News: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
February 7 2012
3:43 pm
Tiger talks progress, belly putter, more
Interview: Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods talks to Fred Albers of Sirius XM on Tuesday at Pebble Beach.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Tiger Woods is playing in this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for the first time in a decade. Here are some of the highlights from his press conference Tuesday:
On the progress he’s made from last year to this one: “I’ve been able to train again,” Woods said. “Rehabbing and training are two totally different scenarios. I’ve been rehabbing pretty much the entire last couple of years, and I haven’t been able to train. I’ve made huge progress there, hence I’m able to so the things Sean [Foley’ wants me to do with my golf swing.” That included being on a strict ball count, among things for Woods, who added that he’s now able to “literally practice all day if I want to.”
Woods’ thoughts on the belly putter, which it doesn’t sound like he’d ever switch to: “I believe [putting] is the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum,” Woods said. “I’m a traditionalist when it comes to that. I’ve talked to [R&A chief] Peter Dawson about this for a number of years. My idea was to have it so that the putter would be equal to or less than the shortest club in your bag.”
On why it’s hard to play well with the lead on Sunday, something Kyle Stanley and Spencer Levin have struggled with the last two weeks: “It’s hard to win,” Woods said. “You’re in a position where if you do make a few mistakes, it’s all right because you have shots to play with. Then again, if you get off to a poor start early you can still rectify it, but you send momentum down the field. For me personally, I’ve always been excited about being in that position. I know I’ve played well to get there, so I’m just trying to do the same things I did to get there.”
On losing in Abu Dhabi, where he entered the final round with a share of the lead: “The first three days I didn’t make any putts and the last three days I putted beautifully,” he said. “Unfortunately I didn’t give myself any looks on Sunday. Even though I lost, I was pleased with the way that was my bad day of ball-striking. If I can have that as my bad ball-striking day, we’re looking pretty good.”
On what makes his pro-am partner, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, such a good player: “He’s one of those gifted athletes that whatever he picks up, he can do,” he said. “He understands how to play and on top of that he can really move the ball.” Woods and Romo also played together at the 2009 AT&T National.
On his future schedule and whether he’ll play The Honda Classic next month: “I’m playing in the future, I just don’t know when yet.”
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Agree. The belly putter needs to go bye-bye.
Tiger Woods did not say that he would never use a belly putter.
way to go pga tour channel .com. all abt the idiot tiger 10 best shots what putter he will use. god u guys never give up do u. how pathetic
I have putted with a long putter for over twenty years. Just because a handful of younger pro’s start to use belly putters I should be punished? I had and have the yips so bad I would be an 8 instead of a two and I would dread teeing up. Is that fair?
Somewhat unsettling that TW “has talked to the R&A for A NUMBER OF YEARS about anchoring…”, considering the technique is still permitted. Well, we can hope…
The belly putter or anchored putter is like giving a guy a handicap. No parity with the unassisted putter. Should not be permitted. They took away the grooves; they can take away the long putter and belly putter. For professionals.
If Tiger Woods has been talking to Peter Dawson about the belly putter for a number of years now.. he want’s it BANNED!
Stu.. don’t worry.. they(R&A) would only ban them for the pro’s.
Maybe the R&A should talk to Tiger about slow play. Tiger takes forever to read a green and then hit it.
Has he kept you from hitting your approach norm? Maybe you should play in the boy band group and see what slow play really is.
I think this isn’t a black & white issue. They (PGA) let players use the belly & broom putters, and now more & more younger players are embracing the belly putters. They (PGA) should’ve stopped it immediately if they had an issue with the belly/broom putters, but they didn’t. Now after several players have used this putter for years upon years its time to ban. What do you do? Ban it but allow a grandfather clause? I don’t think there is a simple solution, especially with the number of players that are using the belly/broom putters. We aren’t talking just one, & again don’t think its going to be a quick fix nor is it going to be simple or easy.
