Anchoring your putter to your body used to be a common sight on the PGA Tour and at local clubs, a go-to method for golfers desperate to calm shaky hands and make more putts. Then, in 2016, the rules changed, leaving many players confused and searching for a new way to get the ball in the hole. This guide will walk you through exactly what an anchored stroke is, why it was banned, and most importantly, what you can do - legally - to build a stable, confident, and repeatable putting stroke.
An anchored stroke is any stroke made while the club is intentionally held or braced against the body. The goal is to create a fixed pivot point - a literal "anchor" - that stabilizes the putter's movement. By pressing one end of the club against a firm part of their body, golfers could take the small, often unreliable muscles of their hands and wrists out of the equation.
Imagine a compass drawing a circle. One point stays fixed while the other scribes a perfect arc. That's the principle behind anchoring. The most common forms involved:
In both cases, this "anchor point" allowed the golfer to create a simple, pendulum-like swinging motion using their shoulders. It felt controlled and repeatable, which was a game-changer for players who struggled with the dreaded "yips" - involuntary wrist movements that cause missed short putts.
For a few years, anchored putting wasn't just common, it was winning major championships. Players like Keegan Bradley (2011 PGA Championship), Webb Simpson (2012 U.S. Open), and Adam Scott (2013 Masters) all hoisted major trophies using an anchored stroke. Their success brought massive attention to the method, and golfers at every level started experimenting with long putters.
This rise in popularity caught the attention of golf's governing bodies, the USGA and The R&,A. After extensive review, they concluded that anchoring went against one of the core principles of the game. For centuries, the challenge of golf has been to control the movement of the entire club with only your hands and arms. By creating a fixed pivot point against the body, anchored strokes fundamentally changed the nature of the challenge.
The decision was made: anchoring would be banned. It's important to understand that the ruling didn't ban the equipment - long and belly putters are still perfectly legal to own and carry. What became illegal was the method of using them to create an anchor point. This new rule, Rule 10.1b (formerly 14-1b), officially went into effect on January 1, 2016.
This is where many golfers still get confused. The rule isn't about the length of your putter, it's about what you do with it. Let's make this exceptionally clear.
According to Rule 10.1b, you cannot make a stroke while creating an "anchor point." This happens if you intentionally hold the club or your gripping hand in contact with any part of your body.
This specifically prohibits:
The keyword is intentionally. If the putter brushes your clothing during the stroke, you're fine. But if you are using your body as a brace, you're in violation of the rule, which results in a two-stroke penalty in stroke play or loss of a hole in match play.
The goal is a "free swing," but that doesn't mean stability is out of reach. There are highly effective and popular methods that are 100% legal.
You can still use a long or belly putter. The catch is that you must hold it away from your body, creating space between the end of the grip and your torso. Golf legend Bernhard Langer adapted to this superbly, continuing to use a long putter while holding it just centimeters away from his chest.
This is perhaps the most popular and important distinction to understand. The arm-lock style, used by players like Matt Kuchar, Bryson DeChambeau, and even a post-ban Webb Simpson, is completely legal. In this technique, the top portion of an oversized grip is braced against the inside of the golfer's lead forearm (the left forearm for a right-handed player).
"But wait," you might ask, "isn't that anchoring against the arm?"
This is the brilliant part of the distinction. The governing bodies consider the hands and the arms to be a single unit that swings the club. Since the arm itself is not braced against the torso, no secondary anchor point is created. The hands and arms are still swinging together, freely and independently from the body. This method provides outstanding stability by wedding the putter to the lead arm, helping to eliminate excess wrist-hinge and promote a one-piece rocking motion of the shoulders.
If you've been using an anchored stroke for years, making a change can feel daunting. The stability and confidence you felt might seem impossible to find again. But thousands of players have successfully transitioned, and you can, too. Your new goal is to create that stability organically through setup, grip, and technique.
First, accept that the old way is gone. Trying to replicate the exact feel is a losing battle. Instead, open your mind to finding a new feel that is just as, if not more, effective. Stay positive and view this as an opportunity to become a better, more well-rounded putter.
Your grip is the steering wheel. Finding a new one that quiets your hands is the fastest way to build confidence. Here are a few to try:
Whatever grip you choose, the engine of a non-anchored stroke is the body - specifically the subtle rocking of the shoulders and torso. Here are a few simple drills to ingrain that feeling.
Tuck a headcover or a small towel under your lead armpit (left armpit for righties). To keep it from falling, you have to keep your upper arm connected to your chest. This forces you to create a "one-piece" rocking motion with your shoulders, preventing your arms from floating away from your body or your wrists from getting too flicky. This connection is legal because it’s not creating a fixed pivot point.
Place two tees in the ground slightly wider than your putter head, creating a "gate" for the putter to swing through. Set up a putt of about 4-5 feet. Your task is to swing the putter through the gate without touching either tee on the way back or through. This drill gives you instant feedback on your stroke path and helps build a consistent, straight-back, straight-through motion.
Hit short putts using only your right hand (or left, if you're a lefty). This seems hard, but it’s the best way to feel the natural weight and balance of the putter head. You'll intuitively learn to let the putter swing like a pendulum without forcing it, a feeling you can then replicate when you put both hands on the club.
The ban on anchoring forced a major shift, but it didn't eliminate the pursuit of stability. It simply clarified the rules of the game: the club must be swung freely. By understanding what's legal - especially the effective arm-lock method - and by exploring different grips and drills, you can build a solid foundation for a putting stroke that is both confident and compliant with the rules.
Rules like the anchoring ban can sometimes feel complicated, with nuances that are easy to get wrong. This is exactly where we built Caddie AI to serve you. You can get a clear, 24/7 explanation of any rule in just a few seconds, sparing you the risk of a needless penalty. Beyond the rulebook, if you’re looking to find a new putting style that clicks for you, you can ask for in-depth explanations and drills for an arm-lock setup, ask for advice to fix a push-pull miss, and get help that makes improving a whole lot simpler. We give you a smart path forward, so you can focus on the fun part: making more putts.
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