27 replies to this topic

[KSanford33]

I saw a guy putting like this on a practice green today. I assume he was just messing around, but he was making a lot of putts! So that got me wondering if it would be legal. He just swung the putter one-handed, facing the hole. Here is a picture of me doing it.

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[justasgood]

As long as you don't straddle the intended line....

[Thrillhouse]

I know a guy who does that whose a good player, any chance this was in the LA area?

[theboypinoy]

Wouldn't that be difficult on really long lag putts?

[Newby]

It's legal

[KSanford33]

Hey Thrill,
No, this was in NY. I couldn't believe how many this guy drained though.

[mich_ping]

I thought you have to both hands on the grip for a legal swing....but maybe I just always assumed wrong. I honestly putt better with only my left hand on my putter (at times)....maybe I should just do that.

[Vindog]

mich_ping, on 12 December 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

I thought you have to both hands on the grip for a legal swing....but maybe I just always assumed wrong. I honestly putt better with only my left hand on my putter (at times)....maybe I should just do that.

You can indeed putt one handed, so long as you don't push, scrape or spoon.

But sssssshhhh!!!!   or the fuddie duddies will come and ban that too because it looks weird.

[jwrogers]

mich_ping, on 12 December 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

I thought you have to both hands on the grip for a legal swing....but maybe I just always assumed wrong. I honestly putt better with only my left hand on my putter (at times)....maybe I should just do that.

I'm pretty sure Mike Hulbert used to putt one-handed on the PGA Tour for a while... I remember seeing it back in the early 90's.   It looked pretty traditional except he just took his left hand off the putter and putted with the right hand only.

If it was illegal to putt with one hand, pretty much every pro would be disqualified for tap-in putts anyway, right?

[Sawgrass]

KSanford33, on 11 December 2012 - 08:41 PM, said:

Here is a picture of me doing it.

I'm having trouble concentrating on the legality of the stroke.  I need to know whether it's special golf shoes that let you stand on your wall without falling down, or if it's that blue ball upon which you are so eloquently balanced.

Edited by Sawgrass, 12 December 2012 - 02:28 PM.

[BenSnead]

jwrogers, on 12 December 2012 - 12:10 PM, said:

mich_ping, on 12 December 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

I thought you have to both hands on the grip for a legal swing....but maybe I just always assumed wrong. I honestly putt better with only my left hand on my putter (at times)....maybe I should just do that.

I'm pretty sure Mike Hulbert used to putt one-handed on the PGA Tour for a while... I remember seeing it back in the early 90's.   It looked pretty traditional except he just took his left hand off the putter and putted with the right hand only.

If it was illegal to putt with one hand, pretty much every pro would be disqualified for tap-in putts anyway, right?

I remember that too. I'm not sure who but Hulbert sounds good.
I think it was a practice drill that worked so well he couldn't not try it in competition.

And you can anchor the hand you're not using any way you please!!

[KSanford33]

Sawgrass, on 12 December 2012 - 02:28 PM, said:

KSanford33, on 11 December 2012 - 08:41 PM, said:

Here is a picture of me doing it.

I'm having trouble concentrating on the legality of the stroke.  I need to know whether it's special golf shoes that let you stand on your wall without falling down, or if it's that blue ball upon which you are so eloquently balanced.

I'm a little behind the times. I thought extreme planking was still cool. ;-)

[Sawgrass]

I must admit that it's cool the way you do it.

You are . . .  wait for it  . . . legen-dary!

(And absolutely not horizontally-challenged.)

[Imp]

Sawgrass, on 12 December 2012 - 06:50 PM, said:

I must admit that it's cool the way you do it.

You are . . .  legen- wait for it  . . . -dary!

(And absolutely not horizontally-challenged.)

Fixed.

Agreed. I would believe it to be a legal stroke.

[Graymulligan]

Yup, legal.  As Justasgood mentioned, as long as you don't turn it into the old school croquet stroke while straddling the line, you're good.

[Richatvillage]

Putter Lie must also be 10 degrees or greater; no straddle of the line-Legal

[FLOGMR]

Definitely legal........I play a bit with a guy (Scratch senior amateur) who chips one handed. He walks over to his chip shot (Anywhere out to about 40-60 yds) with a few of clubs in his hands and then picks the one he wants and tucks the others under his left arm and hits the shot with his right hand only....first time I saw him do it I thought it was a joke he was playing on us...... Nope...it IS the way he plays all his pitch and chip shots. Oh yeah....he's deadly doing this too......But he putts conventional.

[rogolf]

FLOGMR, on 07 January 2013 - 07:40 PM, said:

Definitely legal........I play a bit with a guy (Scratch senior amateur) who chips one handed. He walks over to his chip shot (Anywhere out to about 40-60 yds) with a few of clubs in his hands and then picks the one he wants and tucks the others under his left arm and hits the shot with his right hand only....first time I saw him do it I thought it was a joke he was playing on us...... Nope...it IS the way he plays all his pitch and chip shots. Oh yeah....he's deadly doing this too......But he putts conventional.