Stu, I don’t think they are going to ban Long Putters. Orville Moody was among the 1st if not Thee 1st to use the Long Putter in Professional Golf and that was way back in 1980. Just because Tiger has suggested as a way to get the belly putter out of the game, that the putter cannot be longer than the shortest club in your bag, which is a wedge as a “Suggestion”…
Doesn’t mean the R&A and USGA will go to that extreme. I think what this will lead to is you can Use as Long a Putter as you want. You just can’t anchor it to your Body other than your forearm. That would work for me who is Against the Belly Putter and should work for you who is for using a Longer Putter.
I don’t like them but I don’t see everyone winning with them. Stanley used a traditional putter to win last week. The question is, if you can’t win with one what is your next step? Selling cars maybe?
For my sake and the sake of people who have the yips but still want to enjoy the game, I hope that there is waaaaaay too much toothpaste out to try to get it back in the tube.
I didn’t become a better putter but it let me play golf again.
Ban the belly putter…thats my vote. Oh yea…like you I don’t get to vote on this. On a real note…putting takes skill. Using the belly or broom putter in my oppinion is not in the spirit of golf. But to be fair to the people you use the belly and broom putters…if it works for you…go for it. Remember…we are just guy…and gals having fun and getting beat up by the golf course. As for the pro’s it should be banned on tour.
That would be ridiculous. Allow the players to get so used to something then ban it. The damage has been done and can not be reversed. We’re talking about how these guys make a living. If it’s such an advantage then why doesn’t everyone use it? The bottom line is, everyone can.
I can’t think of anyone who uses a long putter who is regarded as a great putter. The farther you get from the hole, the more unnatural it is. That is true with cross handed as well. If someone does become a great putter using one, I think it will be because of talent and hard work and not because of some inherent advantage of the club.
tiger….you’re a boss. belly putters are for wimps. look for him to win by 5 this week.
If everyone has the opportunity to use a belly/long putter, what is the problem? If you think anchoring the putter to your body will help you gain an advantage, then try it. I don’t think this should be a constant topic of conversation, as these putters have been present for 30+ years. Clearly you will see an increase in people winning with long putters if more pros use them. But if everyone is allowed to use them, whats the point in banning them??
Ed Perry
They banned square grooves, everyone was used to those clubs. These guys are pros, they can adjust.
First sentence says Tiger hasn’t played in the ATT National in a decade. Next to last sentence says he played in the 2009 ATT National with Tony Romo. Am I missing something here?
Absolutely.
Bill.. this is the AT&T National Pro-Am, the AT&T National is Tiger Woods’ own event held at Congresional and it also has amateurs that play.
I think i’ve got it right.
Sorry Bud,
I see Tiger and Phil fighting it out….to make the cut! Look for another 20 something to win again.
I hate both the belly and long putters. Every time someone breaks out a long putter like Tim Clark or Adam Scott, I want them to miss. The regular putter keeps skill and imagination in the equation. Even Mickelson can’t bring himself to use the belly putter consistently.
Before this long putter/belly putter stuff became the rage I called them cheater putters and still do. Unfortunately they are here to stay. The USGA and R&A waited too long to act on this.
Bud, it’s more like he’ll will at least lose by 5…
Long putter / broom is ok, just a natural club evolution.
Belly putter should be banned cos it permits the player to anchor it to his body, which is contrary to the spirit and rules of golf, and thus helps him to eliminate his nervous yips.
The belly putter’s day in court will come; meanwhile, I can relate to the sensation he spoke of in the video the first time he played an iconic course – I had an opportunity to play Newport Country Club (an east coast counterpart) when I was younger and felt the “golf gods” as I walked down the dew covered first fairway surrounded in echoing silence. There was a new adrenaline in my swing and I played what I felt was my best career-to-date round that day.
