September Newsletter

Long Putters: The Great Debate
Some vote ‘Yay.’ Others say, ‘No way.”

It had to happen. Once Keegan Bradley became the first golfer ever to win a major championship on the PGA Tour using a long putter, there was bound to be a chorus of discontent. When Fred Couples won a Champions Tour major the next week, at the Senior Players Championship, the decibel levels continued to grow.
Should long putters – the broomhandles or belly models – be banned from golf? That’s the question and it’s hard to find anybody in the game who doesn’t have an opinion.
But it’s not a new question. That’s the cyclical nature of sports. It only has resurfaced since Bradley’s victory featured a sequence of three straight on the PGA Tour by golfers using the long sticks. Adam Scott and Webb Simpson also won with elongated putters. It amounts to an avalanche of success for the long blades and the response has been predictable.
The critics have been howling about long putters since their arrival. Peter Senior, an Australian who is enjoying a great deal of success on the Champions Tour, started using a broomhandle putter he borrowed from Scot Sam Torrance. In 1989, Senior won four titles in Australia with it and the all those victories with the strange putter were not well received by the golf community.
“All of a sudden everybody was on to me,” Senior said. “They were saying it should be banned, it’s cheating, all this sort of stuff. But I’ve putted badly with it as well. There’s no recipe for good putting. You’ve still got to work out the line. You’ve got to hit it well.”
The criticism of long putters is based on the fact they are anchored against the body, thereby creating a third contact point in addition to the two hands. That goes against the grain of the traditional golf stroke. There was always a suspicion in the minds of those using them that legislation may be forthcoming to outlaw the long putters. Senior has no such concerns today. He believes the use is so wide-spread that it would be difficult to turn back the clock.
Over the years, Senior has changed models and lengths. He started with a 46 ½ -inch broomhandle anchored under his chin.
"I'm down to 45 (inches) now," Senior said. "I used to putt like Sam Torrance, and then I forgot which chin I put it on. I had to shorten it a bit and put it on my chest. And it's worked out pretty well since then."

The Next Generation

The long putters were always believed to be antidotes for the yips. But when the twentysomethings like Bradley, 25, start converting, it suggests there’s more to it.
Bradley, a rookie on the PGA Tour, graduated last year from the Nationwide Tour. If long putters aren’t quite the rage, they certainly have gained wide-spread popularity. On the Nationwide Tour, it’s not at all rare to be in a group with all three golfers using an unconventional putter.
“It happened all the time,” Bradley said. “Personally, I think that it's an easier way to putt. Especially when there are some nerves. It's just very, very comfortable to me. And I think guys that have putted for a really long time with the conventional putters, it's difficult for them to use a long putter. For a guy who’s 40 years old and has been playing with a short putter for 35 years, they grab that thing and it's a bizarre feeling.
“For me, it was really easy. It just clicked right away.”
Jeff Sluman has gone back-and-forth. He committed to a long putter earlier this year.
"My thinking from six feet and in now is I'm surprised if I miss," Sluman said. "Before I was surprised if I made them ... That's not really good for your career out here."
The conclusion:
“Obviously, they work,” said Corey Pavin, who still uses his trusty Bullseye blade, a putter that many of the youngsters have never even seen. “People wouldn’t be using them if they didn’t help them. They’re legal and there’s nothing wrong with it.”

The Art of the Long Putter

Admit it, if your putting is even occasionally problematic you’ve wondered, “Hmmm. Will a belly putter (or broomhandle) work for me?”
It’s an honest thought. But what’s the answer?
Remember what Bradley said: If you’ve done something one way your entire life, it’s not easy to make a change. The initial stages of your conversion will definitely be awkward.
The key is not to expect miracles. If you want to go long, give it a chance. A lot of practice is required to make the change feel as comfortable and natural as possible.
Putting tip for the long putter: Whether you choose a belly or a broomhandle, the most important technical advice is to be consistent with the contact, or anchor, point in the body. If you change where the putter grip comes in contact with the body, moving it up and down the chest, or at various points in the belly, you will be doomed to be disappointed.
If you are contemplating a switch, check with the knowledgeable sources at your Golf Headquarters for more information.

