PGA tour likely to ban Belly Putters at some stage
Recently, a great deal of debate has been going on over the use of the Belly Putters. Everybody has their own version of the story.
Those who use it say that it does not give added advantage at all, whereas those who oppose the use of this club say that it gives an unfair advantage.
Whether they give an unfair advantage or not, one thing that is for sure is that the PGA Tour and other golfing authorities are likely to make a final verdict over this issue.
Many suggest that the PGA Tour, in general, will ban that use of the Belly Putters sooner than later because the opposition against the use of this club is rising every day.
The debate really heated up when Keegan Bradley won the 2011 PGA Championship with the Belly Putter.
The likes of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have always opposed the use of this stick and when two of the biggest names of American golf are against something, a decision is a must by the authorities.
Keegan Bradley has been gathering sympathies and support on the tour recently. He has also come out and said that he might take legal action if this club is banned.
"I'm going to do whatever I have to do to protect myself and the other players on tour,” Keegan Bradley told GolfWeek Magazine.
“I look at it as a whole, as us all together. I don't look at it as much about myself, I think that for them to ban this after we've done what we've done is unbelievable".
Even the likes of Ernie Els are in favour of taking legal action against the authorities if the club is banned. Ernie won the British Open this year with a Belly Putter in his bag.
“They’re going to have a couple of legal matters coming their way,” Ernie Els “It's going to be a bit of an issue now. I’ve been against it, but since I’ve been using it, it still takes a lot of practice, and you have to perfect your own way of putting with
this belly”.
This is not the first time that the game of golf is going through a controversy over a club. Just two years ago, there was the grooves controversy.
Phil Mickelson was even called a cheater by Scott McCarron for using a Ping Eye2 wedge in one of the tournaments but all is forgotten now.
Hot words were exchanged between the players and the talk of legal action also loomed but nothing really happened.
However, this issue of Belly Putters is not a small one, as players have won majors using this putter. This debate is bound to go on for long but signals are that the club will be outlawed at some time.
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