I believe tiger will play at the Transitions
(the owner also owns the BET Network)
Oh i forgot tiger doesnt thinks hes black
sorry he wont play there wouldnt be good for
golf or hisself
there is only one tiger woods there is only one tiger woods walking along singing his song walking in the tiger wonderland!!!!!
Practicing with his belly putter is what caused his marriage to break up and 200 million to fly out of his bank account.
thanks for the laugh evergreen….and would be nice for you all to move on about the past…2012 going to be great for the PGA tour and golf…so mant good players out there now…My money is on Tiger to be the number one at the end of the last major
Pig and Mickey will never win again.
f da long putter and the belly putter… u got yips???? start or stop drinking.. if not…. quit or do sumthing else… unless your 50yr old+… tiger wins 1 major n 3 other tournaments this year…
swickster look at how nervous these guys get playing the final round with a normal player… can u picture levin paired with tiger on the final day? he would maybe shoot an 99
Why is it whenever Tiger loses he talks about himself. He never concedes that someone else may have played better than him. Yes, he’s coming back and will no doubt win again but so far its just one limited field event which doesn’t really count for much. The new breed don’t have the fear of Tiger that older players did, and even when he enters a final round in the lead, many will still believe they can beat him. Robert Rock proved that in Abu Dhabi. Players like Webb Simpson, Jason Day and Keegan Bradley all regard Tiger as a target to be taken down, and I certainly believe the sport can only improve without the domination by a single player.
John g- it’s a game of confidence. All of these guys have to keep telling themselves that they are close, or could’ve won. As soon as the confidence fades so does the game. It is also an individual game, so when people ask you about your game you are bound to talk about yourself. I think it’s funny that all these fans want tiger to say how good everyone else is in golf while all the guys in golf keep saying how good tiger is. Really, I didn’t hear rock complain about not being mentioned on tigers comments. I just hope any of the players you mentioned gets to play with tiger on Sunday in a major. We will see who gets taken down.
Sam Snead would have won 20 more tournaments if the long putter was around in his day, rather than the side saddle style he used after the USGA banned his croquet style putting. Not a fan of his croquet style, but he probably could have won into his 60′s if he had the belly putter.
[...] Says ‘no’ to belly putter Video: Back at Pebble When will he win? Make your predictions Tiger’s victory room Video: Top 10 shots Player profile [...]
evergreen433 you missed your calling, you should have been a comedian, get a life and let it go, it’s history move on or is this all you have to talk about in your small world. PGA is only talking about banning the belly putter, not the broom, because it is anchored to the body where the broom still has the pendulum motion.
WOW. Sounds like a lot of non experts to me and a lot of people with short memories. Didn’t they ban square grooves? Don’t they control the driver’s COR and length? Didn’t they put a maximum length for tees? Don’t they control the ball specs to control distance??? They can do whatever they please, so PLEASE ban the stupid belly putter. If you have the yips, take up tennis, ping pong or shuffle board. Putting is part of the game and an art. Can’t putt, don’t play.
Tiger is still ahead of Jack’s major pace. Tiger is 36. Jack won his 15th in the Open in 1978 at age 38. He won 16 and 17 in 1980 at age 40 and 18 at age 46 at Augusta. Jack was no longer dominant but he found a way to win. Tiger’s challenge is to stay fit, be patient and oppurtunistic. I think Tiger is playing agaisnt a much tougher field than Jack played against in the later years.
Sorry, short memory, forgot to say the Tiger will break Jack’s record before he turns 40 and will be number one in the world again soon. People make mistakes, stuff happens, people come back from the brink…Kyle Stanley, Rory Mclroy, Ben Hogan etc.
Tiger will be the greatest to have played golf when his carreer is said and done, simple as that, not even up for debate…
for all of u bragging about Rock beat tiger think of this; tiger shot even par in the final round, still managed to tie for 3rd and only lossed by 3 strokes…. he beat 7 out of the 8 top ten golfers in the OWGR…. if the ranking means anything don’t u think the younger guns should be scared?
