The unconventional putter guide was prepared to help golfers who want to make those three, four and five foot puts when money is on the line or you are trying to win the club championship or your flight in the club championship, or perhaps it is just breaking 80 for the first time. The art of putting is also being able to get those forty and fifty foot puts to within a foot or so of the hole most of the time. Every year the golf club manufacturers put out their new and best putters designed to make all of us better putters, if only we fork over $100, $200 or even $300. Putting really isn’t that much about putter technology as it is about the four or five inches between the ears of the golfer and the techniques he has developed over the years to know what he can do on the greens under pressure.

Over the past ten years, maybe a bit longer, more and more golfers on the professional tours have been switching to belly and long putters and that has led more and more amateurs to follow suit and give the longer shafted putters a try. The gradual switching from conventional putters to long and belly putters demonstrates to us why the unconventional putter guide is useful in taking a fresh look at your putting.

We believe very firmly that the belly and long putters will continue to become more popular with the pros and amateurs and that the overwhelming majority of amateurs should be testing out or using these putters on a regular basis.

A belly putter is a type of putter much like a conventional putter, except that the shaft is longer and the end of the shaft is anchored by the golfers stomach or belly. Belly putters have longer shafts than conventional putters, but their shafts are not as long as those of the long putter. The longer shaft of the belly putter is anchored against the golfer's belly or stomach, which serves as a fulcrum for the stroke. Belly putters usually range from 41 to 44 inches in length versus 32-36 inches for conventional putters.

As is the case with a conventional putter, the golfer uses both hands (the grip may not be different from the grip used with a conventional putter) in the stroke and has pretty much the same stance as used when using a conventional putter. The key with the belly putter is the connection of the butt end of the shaft to the body which helps keep the wrists quiet during the stroke. At the present time belly putters are legal under all of the rules of golf. Belly putters appear to have the greatest appeal to golfers who use their hands too much in the stroke or who are suffering from the yips.

In contrast to the conventional and belly putters, the long putter is a type of putter that have longer shafts than even the belly putters. While the shafts for belly putters run from 41 to 44 inches, the shaft length for long putters can run from 48 to 52 inches. Since the shaft of the long putter is longer it lets the golfer take a more upright stance. A grip of a golfer using a long putter is almost always a split grip, with one hand holding the end of the club, then bare shaft, then the other hand lower on the shaft. For a right handed golfer his left hand is on the upper grip section, and the right hand is on the lower grip section. The top hand in this grip, the left hand for right handed individuals, can either be totally on the end of the shaft or the thumb of the left hand could rest on the butt end of the shaft to help further stabilize the shaft and club. The golfer's top hand and the butt end of the putter is then anchored against the golfer's sternum or chest, and that anchor serves as a fulcrum for a pendulum stroke, which the golfer initiates using his lower or right hand.

A long putter could also be used for golfers who use their hands and or wrists to much or who suffer from the yips when using a conventional putter; or it could be used by golfers who have back problems or other issues that make using a more upright stance a better option. Long putters are therefore associated with senior golfers, although more golfers of all ages are using them. At the present time long putters are legal under current rules of golf.

Below are some reasons why belly or long putters may prove a better option for golfers regardless of handicap, age, or sex.

The use of belly and long putters takes the wrists out of the stroke which consequently promotes a smoother, less jerky stroke. The wrists are for the most part taken out of the stroke because of the pendulum action that is required by the belly and long putters. Amateurs are notoriously bad at keeping their wrists still during the putting stroke and this gets worse as they move from their 20s into our 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond. Because amateurs are usually very wristy, inaccurate lines for the putt are made worse, and distance determination becomes worse. Taking the wrists out of the stroke can help correct those putting problems and make putting a bit easier.

The additional overall weight of the long and belly putters promotes a smoother stroke because of the greater overall weight of the club compared to a much lesser weight of a regular putter. When more weight is added to the overall club the golfer can not putt as quickly as with a conventional putter and must move the putter through the ball with a more deliberate stroke.

Because the end of the shaft of the long putter is fixed just under the sternum and the end of the shaft of the belly putter is fixed in the belly, there is a much greater expectation and the actual stroke proves that, that the stroke will use the sternum and stomach as fulcrums for the stroke. With conventional putters there is no fulcrum to help stabilize the putter, only the hands which tend to move and break down under pressure.

When using the belly and long putters, the hands have to be very quiet by virtue of their position on the shaft within the stroke. The more the hands are quiet, the less they can either influence bad puts either in terms of direction or distance.

One of the caveats against the longer shafted putters is that when the shaft is lengthened the golfer may suffer from loss of sensitivity and feel on putts. It probably is true that the conventional putters on the market offer greater feel to golfers but unfortunately, if golfers can not either get the distance or line correct it doesn't really matter much. We believe practice with long or belly putters and becoming acclimated to the weight change and feel change will still make the golfer a better putter, and in time reduce his handicap and golf scores. Putting is an art and we hope the art of putting will take root in all golfers.

