​Brandel Chamblee, as he is prone to do, caused a commotion on Twitter this weekend, decrying the enforcement of the anchoring bar in putting.  During the US Senior Open, he tweeted:
 
'With regard to the anchoring ban on the PGA Tour Champions, it's appalling, I have never seen such gross disregard for the spirit of the game.'
                                                                                                @chambleebrandel-Jun 1
 
He was obviously referring to not only Bernhard Langer, but also other PGA Tour Champions players that have slightly modified their old anchoring stroke to comply with the new rule in 2016. 
 
If you have seen Bernhard Langer, instead of placing the end of his long putter against his sternum for his stroke, he pulls it slightly away after his practice stroke, before he hits his putt.  His hand and the end of the putter are still touching his shirt, but you can see (barely) that the end of the putter is not touching or ‘anchored’ against his body.  I watched Ian Woosnam do the same thing while I walked with his group during the first two rounds of the Senior PGA Championship in May.
 
Chamblee’s comments opened up others to question the enforcement of the anchoring rule.  According to sources (other caddies and players) inside the tour, many are not happy with the lack of enforcement of the rule.  Many feel Langer and the others using the broomstick putter with the slight adjustment to the position of their left hand are still not abiding by the spirit of the rule. 
 
Let’s face it, when the USGA and R&A changed the rule, they were taking the path of least resistance to getting rid of the long, broomstick putters.  Obviously, it would be easier to change the rule, rather than outlaw the club and have battles with equipment companies over the ban.
 
So maybe the uproar over this goes away until the next Senior major.  Nobody on the PGA Tour uses the broomstick (at this time), so you are not getting week-in and week-out focus on it.  It was only brought up because the PGA Tour Champions just had one of their majors.  If this was the Mitsubishi Electric Classic, nobody would be talking.
 
My feeling is that the PGA Tour Champions will continue to apply the rule just as they have been since it’s inception.  As long as they see daylight between the end of the broomstick and the players chest, they will allow it.
 
What really needs to happen is the USGA needs to revisit the wording and application of the rule.  If it wants the long putter gone from the game…do it!  It certainly hasn’t been proven to be the superior method of putting, otherwise, you would see everyone in the game putting with the broomstick design.  I have long been an advocate of banning the long putter, and would have no problem if the USGA did so.  However, they do need to provide more detailed language and clarity in 14-1b.  All the change has done is move the bar, I mean the end of the long putter, a few inches.

As I sit here watching (yes, it's Fox so I have the sound down) Jordan Spieth walk up the 18th fairway to (finally) finish his 1st round at Oakmont, one has to wonder which takes longer,,,Spieth's preparation for a shot or pouring a bottle of Heinz 57 ketchup?  Spieth reminds me of a baseball player growing up.  Those who follow baseball will remember a player for the Cleveland Indians, Mike Hargrove.  He took so long to get into the batters box for each pitch that he was nicknamed the 'Human Rain Delay.'  Watching Jordan sometimes reminds me of Hargrove.

Yes...Spieth is a great player and has in some ways, unlimited ability and potential.  But let's go while you are young!  It seems he never has a shot that can't be discussed from twenty different perspectives with his caddie, including the most straight forward players.  Tick-Tock, tick-tock!  Of course, when the shot doesn't turn out like how the the calculus they both did to predict the shot, we get the commentary, astonishment and bemusement while they stand there and stare at where the ball ended up.

Of course, the most hilarious aspect of all of this is when the Rules Officials have the audacity to say, 'Excuse me, Jordan, your group is a hole and a half behind...you are on the clock'.  Spieth acts as if they just insulted his mother.  He seems to react as if 'I'm performing quantitative analysis and that takes time...so get off my back!'  He actually seem to argue with a European Tour official earlier this year in Dubai when he was put on the clock and likewise at the Masters in April.

Now it didn't help Jordan at Oakmont that he is paired with the 'Mad Scientist' Bryson Dechambeau and Zach Johnson, who is no speed-demon either.  But there is a trend, and Spieth is the common thread when it comes to slow play.  

Yes Jordan, , you are playing for huge amounts of money, major championships and your livelihood...but do us all a favor, admit your shot preparation is slow, don't act incredulous when you get put on the clock and most of all...speed up!  