Alex, jack is still the greatest , get on your knees and pay homage. Can’t believe I’m backing tiger up but the belly putter is a cheat, maybe keep it for the amatuer yippers but ban it for pros, isn’t controlling your nerves under pressure what distances the great from the good?
What would Tiger do if he ever got the yips then? Never say never…
DOB.
Lossed? did you mean lost?
I knew being a Tiger parochial affects the perception or reality, I didn’t know it affects speach as well.
On second thought. TRAJ, W, REPS are clear indications of speach loss. Or should I say speach loseness.
Alex
Sean Smith will probably say that Rory will break Tiger’s records. Therefore Rory will be the greatest golfer ever.
Until they do it, what’s not for debate is the fact that Mr. Nicklaus is still the greatest, closely followed by B. Jones and Old Tom Morris.
Mcilroy will never be known as the best: the 4 shot lead & MORE IMPORTANTLY 82 final round will never leave him. that being said lets give him 20 majors… whats the cv say; he beat the past his prime old tiger woods {as many have stated} but wait lets leave tiger out of the equasion and look at the rest of the opposition, keegs ricky spider day ishy cauley sneds manaserro bubba kim bae mahan. surely you don’t want yo name watney or justin after there failures allready.I clearly remember about 5 years ago everyone was wondering how many majors scott would win I’LL leave it up to you guys to look that one up. now that we have established the so called super players comming thru can anyone match up the past rivalrys of tigers; els phil vj paddy sergio westy goose choi cabrera ect ect with rorys present and future youg guns.I know its a little hypothetical but give it a try . or you could try jacks opposition to rorys it just might stop a few critics from getting ahead of themselves.cheers/.
hao has gone mad
X24 hot is right on the money
Major Winners 2011
The Masters:
Winner: Y.E. Yang
Runner Up: Hunter Mahan
U.S. Open:
Winner: Sean O’Hair
Runner Up: Michael Thompson
British Open:
Winner: Martin Kaymer
Runner Up: Brandt Snedeker
PGA Championship:
Winner: Rory Mcilroy
Runner Up: Sergio Garcia
Woods will never win another major!!!
As a young person (25) that has used both putters, won three provincial titles with each putter(provincial titles are like state titles but smaller obviously in Ireland) i found for myself it was easier to hole longer putts with the belly putter but i struggled seriously on the short ones (like freddie couples does) so when i was 20 i had used the belly putter for 3 years, i gave it up and now am playing with a normal length putter again, i dont think its wrong either way, any person that has used both can comment but any person that never has used the belly putter – use it and come back to comment, there is not an advantage with it, as seen with the last four winners on both tours (Rock, Lawrie, Stanley and Snedeker) all using normal length putters won – they wont be banned, as there is no need to ban them i think!!
I don’t care what the club is you use for putting, it’s still a club and you as an individual is making the stroke. You have to line it up and take the stroke. Belly putter, chest putter or whatever it should not be illegal to use and never banned. Each person out there can use it and still has to make the stroke no different from any other club. It’s the person behind the club not the club. NO TO BANNING THE BELLY PUTTER.
I don’t see what the up roar is all about. If the those who are using it were to start winning tournaments at some fantastic rate then I could see a problem. However, they aren’t winning all that much on either tour regular or senior. Putting is still more about reading the line and getting the speed right than anything else.
Well done Brandt; your quality of game demands more wins. Maybe a Major too?
Otherwise, for Kyle Stanley, Tiger Woods & Rahil Gangjee in the 3 tournaments this week, it was all about big chokes! Horrible!
Tiger is looking for a new sponsor for his invitation tournament this year, now that Chevron has withdrawn after only 4 years. Maybe there’s a company out there called ‘too many easy OWGR points’ that’ll pick it up.
Question to everyone out here…Referring to the belly putter…If Tiger is the best in the world,does it really matter what golf club he has in his hand? Jack THE BEAR didn’t go on camera to eliminate his opponents;he did it on the course. The thing is now the players are not intimated by Tiger anymore;it’s not the clubs they use.
