Long Putters Are On The Comeback And I Don't Like It

The margins between the best in the world are often minuscule, particularly regarding performance on the greens. Zero torque putters is one innovation that has gained traction in helping players potentially perform just one percent better but I feel as though there's a different type of putter out on the PGA Tour that is sneaking under the radar.

I was watching some YouTube golf recently which featured Adam Scott and I started to wonder think how many players other than Scott in the top 50 of the OWGR (Official World Golf Rankings) were using a long or broom-handle putter. Fast forward a few weeks and I’m watching two players finish tied 3rd at the Players Championship using one. Then I remembered that Si Woo Kim won The Players back in 2017, and he's been using one for the last few years. Coincidence?

While the Players Championship last week was undeniably the main event this past week, YouTube and social media stars gathered on the Wednesday afternoon for the Creator Classic. The golf on show was somewhat mediocre but the event is more about driving more people toward PGA Tour golf by showcasing these diverse personalities. It must be said that most of those that contested are seriously good golfers, including the man who came out on top Grant Horvat. What type of putter was he using? A broom handle. Horvat is now one of the biggest golf influencers in the game and if he’s using one of these putters, I’m almost certain this will encourage more golfers to consider at least trying a long putter.

Long putters have been around for many years now and there are many different lengths and putting styles that have been adopted with them, notably, broom-handle, belly and armlock. There is also the popular counter-balance putters which see lengths reach 38 inches but it’s the 40-inch-plus range that I’m predominantly talking about. Anchoring your putter to your belly or chest was banned by the USGA in 2016 and subsequently, players who had seen success using these methods, notably Keegan Bradley, Ernie Els, Adam Scott and Bernhard Langer, all had to find alternative methods fairly quickly.

The latter two names believed there was still an advantage to using a long putter and so they have both kept using it throughout their career, just holding the top of their grip away from their chest. This putting style has helped them both see continued success since the ban, something that may not have been guaranteed had they switched to a conventional putting style.

During the 2013/14 season on the PGA Tour, Scott was 54th in Strokes gained putting, using a long putter but anchoring. 11 years on but now not anchoring has seen the Australian shoot up the rankings in the same category, finishing 27th in Strokes Gained putting for the 2024 season. While I think there was some notion around the fact these putters were just for senior players, Scott seems to have spearheaded a wave of younger talent and those searching for more consistency on the greens by using a longer putter.

Lucas Glover (age 45) has seen a career resurgence with one of these flat sticks and Akshay Bhatia (23) has really made a name for himself and got his PGA Tour career rolling with two wins in the past two seasons. Glover has stated in many interviews how it’s cured some scar tissue on the greens and Bhatia recently documented the process of his switch to this putting style and its influence on his stroke. Elsewhere Branden Grace, Byeong-hun An, Danny Lee and last year's DP World Tour Q-School winner Edoardo Molinari all employ one to good effect.

One of the most notable names switching into a long putter is Will Zalatoris. We’ve all seen the nightmare fuel that was his putting stroke a few years back, yet moving into a long putter seems to have done the American the world of good.

So why are players switching to these long putters and is this trend likely to continue? Firstly, there has been so much proven success from golfers who have previously struggled on the greens, making the switch to one of these putters and changing their fortunes around. When golfers see other golfers having success, it makes them sit up and take note, particularly if it’s in an area where they may also be struggling.

Secondly, the technique and motion used is fairly straightforward. There are two main ways to use one of these putters. By rocking the shoulders and moving the handle with your hands in synchronization or by keeping your lead arm bent and locked with your trail hand swinging the putter like a pendulum. While the latter may offer a little more feel, the first option takes a lot of hand and wrist movement out of the putting stroke, allowing you to use the bigger muscles and reduce any quick twinging movements.

Lastly, the heads used on these putters tend to be larger mallet designs as opposed to a blade putter head. These high MOI designs such as the L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 and Odyssey Jailbird putter heads offer high levels of forgiveness and stability. These larger heads, combined with a more upright shaft angle and less arc in the stroke help return the putter face back to square more consistently.

With the green speeds used in the professional game and just how important putting is, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more and more golfers take the approach of using a longer putter, particularly if they have been struggling with the flatstick. It will be interesting to see if more amateur golfers follow suit as well. With key social media influencers using them and the fact brands such as L.A.B. Golf and Odyssey have made them more accessible than they ever were 10 years ago, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.

But here's the kicker... I don't like it, not one bit. You see if there's a limit to how long a driver can measure, then I think this should be applied to every club throughout the bag. While I know these putters have been around for many years now, well before the likes of Langer started using one, I just think the game could benefit from being simplified and taken a little more back to its roots.

The main point here being reducing a putter's maximum length to say 37 inches with a maximum of 10 inches for the grip. I certainly don't think the club that hits the ball the shortest distance should be allowed to be the longest club in the bag, but that's just my opinion. I also think certain players (I won't name names) bend the rules to the point where on TV it looks like the top of the putter is in contact with their top. It's hard to tell if it's actually being anchored, but the optics certainly aren't great for the game.

You could take this as being too harsh and penalizing players who haven't technically broken any rules but I just think it would make for a better spectacle and showcase the top talents, playing golf closer to the way it was originally played.