January 1 saw the ban on anchoring your putter – or any other club – against your body finally come into play. From now on, all golfers are prohibited from anchoring the club either ‘directly’ or by use of an ‘anchor point’ in making a stroke. The club must swing freely, although golfers are still able to brace the shaft up to the forearm, but not beyond the elbow joint.
The penalty for breaking Rule 14-1b is loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play.
As a result of the ban, no putters, be they broomhandle or belly designs, have become illegal, only the method by which they can be used.
Under the new rules, your forearms are allowed to rest against the body, but only if your hands are not separated on the grip. If your hands are split (much like you would see from someone using a long putter), then your forearms may not be in contact with the body, as that is deemed to have created an anchor point.
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To counteract the ban, almost every major putter brand has launched a range of counterbalanced models. Counterbalancing offers many of the benefits of anchored-style putters without anchoring. By adding weight to the grip end of the club, it raises the putter’s balance point. Putting more weight in the hands aims to increase control for better tempo, stability and consistency.
There are also a number of putters, including Bettinardi’s ArmLock model, which have been specifically designed for players who have adopted the bracing grip currently employed by the likes of Matt Kuchar, Bo Van Pelt and Tim Clark, among others.
The R&A has created two slideshows that demonstrate what types of strokes Rule 14-1b permits, and what types of strokes the rule change prohibits. You can find them on the R&A website.