Best of luck to Tiger, he’ll need it. This is a format that does not suit his personality, in a tournament he has naturally dodged for the past 10 years or so.
However, his season starts in January, in Abu Dhabi, against some of the best players in the world. Hopefully he will not repeat his disgusting spitting that resulted in a fine in Dubai last year.
Bert, you are a sick troll! Can’t you just denigrate Tiger with facts, like me!
Your racial spin is repugnant while the marital infidelity argument is immaterial. Do you truly think all high profile sportsmen are role models?
To x24hot (who’s not)….I was rooting for Tiger a LONG time but I faced the facts….We all want to see Tiger to win a major but it’s going to be an uphill climb.
When it comes down to it, the belly putter is AGAINST GOLF RULES according to the USGA rule book. It specifically states that you are now allowed to anchor any club to any part of your body. So please, all of you in favor of the belly putter, what is your solution? We rewrite the rules because there are golfers out there who can’t handle the mental toughness of the game and so therefore succumb to the yips? Golf is a mental game and controlling the mental part of your game is the toughest part and coincidentally, over time, as people have been asked what Tiger’s greatest asset is, the response is almost always “his mental toughness,” or something along those lines. Also, the fact that golf requires so much mentally is one of the reasons I love it (it is also a reason I tend to get along with GOOD golfers because they understand the game.
On the other hand, we have people like Stu up there who has the yips so bad because he goes out onto the golf course trying to beat his other 75 year old friends who hit it about 120 yards themselves, and surprise!: they are walking (can we have courses for just people 65 and under and then really old people can have courses just for people 65 and over – it would work great because they can shorten the holes, pretty much take out any water or trees, etc., and they would probably have more fun! – and Stu, you can use any cheating clubs you want!).
By allowing putters who cannot putt with a regulation putter to cheat by taking the hands (the enemy of good putting – the hands have the smallest muscles and therefore are the weakest and under pressure are the first muscles that break down) out of the equation with a belly putter that they anchor into their body. So now they have an advantage no other Touring pro in history has and you end up ruining the integrity of the game and make it almost impossible to compare any of the feats of the past greats because the game has changed on a technological level to the point of absurdity!
WHEN?! That is my question! When will they just say STOP! No more modifications to clubs! We cannot continue to build longer and longer courses – it costs to much, which in turn makes playing a round of golf cost more, and it takes it back away from the population!
The perfect example of this is Torrey Pines South. Now, since the overhaul of the course by Rees Jones to prepare it for the 2008 Open, Torrey Pines South is probably one of the best testing layouts for the best players in the world, it is also a public course, and a lot of the locals hated the change because the course simply became too difficult for them.
This will just continue to occur and make golf rounds longer (lets face it, there is a pace of play problem on the TOUR as well) as well as truly deforming any sort of fairness in our game. Equipment is getting to the point where it is equalizing the field past what it should. There are now players out there who, without changing their swing, have gained 25 yards and an extra 10% of accuracy just through equipment improvement as well as equipment adjustments.
The reason they are able to gain this kind of excellence from a club is because the sweet spot on drivers now are 3 times bigger than 15 years ago. So, where, in the past, the truly good ball striker who hit it on the button every time had a nice advantage, now he barely has any at all because of equipment making up for lack of skill.
Mike Miller, you are a joke. Tiger doesn’t win when he has a share of the lead (I am not going to bother saying how many because there were too many to count – but tons of publications said Tiger had the lead going into the final round) after 54 holes and he is a choker? Very interesting. Does that make him more of a choker than Rory losing with a 4 stroke lead at the Masters Mike? Just curious =) I would say the fact that Tiger had the 54 hole lead and was not far off from winning has you scared. Also, I think the fact that nobody else on the planet has played their last 3 events as well as Tiger has. If you base it on the last 3 events every player has played, nobody has played better than Tiger over the last 3 months. What do you have to say about that?
