Anchoring
Anchoring is holding the club, or the hand gripping it, against the body while making a stroke, so the club swings around a fixed point instead of moving freely. It has been against the Rules of Golf since 2016.
What is anchoring in golf?
Picture a golfer with a broomstick putter pressing the top of the grip into their sternum, then rocking the lower hand back and forth underneath it. The chest holds one end of the club still while the head swings beneath it like a pendulum. That connection between club and body is anchoring.
Golfers took it up to quiet the hands and wrists, the parts of a putting stroke most likely to twitch under pressure. It found a following among players fighting the yips, a nervous flinch that ruins short putts.
Rule 10.1b now prohibits the method. A player must not anchor the club during a stroke, either directly, by holding the club or a gripping hand against any part of the body, or indirectly, by using a forearm held against the body as an anchor point (R&A, Rule 10.1b). The reasoning sits in the purpose of Rule 10.1, which describes the challenge of golf as directing and controlling the whole club by swinging it freely.
One distinction matters more than any other: Rule 10.1b governs the stroke, not the equipment. Belly putters and broomstick putters remain legal clubs.
How anchoring works
The rule describes two ways a club can be anchored.
| Type | What the player does | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct anchoring | Holds the club or a gripping hand against any part of the body | Butt of a belly putter pressed into the stomach, or a long putter held against the chest or chin |
| Indirect anchoring (an anchor point) | Holds a forearm against the body so the gripping hand becomes a stable point for the other hand to swing around | Lead forearm pinned to the rib cage while the lower hand moves the shaft |
USGA interpretation 10.1b/1 sets two conditions for an anchor point: the player holds a forearm against the body, and the hands are separated on the club so they work independently. A golfer resting both forearms lightly against the torso, hands together, has not created one.
What Rule 10.1b allows and prohibits
Much of the confusion comes down to a single word in the rule: held. Contact on its own is not a breach, provided nothing is held against the body (R&A, Rule 10.1b).
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Long and belly putters swung freely, clear of the body | The butt of the grip pressed into the stomach, chest or chin |
| Resting the club or gripping hand against a hand or forearm | A gripping hand held against any other part of the body |
| Forearms touching the torso without creating an anchor point | A forearm held against the body to establish an anchor point |
| Incidental contact with clothing during the stroke | Deliberately pressing the club into clothing worn on the body |
That last row catches people out. Under USGA interpretation 10.1b/2, clothing held against the body by the club or gripping hand counts as part of the body, so pressing a putter into a rain jacket is a breach. Interpretation 10.1b/3 allows the reverse: a shirt brushed by accident, or arms that sit close to the body because of a player’s build.
Breaching the rule brings the general penalty: loss of hole in match play, or two penalty strokes in stroke play, with the offending stroke still counting (R&A, Rule 10.1).
The rule also reaches beyond the putting green, applying to a stroke played with any club from anywhere on the course. Golf Digest reported that Matt Jones had a 3-wood bump shot scrutinised at the 2022 Sony Open because of the way he held the club, though he was cleared.
Anchoring vs. arm-lock putting
If pressing a grip into the chest is banned, why may Matt Kuchar press a putter grip along his forearm? The rule answers that directly: a player may hold the club or a gripping hand against a hand or forearm.
| Anchored stroke | Arm-lock stroke | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the club is held | Against the torso, stomach, chest or chin | Along the inside of the lead forearm |
| What stays still | A point on the body | Nothing, because the arm and club travel together |
| Legal under Rule 10.1b | No | Yes |
Writing for Golf.com, Luke Kerr-Dineen set out the logic behind that gap. In an arm-lock stroke the club and the arm move as one unit, and the arm swings freely, so no fixed pivot exists. Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley, both major winners with anchored belly putters, switched to arm-lock putting after the ban.
Why anchoring was banned
Long putters had been around for decades before the governing bodies acted. Broomstick models braced against the chest or chin spread in the 1980s, and belly putters followed, anchored into the stomach for the same steadying effect (LiveAbout). Major championships changed the conversation.
Keegan Bradley took the 2011 PGA Championship with an anchored belly putter, the first major won that way. Webb Simpson followed at the 2012 U.S. Open, Ernie Els at the 2012 Open Championship, Adam Scott at the 2013 Masters. That made four of the previous six majors by ESPN’s count. Sky Sports reported that more than 27 percent of the field at the 2012 Open used a longer putter, and The New York Times put anchored putting at roughly 15 percent of PGA Tour players.