The art of putting is making those three, four and five foot puts when money is on the line or you are trying to win the club championship or your flight in the club championship, or perhaps it is just breaking 80 for the first time. The art of putting is also being able to get those forty and fifty foot puts to within a foot or so of the hole most of the time. Every year the golf club manufacturers put out their new and best putters designed to make all of us better putters, if only we fork over $100, $200 or even $300. Putting really isn’t that much about putter technology as it is about the four or five inches between the ears of the golfer and the techniques he has developed over the years to know what he can do on the greens under pressure.

Over the past ten years, maybe a bit longer, more and more golfers on the professional tours have been switching to belly and long putters and that has led more and more amateurs to follow suit and give the longer shafted putters a try. The gradual switching from conventional putters to long and belly putters demonstrates to us the art of putting has not gone away.

We believe very firmly that the belly and long putters will continue to become more popular with the pros and amateurs and that the overwhelming majority of amateurs should be testing out or using these putters on a regular basis.

A belly putter is a type of putter much like a conventional putter, except that the shaft is longer and the end of the shaft is anchored by the golfers stomach or belly. Belly putters have longer shafts than conventional putters, but their shafts are not as long as those of the long putter. The longer shaft of the belly putter is anchored against the golfer's belly or stomach, which serves as a fulcrum for the stroke. Belly putters usually range from 41 to 44 inches in length versus 32-36 inches for conventional putters.

As is the case with a conventional putter, the golfer uses both hands (the grip may not be different from the grip used with a conventional putter) in the stroke and has pretty much the same stance as used when using a conventional putter. The key with the belly putter is the connection of the butt end of the shaft to the body which helps keep the wrists quiet during the stroke. At the present time belly putters are legal under all of the rules of golf. Belly putters appear to have the greatest appeal to golfers who use their hands too much in the stroke or who are suffering from the yips.

In contrast to the conventional and belly putters, the long putter is a type of putter that have longer shafts than even the belly putters. While the shafts for belly putters run from 41 to 44 inches, the shaft length for long putters can run from 48 to 52 inches. Since the shaft of the long putter is longer it lets the golfer take a more upright stance. A grip of a golfer using a long putter is almost always a split grip, with one hand holding the end of the club, then bare shaft, then the other hand lower on the shaft. For a right handed golfer his left hand is on the upper grip section, and the right hand is on the lower grip section. The top hand in this grip, the left hand for right handed individuals, can either be totally on the end of the shaft or the thumb of the left hand could rest on the butt end of the shaft to help further stabilize the shaft and club. The golfer's top hand and the butt end of the putter is then anchored against the golfer's sternum or chest, and that anchor serves as a fulcrum for a pendulum stroke, which the golfer initiates using his lower or right hand.

A long putter could also be used for golfers who use their hands and or wrists to much or who suffer from the yips when using a conventional putter; or it could be used by golfers who have back problems or other issues that make using a more upright stance a better option. Long putters are therefore associated with senior golfers, although more golfers of all ages are using them. At the present time long putters are legal under current rules of golf.

Below are some reasons why belly or long putters may prove a better option for golfers regardless of handicap, age, or sex.

The use of belly and long putters takes the wrists out of the stroke which consequently promotes a smoother, less jerky stroke. The wrists are for the most part taken out of the stroke because of the pendulum action that is required by the belly and long putters. Amateurs are notoriously bad at keeping their wrists still during the putting stroke and this gets worse as they move from their 20s into our 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond. Because amateurs are usually very wristy, inaccurate lines for the putt are made worse, and distance determination becomes worse. Taking the wrists out of the stroke can help correct those putting problems and make putting a bit easier.

The additional overall weight of the long and belly putters promotes a smoother stroke because of the greater overall weight of the club compared to a much lesser weight of a regular putter. When more weight is added to the overall club the golfer can not putt as quickly as with a conventional putter and must move the putter through the ball with a more deliberate stroke.

Because the end of the shaft of the long putter is fixed just under the sternum and the end of the shaft of the belly putter is fixed in the belly, there is a much greater expectation and the actual stroke proves that, that the stroke will use the sternum and stomach as fulcrums for the stroke. With conventional putters there is no fulcrum to help stabilize the putter, only the hands which tend to move and break down under pressure.

When using the belly and long putters, the hands have to be very quiet by virtue of their position on the shaft within the stroke. The more the hands are quiet, the less they can either influence bad puts either in terms of direction or distance.

One of the caveats against the longer shafted putters is that when the shaft is lengthened the golfer may suffer from loss of sensitivity and feel on putts. It probably is true that the conventional putters on the market offer greater feel to golfers but unfortunately, if golfers can not either get the distance or line correct it doesn't really matter much. We believe practice with long or belly putters and becoming acclimated to the weight change and feel change will still make the golfer a better putter, and in time reduce his handicap and golf scores. We hope that by using the unconventional putter guide you can give new thought to the art of putting.

You'll find even more guides and information on Golf Club Reviews at http://www.chipsandyips.com

You'll find even more guides and information on Belly Putters at http://www.chipsandyips.com/category/belly-putters/