Oh, and Mike, the fact that you attack the Chevron but not the Nedbank Challenge or even the Korean Open confuses me. Chevron had a deeper field than the Nedbank, it had a 16 man field compared to Nedbanks 14 man field, yet I only hear you complain about people getting free world ranking points. First off, dingbat, there is no such thing. They have to play for those points and if they come in last, it HURTS them because that tournament counts as one of the tournaments their World Ranking Points are divided by. Therefore, if you came in dead last at the Chevron, like Nick Watney, you got 2.4 world ranking points. Now, since Nick Watney averages 4.36 points a tournament, Nick Wantey (and anyone in the strong field that came in last or next to last) lost ground in the world rankings based on those results. So please tell me how its free? You have to perform just like at any other tournament.
Also, Chevron had a deeper field than the Korean Open that Rory won the same week and that is despite that field being a full field. However, because nobody in that field was any good, it was also weaker than the Chevron. However, you do not attack the Nedbank (only 14 people and weaker field) Challenge that Luke Donald won and you do not attack the Korean Open that Rory won. Why Mike Miller? Is it because they are European?
LOL. Your bias is so transparent and everything you say kind of makes me feel sorry for you. Why are you so afraid of Tiger? Trust me, if you weren’t afraid of Tiger and afraid of him winning, you would no be on here every chance you get trying to discount his accomplishments. I wonder what your excuse will be when he wins the Masters. I have no doubt you will come up with an excuse for every major he wins until he passes Nicklaus and then some more.
Hey all you belly-haters. Do you still play the feathery, and hickory shafts? Get over yourselves. When you get older and the yips, you won’t be so high and mighty. Tiger will use one when he needs it, and all 40-somethings and up will need them.
that big girl figgy already tried one but his game has gone that bad it made no differance. the sooner he moves to his house of fame the better.
Md- not sure why you directed that to me but isn’t winning in itself an uphill climb. And what facts did you face? You seem to post things that don’t really mean anything.
If long and belly putters had universally 100% positive results for all that tried them, there might may be a point. They don’t.
Phil Mickelson just proved that point for all the world to see.
However, EVERY new driver hits the ball further and straighter and EVERY new ball goes further then its predecessors. Belly and long putters don’t make great tracks like Merion obsolete – but titanium drivers and the latest balls DO.
Hogan hits a 1 iron 209 yards on 18 on Merion and Dustin Johnson hits a 7 iron. What’s wrong with this picture?
If Tiger loves tradition, let him hit steel shafts, a persimmon driver, and a balata ball if he’d prefer. He’s free to do that if he’d like.
Loose impediment- you make fun of DOB, and then use the word “speach” twice while knocking him. That could be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. The word is “speech”! My phone wouldn’t even let me type your version I had to force it in there. Something is truly loose in there!
In our ever changing world of technology we daily have numerous devices/tools/methods intoduced which are far advanced from past which enhance our life. Why single out a longer club you can anchor in your belly to improve your golf score? This is just another example of an invention/discovery making life and the game more enjoyable. I do not view it giving anyone an unfair advantage over another. If it allows each of us to enjoy playing golf more, we and the game both are enhanced.
john don’t be surprissed if figgy and furyk were warned about the changes comming regarding long putters . mickelsons a protected species with the pga.
tiger is not winning any tournaments this year.
You are wrong.
I am not surprised that Tiger isn’t in favor of the belly putter. As Tiger stated he is a traditionalist. That is obvious from Tiger’s traditionalist view on marriage. Tiger believes that a marriage should only be half an open marriage.
hao – you’ve gone mad. Tiger’s only competition was Els, an old VJ and a late blooming Phil. There is still plenty of time for any number of the guys you mentioned to show they are a cut above the rest. There are a lot of skilled golfers and the truly elite will eventually separate themselves. In another 4-5 years I think we will see a distinct group of 4 to 5 players that become the Tiger, Els, VJ and Phil of the early 2000s. This is a very interesting time for golf because there is that opportunity for a group to break through and we just don’t know who that group is. It took close to ten years for that previous elite group to be formed so I wouldn’t expect anything different for the next elite group.
