Should belly putters be legal?

[Jaydog]

Should belly putters or chin putters be legal? I'm seeing more and more people using them.

[chiantibro]

Should belly putters or chin putters be legal? I'm seeing more and more people using them.
Jaydog, I hate the look of them, and vote no to the use of these putters. Professionals should not be allowed to employ them, but I believe that any technology goes for the average or amateur player...

[Focker Singh]

Good question Jaydog, its a very debatable issue. Statistically, they experts say that belly putters are better than the traditional putters. It stabalizes the putter from getting out of line. There is less likely to be error from the arms and shoulders being out of sinc. You just have to swing like a pendulum. Some pro's though, think its not fair that some are using such putters. They say it takes away from the way putting was originally meant to be.
IMO, I think its fair to use them. It doesn't break any Rules of Golf in terms or assisting the club or enhancing its performance. I would personally like to get a betty putter just to see if it really is that stable. VJ tried it though and switched but to the tradational putter and started winning like mad though. To each their own I guess...

[Shadow]

Should belly putters or chin putters be legal? I'm seeing more and more people using them. Most golfers who putt with a belly putter or a long putter, had developed poor putting habits with the traditional style putter or simply developed the yips. Switching to the BP ot the LP with its fixed centre, has reducing the amount of twitching that goes on during a bad stroke. Because these Tour players have more inate ability than most of us, they end up putting very well.

In thinking about the "science" of the BP, it has a fixed centre, therefore, the golfer must find the perfect ball position from which to make the pendulum stroke. A quarter inch forward or back from the perfect point and the face will not be square. With the traditional style of putting, because the hands/center, moves back and forward roughly parallel to the intended path of the putt, the stroke is not a pendulum, and there is a greater probability of the face being square at impact, than if using the LP or BP. If the golfer employs the "straight back/straight through" kind of stroke, then the probability of a square face is even greater.

The BP and the LP is a crutch for most, not giving anyone an advantage, but it allows poor putting players to putt better. So declaring it "NON-CONFORMING" would not benefit the game, overall.

Wouldn't it be great if they would allow croquet style putting again?

Any try putting "Sidesaddle?"