Champion Australian golfer Peter Senior is furious with a former tour player after being labelled a ‘cheat’ in his use of the long-handled putter and this following the recent ‘anchoring’ ban by golf’s ruling bodies.
Senior has been legally using the long-handled putter since the early days of his career and since being handed one of then controversial putters by long-time good friend, Sam Torrance to use in the British Masters at Woburn.
However after the USGA and R & A announced from 1st January, 2016 any anchoring of either the belly putter or long-handled putter will be banned there’s already been a number unsavoury comments.
We saw last Friday former PGA Champion, Keegan Bradley get called a ‘cheat’ during the second round of the World Challenge where the belly-putter wielding American eventually finished runner-up to Graeme McDowell.
It resulted in the USGA taking the unusal step of issuing a statement supporting Bradley’s use of the club.
Peter Senior – One of Australia’s greatest -ever golfers is not deserving being labelled a cheat.
Now one of Australia’s greatest-ever golfers, and a winner of 29 events around the world, finds himself also being called a ‘cheat’ and not by a member of the public but by a former competitor during the recent Talisker (Australian) Masters in Melbourne.
“Mark Allen called me a cheat two weeks ago in Melbourne and he was pretty serious about it,” said Senior.
“He said the club should have been banned 20 years ago.
“It’s always great when you hear from guys who haven’t done too well.
“Of course, he’s entitled to his opinion but when you start calling people cheats it’s a bit unfair and besides until the rules are changed the putter is legal.
“Why complain to the players when it is the people who make the rules that any complaint should be addressed.”
Senior had such a successful career with the long-handled putter he named his former off-shore fishing boat, Broomstick.
“It’s true I’ve had a good career using the long-handled putter but then people forget how good a putter I was with the short putter,” he said.
“I just felt comfortable with the longer putter so that’s why I continued to use it.
“But it’s been the impact the belly putter has had on the game compared to the long-handled putter that’s been the cause for this recent concern.
“There are so many variations of the belly putter and I just wish they had made the decision earlier and got rid of the belly putter completely.
“The only reason they are banning anchoring of the putters is that guys are winning Major Championships.
“There are 50 guys in a tournament every week using them and not just one or two.
“So why wait until 2016 as they should be banning the putter from the 1st of January next year.”
And Senior, like a number of other players, believes the biggest concern once anchoring of the putters is outlawed, is policing the new policy.
“On a day like today when it is very windy, and if you have the putter like this (holding it close to his body and your shirt is blowing against your hands, who is to know you are not anchoring the club,” said Senior.
“You could have any number of your competitors complaining ‘Oh, I saw him anchor the club against his body’.
“I mean, the ruling bodies can’t ban the length of the putters because it’s detrimental to guys who are seven foot tall and those who have back complaints.
“I have a good few mates who use the long-handled putter for that very reason and it’s brought more enjoyment to the game and they wouldn’t be playing if they couldn’t use the long-handled putter.
“He wants to be able to play golf every weekend and if he’s a bad back sufferer the last thing he wants is to see the long-handled putter banned.
“We’ve already chased enough players away from the game.”
FOOTNOTE –
Mark Allen turned professional in 1990 where he established himself as one of Australia’s most promising young golfing talents. He played the Nike (Nationwide) Tour in the United States in 1994 after narrowly missing his card on the PGA Tour.
Nowadays Allen is a teaching pro at a driving range in Melbourne while he is believed to be employed as a golf analyst for a radio station in the city.