New R11 Irons Look Great, Play Super

Following the success of its R11 driver, TaylorMade has unveiled the R11 irons, engineered for players who appreciate a traditional shape in a tour-level iron that offers advanced technologies to help with higher, straighter and longer ball flight regardless of handicap.
The R11 irons are a departure from game-improvement clubs that are oversized with broad soles, thick top lines and large cavities. The R11 takes game-improvement tendencies to a sleeker, cleaner club that traditionalists prefer.
The company uses the words “stunningly easy” to describe the high launch and length produced by the R11 irons, which incorporate technologies developed for its metalwoods. Those technologies expand the COR zone and precisely locate the center of gravity. Sean Toulon, TaylorMade’s executive vice-president, calls the R11 iron “a masterwork of beauty, technology and performance.
“We've never created an iron that combines this kind of distance, this kind of forgiveness, is this easy to launch, and feels and sounds this soft and solid,” Toulon said. “And its appearance is extraordinarily beautiful, a gorgeous blend of smooth, classic lines and high-tech flourishes."
The striking appearance features a red precision weighting port, initially introduced in the company’s forged iron lineup. The weight port allows TaylorMade engineers to guarantee precise swingweight and ensure center-face CG location in each iron. The result is optimal consistency in feel and performance. The ultra-thin face construction of the R11 irons promotes faster ball speed and distance in long- and middle-irons.
The R11 irons, available in your Golf Headquarters stores in September, are offered in four shaft flexes (S, R, M, L). The steel shaft is a KBS 90 with a Motore graphite option in various gram weights. Men's irons have Tour Velvet grips and ladies irons with Winn grips.

A New Ball for the Ladies

Bridgestone Golf’s new Precept Lady iQ+ ball, now in Golf Headquarters stores, is Precept’s softest ladies’ ball ever with a larger core for improved distance. A softer cover enhances feel and spin. The ball is available in three colors with a pearl finish - white, clear and pink.
Extended research and fitting showed that most women are playing a ball that is too firm for their respective games. The larger core in the Lady iQ+ provides greater distance for women with moderate swing speeds and reduced side spin for greater accuracy. The soft core utilizes Bridgestone's patented Gradational Compression Technology to increase distance by allowing for greater ball deformation at impact.

Ping Chimes In

New products are flying out of Ping’s headquarters in Phoenix with new Anser forged wedges joining the Sydney™ putter.
John A. Solheim, Ping Chairman & CEO, said tour validation has provided a seal of approval for the company’s products.
The Anser forged wedges are designed to complement the high-performance Anser forged irons. Forged from 8620 steel to ensure a soft yet solid feel, the Anser wedges feature a tungsten toe weight that optimizes the CG position and elevates the MOI for higher-spinning, lower-trajectory shots that maximize control and workability.
The Sydney putter features a red alignment bar and maximum perimeter weighting for easy aiming and a new level of forgiveness. The Sydney is one of PING's highest-MOI models. Its frame is milled from a high-grade aluminum and features three 8-gram tungsten weights for optimizing balance and forgiveness. A bold red alignment bar makes aiming easy. The solid, consistent feel at impact will build confidence with every putt. To eliminate twisting and keep putts on line, the Sydney has a symmetrical shape for a square set up and extreme perimeter weighting that elevates the MOI. The Sydney is finished with a highly durable nano nickel coating.

The Calendar

FedEx Cup Playoffs
September 2-6 Deutsche Bank Championship, TPC Boston, Norton, Mass. Defending champion: Charley Hoffman
September 15-18 BMW Championship, Cog Hills G&CC, Lemont, Ill.
Defending champion: Dustin Johnson
September 22-25 TOUR Championship, East Lake GC, Atlanta
Defending champion: Jim Furyk
Fall Series Event
September 29- October 2 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas Defending champion: Jonathan Byrd
If you attend any of these events, be sure to visit Golf Headquarters stores in the area for club testing or simply to browse the many products available.

Parting Shot

“It was a slalom at Killington (Vermont), and I'll never forget it. It was raining, cold, sleeting, and I'm at the top of this mountain going, ‘This is not as much fun as golf. I love golf so much more.’ That was the moment that I realized that I wanted to golf instead of ski, because skiing was bigger growing up for me personally. That was the time. I was sitting on top of that hill freezing, having no fun, and I said, ‘You know what, I want to be a golfer.” - PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, an accomplished ski racer in his youth.

Articles provided by Vartan Kupelian.
Vartan Kupelian spent 40 years writing sports for daily newspapers, 37 of those at The Detroit News before he left that distinguished newspaper in August, 2008. He is currently president of the Golf Writers Association of America. You can reach him at: golfstix@vartangolflive.com.