As a rules official, I would be inclined to question his use of the clubs tucked under his arm - it could be a breach of 14-3 - unusual use of equipment if he is using it as a counterweight or for "balance".  Does he chip as well without the clubs under his arm?  If so, why does he do it that way?

[FLOGMR]

As a rules official, I have watched him do it many times and cannot see any possible breach....sometimes he tucks them under his arm...sometimes he lays them on the ground....NO counter balance or unusual use at all. The point is that he chips/pitchs better with one hand.

[Sawgrass]

Decision 14-3/6 leans toward Rogolf's concern. Though clearly not identical, it seems to me to be an equity situation -- using legal equipment in an illegal way.

[FLOGMR]

Equating 14 3/6 to this is a HUGE stretch...that decision is about holding a ball against the grip and the player says he does it for a beneficial affect.
14-3/6

Holding Ball in Hand Against Grip When Putting

Q.A player putts with a golf ball held in his left hand against the grip. He claims the pressure transmitted to the grip through the ball assists him in putting. Is such use of a ball permissible?
A.No. The player is using equipment in an unusual manner to assist him in making a stroke and is in breach of Rule 14-3.

This guy does it to avoid laying the club/clubs down in wet grass etc etc....and he finds that he chips/pitches better with one hand...maybe having an extra ball in your pocket would be a closer example since it would balance you on your shots

[Sawgrass]

Is your "scratch senior amateur" not doing this for beneficial effect?  If its just for convenience, it would seem to me to be acceptable, much like the decision allowing you to be holding the pin in one hand while putting with the other.

[FLOGMR]

Sawgrass, on 08 January 2013 - 06:42 PM, said:

Is your "scratch senior amateur" not doing this for beneficial effect?  If its just for convenience, it would seem to me to be acceptable, much like the decision allowing you to be holding the pin in one hand while putting with the other.

Exactly my point...... While "Intent" is generally not part of the rules decisions in cases like this it has to be. If you ask him why he does  this and he says "It helps me balance myself while I chip" it would definitely be a breach........BUT if he says "So I don't have to lay my clubs in the mud/wet grass etc" then he is NOT using a legal piece of equipment for an illegal purpose.

[dereckbc]

Legal is the wrong word. They do not arrest you fo rnot complying with the rules, just DQ you. The putting style complies with the rules.

Edited by dereckbc, 08 January 2013 - 07:11 PM.

[FLOGMR]

Maybe it is the right word.....
Marion Webster's Dictionary.....LEGAL
2 : allowed by the law or by the rules in a game
3: conforming to or permitted by law or established rules

Edited by FLOGMR, 09 January 2013 - 06:04 PM.

[Imp]

Scratch senior amateur: Senior says it all. Difficulty bending over? Limit bending over to tees and greens. Holding clubs while in fairway.

--kC

Edited by Imp, 11 January 2013 - 08:15 AM.

[Augster]

FLOGMR, on 09 January 2013 - 01:38 PM, said:

Maybe it is the right word.....
Marion Webster's Dictionary.....LEGAL
2 : allowed by the law or by the rules in a game
3: conforming to or permitted by law or established rules

BOOM!  Well played sir.

I was thinking it was illegal to do this with your clubs, but I think I concur with you about intent.  You can lay your clubs down on the grass parallel to your target line.  Doing this is legal.  UNLESS you are doing it to align yourself.  Then with the extra clubs situated in the exact same way, you are breaking the Rules.

To your point, if I keep a ball in my left pocket because it helps me make sure I keep turning all the way through, that is more than likely in breech.  But you can keep as many balls in your pocket as you'd like if you just have them there for convenience.

I think what your pal does is legal.  Though, I doubt he does it in formal competitions just to avoid a conversation like this one.  

[FLOGMR]

Augster, on 11 January 2013 - 05:11 PM, said:

FLOGMR, on 09 January 2013 - 01:38 PM, said:

Maybe it is the right word.....
Marion Webster's Dictionary.....LEGAL
2 : allowed by the law or by the rules in a game
3: conforming to or permitted by law or established rules

BOOM!  Well played sir.

I was thinking it was illegal to do this with your clubs, but I think I concur with you about intent.  You can lay your clubs down on the grass parallel to your target line.  Doing this is legal.  UNLESS you are doing it to align yourself.  Then with the extra clubs situated in the exact same way, you are breaking the Rules.

To your point, if I keep a ball in my left pocket because it helps me make sure I keep turning all the way through, that is more than likely in breech.  But you can keep as many balls in your pocket as you'd like if you just have them there for convenience.

I think what your pal does is legal.  Though, I doubt he does it in formal competitions just to avoid a conversation like this one.  

I have seen him do it in local,Provincial and National championships....he does it because it suits him to do it....he knows it is not a breech just as anyone seeing him do it knows the same. Just another way of chipping....just like the OP's way of putting. No breech ....no problem.