​Last week the USGA and the R&A published a report which came to the conclusion that in the period 2003 to the present, driving distances on the Professional Golf Tours did not significantly increase, only about 1% according to their data.  To quote the great Gary Player, ‘[The report] It’s really laughable.’
 
Below is a chart which the report used to show the driving distances on the professional golf tours.  Driving distance is measured at every professional event using either Par 4’s and/or Par 5’s and the holes must be in opposite directions of each other.

​The organizations chose to really start the time period of focus in 2003, because that’s when they came out with their ‘Statement of Principles’ regarding technology advances in golf.  A portion of the Principles is as follows:
 
‘The governing bodies believe that golf balls, when hit by highly skilled golfers, should not of themselves fly significantly further than they do today. In the current circumstances, the R&A and the USGA are not advocating that the Rules relating to golf ball specifications be changed other than to modernize test methods.

The R&A and the USGA believe, however, that any further significant increases in hitting distances at the highest level are undesirable. Whether these increases in distance emanate from advancing equipment technology, greater athleticism of players, improved player coaching, golf course conditioning or a combination of these or other factors, they will have the impact of seriously reducing the challenge of the game. The consequential lengthening or toughening of courses would be costly or impossible and would have a negative effect on increasingly important environmental and ecological issues. Pace of play would be slowed and playing costs would increase.’
 
The conclusion of this report is truly off-base.  First, the organizations essentially cherry-picked the time frame they chose to analyze based upon their date of their Statement of Principles.  They have chosen to ignore the data leading up to that point in time, as you can see by the graph.  Furthermore, they also do not acknowledge that the players are not always hitting drivers on the distance-measuring holes on the tours.  We have seen more and more players using 3 woods and driving irons off even the longest of Par 4’s in todays’ game.  However, this is not mentioned in their conclusions.
What the USGA also needs to explain is that if driving distances are not significantly increasing and the ball does not go further, why have you lengthened a Par 3 at Oakmont this week to 288 yards, versus 250 yards in 2007 when the last US Open was played there.  Why are there Par 4’s at every Open over 500 yards now?  Why is almost every US Open venue building new tees to lengthen their courses in preparation for hosting US Opens and major championships.  Why did Augusta National choose to add length to what is considered by many to be the best golf course in the world?   Why do you choose to have hole locations much closer to the edges of greens now than you did 10 years ago?  On a personal note…why do I (older and not in as good of shape) hit the ball 15-20 yards farther off the tee than I did 10-15 years ago?
I could go on…but it just seems this report by the governing bodies of golf just raises so many more questions than actual conclusions.

​During the US Open, you are going to hear about the long rough and tight fairways.  However, when it comes to Oakmont, the most challenging aspect of the golf course may be the lightning fast greens the players will face.  Potentially rolling at 14-15 on the Stimpmeter, the players will have to navigate the slickest greens they will play all year.
 
So in the light of what you will see this week at Oakmont, I have put together some of my keys to playing on fast greens.
 

1. Stay below the hole:  Well, this is an obvious statement.  But the thought behind this that you must consider where on the green you leave yourself the easiest putt when you are thinking about your approach shot from the fairway.  Consider the slope of the green and the positions from where the most difficult putt(s) would be and then try to play away from those positions on your approach shot.
2. Lighten your Grip Pressure:  This ties in to my next key, but make sure you’re your grip the putter with a bit less pressure than normal.  The lighter grip pressure will not only give you more relaxed muscles in your hands and arms for better feel and touch, but it will also help you make a smoother stroke.
3. Let the Momentum of the Backswing start the Forward Swing:  What do I mean by this?  Well, too many times I see players get too quick with the putter as they want to make sure they don’t decelerate.  Especially on fast greens, you almost want to feel the momentum of the backswing start the forward motion of the putter head.  Don’t feel like you have to force the putter head forward.  Think of it like a tennis ball attached to the end of a piece of rope…if you swing the ball to the right, the momentum of the ball will come back to left on its own…think of your putting stroke this same way. 
4. Play More Break:  This one may be obvious, but more often than not, players still underplay and under-read greens.  Since the ball will be rolling at a slower speed, the amount of break will increase on putts. 

 
 
Make sure you get on the practice green prior to the round to get a good feel for the speed of the greens.  With a little practice and concentrating on the keys above, you will be ready for Oakmont-fast greens.