Ban on long putters – Adam Scott may suffer the consequences
While practicing prior to the start of the Australian Open earlier this month, Adam Scott was found using the traditional putter, also known as ‘shot putter’.
It appears that Scott has decided to change back to his short putter, following the decision by the golf’s rule-making bodies, to put a ban on the use of long putters from 2016 and onwards.
The Royal and Ancient (R&A) and the United Stated Golf Association (USGA) proposed the idea to ban the use of long putters, also known as belly putters.
According to the R&A and USGA officials, the belly putters were changing the traditional way of playing the game.
Scott was one of those players who started using the belly putters, in a bid to bring improvements in their short game techniques – belly putters allow the players to make the putts more comfortably.
According to the golf experts, the ban will have no affect on Scott’s career, as his game did not change much after he switched to the long putters.
However, the ban will certainly have some affect on his confidence, as he once said that he felt relaxed while playing with the newly designed putters.
Consequently, he may not be able to win any major title in the time to come. Moreover, he may not be able to contend for the top-five in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Prior to switching to the long putters, Scott held a poor record with his game on the greens. From 2008 to 2010, he never managed to break the 178th-place mark in Strokes Gained-Putting, which speaks clearly of his failure to play confidently with the short
stick.
In addition to that, the decision of changing to long putters allowed him to make the cuts on frequent basis. According to him, the new putter provided him with confidence, to make putts from within 10 feet to the hole.
He also moved from around 40th position to within the top-10 in the Official World Golf Rankings, after he switched to the long putters.
He believes that he can play well with long putters, rather than with the short sticks. Therefore, he may struggle badly on the greens, unless he learns to develop faith in himself, along with his short putters.
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