I agree with John. Are you kidding me. The long or belly putter can be dated back to the 1930′s and now more golfers are winning so let’s ban them. How about the drivers and golf balls that many people think are illegal. How about the tight lies hybrids that cut through the rough like a machete.
You have a whole generation of golfers young and old that have used these clubs for years, now we going to say no. In a time when golf cousres are hurting for players and you want to limit the use of eqipment that has always been legal.
Finally, there is no granfathering and no two sets of rules for Pros and amateurs. So one thing I believe is certain, if you outlaw these putters on the pro tours, amateurs won’t touch them and the long putter industry is done. Thus losing more golfers.
Good by to the beiiy putter,,No room for it USGA Should do something about it…
It’s only an unfair advantage if it’s not offered to everyone, like the golf cart in the Casey Martin case. Everyone can use one which then nullifies any advantage. I don’t think there is an advantage.
I’m with X24 on this one. There is no unfair advantage to anyone as any player can use it if they feel it will help their putting. The only pros complaining about the longer putters are pros who have tried them and didn’t like them. If Tiger or any other golfer developed a case of the yips and the long putter stopped that problem they would go to it in a heart beat. I’m pretty sure none of them would refuse to use it out of principle.
talk about a joke going over your head in relation to loose impediment comment.
Re:x24hot-so you are saying that you purposely misused 2 different words 3 times to make your joke? Yeah, unlikely. I think you are the pot calling the kettle black.
Hao, stop smoking that pipe buddy.
If Tiger Woods want to start winning again then he has to start playing regularly. He is going to have to lower himself and play a bunch of regular tournements. Otherwise he is not going to be the number 1 in the world again. By playing more then he will get his mojo back but then I hope he won’t. I am not a Tiger Woods fan but I do believe he was the best that ever played and I hate saying that as a guy who grew up watching the Arnie and Jack show (with occasional commercials by Tom, Lee and others).
None of you belly lovers get it. Why don’t they make a ball for short hitters to go 450 yards. Why don’t they make a club to hit the ball dead straight for the sideways players. BECAUSE THE GAME IS MEANT FOR SKILL AND IF YOU CAN’T PUTT AND WANT TO SOLVE YOUR YIPS WITH A LONG PUTTER…TOO FRICKIN BAD. BAN THE LONG PUTTER!!
If it would enable him to win a single golf tournament than this fraud would use it!!
[...] AND SHORT: Tiger Woods held court Tuesday at the ATT Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and explained his disdain for long putters, also proposing a solution. He said he had told Peter Dawson of the RA that the putter should be no [...]
Leo Diegal was using this method of belly putting back in the 30′s. 80 plus years it has been around, the long putter is here to stay.
yea seems like some of you use spell check.. i for one don’t have a problem with the belly putter.. i don’t see the guys using it dominating on tour anyways… you bozzo’s
scott x24 + others; what do you think separate the great golfer from the good golfer; skill & mental strength.why should anybody who can handle the pressure of putting be penalised by allowing the weakness in others to be helped by an outside element{long broom belly ect} you talk about its o/k if available to all; what a load of crap {mentally tough dont need it} why do you think guys went cross-handed ? to stop the right hand taking over because they had no control once that happened. this is now the next version of that {pendulum helps the nerves} I read somewhere recently that they were working on an adjustable height putter… wont that be great for golf, I say kill it now and forever.as for me being MAD scott look forward to many discusions with you going forward about my comments.I bet doug sanders would kill to have his put over with a broomstick {jack would have one less major} and how many others would have benifited by it.cheers/.
hao – I completely agree with you on what separates the great golfers from the good golfers. Why should the golfer who can hit it straight down the fairway consistently be penalized by technology allowing others to hit the ball straight? Why should those who can spin the ball in order to stop it on the green be penalized by technology changes that allow others to now do the same thing?
