Taking Aim

I’m certain you have firm views on some of the other issues that arose in the game just prior to the winter break – the anchoring ban, for instance. What's your take?

I’m not passionate either way. The one thing is if the powers at be or golfers in general think that short putters are important then they had to make that call. At some point, every kid was going to pick a long putter up, every pro is going to use one. Within 20 years, like wooden clubs and steel spikes, the short putter would be extinct.

To me though, I don’t think it’s cheating. It doesn’t worry me who uses it because I’ve always had the choice to use it if I wanted to. The long putter hasn’t changed the way the game is played. For me, hybrids and the big drivers have changed it the most. The golf ball goes further and that’s another argument, but hybrids have made a bigger impact.

In 1986, Greg Norman could hit it 240 yards right up in the air and stop it on the green. The next best guy couldn’t do that. Nicklaus had that advantage and Weiskopf and Watson, even Tiger in the first few years, and Davis Love. The best of the best had a massive advantage outside 200 yards, but now everyone can hit it 240 yards and stop it next to the hole.

To me, that’s a massive change. I’m not saying it's good or bad, I’m just saying it’s a way bigger change to how golf is played than the long putter. You still need to roll the ball along the ground. You can look at all the stats and say that maybe some people putt better, but with hybrids and the big drivers, everyone drives it great now.

I never played in the era with wooden clubs and balata balls but from what I understand, only the best could drive it properly. They had such an advantage. Maybe the big clubs and hybrids have made the game better but I’m saying, that’s a much bigger change than the long putter.

They changed a rule that doesn’t really impact that much, but, they changed the groove rule a few years ago. Maybe they’re putting the feelers out on rule changes to see what the tolerance levels are. Maybe they're looking at some of the bigger issues, like the golf ball and big drivers, I don’t know. You’d like to think the powers that be are smart people and are sitting around thinking about the betterment of golf and how to preserve this great game.