Steve Flesch won three times on the PGA Tour using an anchored belly putter but has since switched back. As of January 2016 anchoring the putter to the chest or belly will not be allowed. (Reuters file photo)
LA QUINTA, CALIF. - Steve Flesch won three times on the PGA Tour using a belly putter, anchoring the butt of the club in his stomach.
The button-down shirts that run golf, the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Association, said Wednesday they couldn’t stomach any longer the idea of guys dropping putts and winning championships without the guts to putt without their guts.
Flesch, the PGA Tour veteran here trying to get back on the Tour through Qualifying School, has since switched back to a conventional putter.
“I don’t know how I won three times using it. I just didn’t like my stroke with it ... but it definitely calms your nerves,” he said.
The belly putter and anchoring issue are doing anything but calm nerves in the wake of the rulesmakers’ announcement that anchoring the putter against the body will no longer be allowed as of January 2016.
It’s the right call. Anchoring is a lot of things, but ultimately, it’s not a golf stroke.