The golf world has gone so far already to even the playing field that I don’t see how drawing the line at this point makes any sense. Would I be outraged if they banned them….no. Do I think something else would come around to help with the yips….yes. There are already many golfers who are using oversized grips on their putters to help with the yips.
I’ve said it before and I am a firm believer that the only way to make the sport entirely fair is all players use the same equipment. Everything should be standardized with zero room for tweaking. Everything from clubs to balls and gloves to spikes should be standardized.
Everyone is different. It wouldn’t work. A guy 5’10″ couldn’t use the same clubs as a guy 6’5″. Whoevers clubs fit better would have an unfair advantage. Or do they not regulate shaft length? I don’t think that would work.
To everyone out there…Children and women in some countries are going hungry and being abused EVERY day. And here we are worried about spelling and Tiger. Please get a life people!!!Oh,by the by, myself is included in this statement.
YES I agree totally; but by reducing the length as tiger suggested, that brings the arms hands shoulders back into play more and the nerves. they can go back to crosshand as before I dont have a problem with that or grip size. scott as I reported back at the aussie open baker finch & grady wanted more say for players in relation to the rules, ernie & many others in his time wanted the same.I quite like this idea and I dont think its too late to implement. nice talking to you again{too many pretend scotts before} take care cheers/.
[...] AND SHORT: Tiger Woods held court Tuesday at the ATT Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and explained his disdain for long putters, also proposing a solution. He said he had told Peter Dawson of the RA that the putter should be no [...]
x24 Its worked since day dot, plus t/w is not saying ban the long putter; you could still carry 13 woods + putter or lengthen your wedges + irons to accomodate.
Does anyone understand hao?
Golf fan- “myself is included” really?
x24 Itotally understand him.you must have the problem
X24 hot – You are correct in that the hardest issue to overcome is that each golfer is a different height. You would have to have some sort of regulations on shaft length. You are probably looking at a 1 to 1.5 inch length difference on the shaft for shorter golfers compared to the taller golfers.
Every golfer is going to have deficits and benefits to standard equipment. The truly great golfers will find ways to change their swing to maximize the equipment they are given.
TO SAY THAT TIGER HAD MORE COMPETITION THAN JACK IS NOT EVEN CLOSE. DURING JACKS 18 MAJORS IN THE FIELD OF PLAY WAS PLAYER 9 MAJORS, WATSON 8, PALMER 7, TREVINO 6, FALDO 6, BALLASTORS 5, FLOYD 4,. TIGER IS A GREAT PLAYER BUT WHERE IS THE COMPETITION ? NAME ME ONE PLAYER THAT HE HAS FACED WITH 7,8,9 MAJORS. THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD TODAY, BUT NONE LIKE THE FIELD THAT JACK FACED.
I like Tom Watson’s view on the belly/long putter.He has had the yips for 25 years and still refused to use these club, yet was good enough to be joint winner of the Open Championship at 60 years of age. Also he has won numerous senior tour titles without resorting to longer sticks. Just think how many more tournaments he would have won if he had become a belly dancer. Good on yer Tom.
Why is Tiger’s schedule always so secret? It seems everytime he’s asked about where he’ll play next its always a mystery.
4 under now going strong get this to 6 under i predict and he is ready to take this one down
Anyone understands the TV coverage, why are they not showing Tiger play?
I think Tiger needs to mind his own business. He’s certainly intitled to his opinion, but does he really need to talk to the R & A chief?
It’s like he pushing to get the belly putter outlawed. Do you think Tiger might be trying to eliminate some competition? Like Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley and many others? Also Stevie’s man Adam Scott. Just a thought.
steve surely you can come up with better examples then those three ; they beat themselves every week.