Aimpoint really get too many footprints around the hole? I could see that maybe. I prefer to putt with the flag in the hole so I make it a point to be the person to deal with the flagstick since it has to be someone, I use that as my opportunity to feel the putt with my feet and then get out of the way.
If the Tour plays on soft putting surfaces, such as Pebble Beach or Spyglass Hill, footprints become a problem – it takes longer for the footprint to heal. On firmer surfaces, such as Pinehurst or Kapalua, the issue is barely noticeable.
What about the long putter? As mentioned earlier, players may not anchor the putter. The problem is determining if a player is, in fact, anchoring is hard to tell. I know that I do not anchor the club, but, unless I am shirtless, I am not sure I could adequately demonstrate that I am operating within the rules and am not anchoring. Bernhard Langer, Adam Scott, and Lucas Glover all use the long putter. While I am sure they are diligent to operate within the rules as well, perhaps there is a cloud of uncertainty whether they are legal or not, which is why Morikawa wants to ban the long putter.
So, should Aimpoint and the long putter be banned?
I am not sure how Aimpoint could be banned. What language would the Rules of Golf use? How do players manage fixing pitch marks and other damage on the green or walking up on a super long putt or pulling the flagstick out but not be allowed to stop? Must a player keep moving? That would not make any sense as sometimes players might have to walk around some to decide who is away or players might be chit-chatting with other players.
I could understand and generally be okay with a limit on putter length, but as I get older and my back problems continue, I might not stay that way. Also, where would we ‘draw the line’? 38 inches might make sense, but are we okay with Bryson DeChambeau and other players who armlock having to change? Banning a club due to its length is a slippery slope.
In the end, players will have something to complain about no matter what. It all boils down to slow play, and to a smaller extent, footprints around the hole.
Here is my fix to Tour players, and yes everyone else: KEEP. IT. MOVING.!
…and be courteous to other players!