Anchoring of putters banned from 2016 by golfing...

[Patrick Harris]

Interesting...never knew about belly putter....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/22610307

[Jeff Prendergast]

IIRC, 20 years ago this got rolling (no pun intended) when the long putter was 'invented' for old guys whose backs couldn't handle bending over a putter repeatedly. It wasn't anchored, and it was considered no different than putting crosshanded. As such it was never a substantial issue in the world of golf. The long putter morphed into the broomhandle you see on the left, which is anchored to the chest and thus moves in rhythm with the upper torso. Slowly (in an evolutionary sense), people shortened the 'handle' and anchored the putter against the belly, increasing the stability of the anchor. People in the golf world seem to not like it because it decreases the chance of wobbly arms making for a missed putt. They want the game to remain challenging and one of the biggest challenges is keeping your arms steady in order to putt a ball on a line.

[Dave Jackson]

The best putters ever in the game of golf didn't use belly putters.

[Jeff Wiechowski]

So it's illegal for me to bounce my putter off my belly? That's how i get the most distance!