Bowers
& The Long Putter
Fifty-eight year-old Grossinger pro-shop assistant Jim Bowers
suffered a back injury some 17 years ago and was forced to change his putting
style and the type of putter he used.
His doctor suggested to him that bending over to putt the ball
would not be good for his back injury so Jim went and purchased the chest style
long putter.
Bowers, a well-known and established golfer and the former coach
for 20-years of the Roscoe Central School golf team acknowledged that he was
aware of both the long putter and the belly putter but the long putter fit his
condition better because he didn't have to bend over with the long
putter.
Today golfers have their choice of the standard size putter, the
belly putter, the long putter and the broomstick putter.
Jim's selection of the long putter definitely helped his injured
back but learning to hit and score the long putt took a long time and a lot of
adjustment.
Shooting and scoring the short putts gave Bowers the confidence
he needed to stay with the long putter. "My short putts are more automatic with
this putter," he added. "I don't have the yips on the short putts anymore," Jim
said.
A single-digit low handicap golfer Bowers has won eight club
championships at the Roscoe Twin Village Golf Course and also served 15-years on
the Board of Directors, six years as president.
Playing golf starting at the age of 12 while caddying at
Tennanah Lake Jim Bowers is thankful that the long putter was available to help
with an injury that without this putter might have put him out of the
game.
There has been a lot of debate and discussion in recent years as
to whether long putters, belly putters and broomstick putters be ruled
non-conforming by golf's governing bodies and this has all come about as a
result of Keegan Bradley's 2011 PGA championship victory when he used a belly
putter.
Terms used in describing these style of putters is that a long
putter is either a belly putter or a broomstick putter whose length is
significantly more than a standard or conventional putter and that the longer
putters are anchored against the golfers body.
Golf's governing bodies, the R&A and USGA have so far stayed
away from regulating belly and broomstick putters out of existence. Anchoring
the long putters against the golfer's body is the major bone of contention with
some golfers.
Anchoring a putter against the body or sternum provides a third
point of contact between the golfer and club (after his or her two hands, of
course) and that anchor serves as a fulcrum point for making the pendulum
putting stroke and the long putters have always been controversial by some for
that third-point-of-contact reason.
There most likely will be a time somewhere down the line where
the USGA could be forced to make a ruling on the concept of players anchoring a
club against their body or will there be approval of the long putters reputation
of being a last resort for older golfers who need a more upright putting posture
due to achy backs.
The Golf Tip
By
Robert Menges
How To Hit Out Of A Divot.
Sometimes you hit a great drive right down the middle of the
fairway and think you have an easy shot to the green, only when you get to your
ball you find it sitting in the middle of a divot that someone didn't
replace.
Unfortunately, due to a rule called rub of the green, you must
play the ball where it lies and hit the ball out of the divot.
Instead of being upset about your predicament, if you just make a
few adjustments this shot is quite easy. First, you should always use one more
club than you would normally use from that yardage. After you have selected your
club, you should grip down, or choke down on the club.
When you aim, try to aim more left than usual (this is for
right-handed golfers), as the ball will have a tendency to curve to the right
after impact.
Try to play the ball more towards the back of the stance, this
should make the ball fly lower than normal and put more spin on
it.
When you make your swing be sure to hit down on the ball and
drive through it with some acceleration. A full follow through is not necessary,
keep your arms and hands low through impact and hit more of a punch
shot.
The key to this shot is to make contact with the ball first and
then drive the club through the shot keeping your head still.
Robert Menges is the head golf professional at the Swan
Lake Golf & Country Club, Mt. Hope Road, Swan Lake. He is available for
private lessons and if you have a question or subject you would like covered, he
can be reached by phone at 292-0323 or via email at menges@hughes.net
The Putting Doctor
Putting Tip
By Joe Bermel
Most important barameter for building putting skills is
MOTIVATION.
The student golfers I have taught over the years that
improve the most are those that are motivated the most.
Practicing diligently what they
learn.
Performing the putting drills every practice
session.
Building better putting skills is an ongoing process.
Try EVERY week.
Joe Bermel is available for private lessons, group,
corporate, organization and golf shows-tournaments. His special edition DVD "How
To Putt Well" is available by calling 631-589-1384, at his
Web site, www.ThePuttingDoctor.com or by email at
joe@theputtingdoctor.com
Ed's
Outlook
Cell phones on the golf course can at times be very
disturbing as was evident recently in the Memorial tournament when Phil
Mickelson was annoyed at the number of spectators on the course during the first
round who were using their cell phones to take pictures, which can cause a
distracting noise if the phone is not put on silent.
Lefty was bothered by this so he got out his cell phone and
texted PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem. Taking photos is against tour regulations
but good luck enforcing it.
Even in league and tournament play locally golfers just
refuse to turn off their cell phones and this does nothing but cause unnecessary
distraction.
Ed Townsend is a consultant to the amateur- professional
sport of golf and to several golf writers associations. If you have league
scores, tournament info, a hole-in-one, scoring your age or any topic that you
feel would make good reading Ed can be reached 845-439-8177, by email
at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com or by fax at
845-205-4474. View our column at
http://bght.blogspot.com We are also on
Facebook.
IDENTIFICATION OF ABOVE PHOTO
Jim Bowers using his long putter.
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