The USGA and R&A published their proposed wording on 28 November 2012 and opened a 90-day comment period. According to BBC Sport, the USGA handled about 2,200 individual responses while the R&A received around 450 comments from 17 countries. The ban was confirmed on 21 May 2013 and took effect on 1 January 2016 as Rule 14-1b, renumbered 10.1b when the Rules were rewritten in 2019.
The argument was never that anchoring had been proved to lower scores. It was that a club tied to the body produces something other than a swing. Mike Davis, then executive director of the USGA, said long and belly putters would stay legal “as long as you don’t anchor them” (Golf Digest). Not everyone agreed. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem argued that no statistical evidence showed anchoring gave players an advantage (ESPN).
Common misconceptions
Plenty of golfers still think the ban emptied long putters out of the bag. Adam Scott, Bernhard Langer and Lucas Glover have carried on with broomstick putters by holding them clear of the body (Golf Digest). The USGA Equipment Rules cap club length at 48 inches for everything except the putter, which has no upper limit.
Then there is the assumption that anchoring only matters in professional events. Rule 10.1b applies to anyone playing under the Rules of Golf, which covers club competitions and any round submitted for handicap purposes.
Related Golf Terms
- Wrong green — A green other than the one in play, requiring mandatory relief.
- Three-minute search — The maximum time allowed to look for a ball before it is deemed lost.
- Air shot — A swing that misses the ball entirely but still counts as a stroke.
- Double hit — Accidentally striking the ball more than once in a single stroke.
- Wrong ball — Playing a ball that is not yours, which incurs a penalty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is anchoring illegal in golf?
Yes. Rule 10.1b prohibits anchored strokes in any round played under the Rules of Golf, at every level of the game.
Are long putters and belly putters banned?
No. Both are still conforming clubs. Only the anchored method of using them is prohibited.
What is the penalty for anchoring?
Loss of hole in match play, or two penalty strokes in stroke play. The stroke itself still counts.
Is arm-lock putting a form of anchoring?
No. The rule permits a player to hold the club or a gripping hand against a hand or forearm.
Can a putter touch clothing during a stroke?
Yes, when the contact is incidental. Deliberately pressing the club into clothing worn on the body is a breach.
When was anchoring banned?
The rule was confirmed on 21 May 2013 and came into force on 1 January 2016.
Sources
- R&A. “Rule 10: Preparing for and Making a Stroke; Advice and Help; Caddies.” Accessed 28 July 2026.
https://www.randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-10 - USGA. “Rule 10 Interpretations (10.1b/1, 10.1b/2, 10.1b/3).” Accessed 28 July 2026.
https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/custom-search-pages/rules/2019-golf-rules-and-interpretations/rule-10-interpretations.html - USGA. “Equipment Rules, Part 2: Clubs (Section 1c, Length).” Accessed 28 July 2026.
https://www.usga.org/equipment-standards/equipment-rules-2019/equipment-rules/part-2-rule-2.html - Golf Digest. Ron Kaspriske. “Rules of Golf Review: I see golfers who look like they are anchoring their putters.” 27 November 2024.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/rules-of-golf-review-anchoring-putter-stroke-rules-penalty - Golf Digest. “Anchoring is illegal but long putters are not. Should you give one a try?” July 2025.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/anchoring-is-illegal-but-long-putters-are-not-should-you-give-one-a-try - Golf.com. Luke Kerr-Dineen. “This is the reason why arm-anchor putting is still legal.” April 2021.
https://golf.com/instruction/rules/rules-loophole-why-arm-anchor-putting-still-legal/ - LiveAbout. Brent Kelley. “Anchoring Ban in Golf: The Rule and What It Affects.”
https://www.liveabout.com/anchoring-ban-rule-14-1b-1565973 - BBC Sport. “Anchoring of putters banned from 2016 by golf’s ruling bodies.” 21 May 2013.
https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/sport/golf/22610307 - ESPN. “Golf’s governing bodies impose ban on anchoring putter starting in January 2016.” 21 May 2013.
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/9297193/golf-governing-bodies-impose-ban-anchoring-putter-starting-january-2016 - Sky Sports. “Anchored putters: We look at their use by previous major winners ahead of ban.” August 2015.
https://www.skysports.com/golf/news/12177/9952927/the-anchor-putter-in-majors-will-it-be-missed - The Week. “What is belly putting, and why did pro golf ban it?” (citing The New York Times).
https://theweek.com/articles/464136/what-belly-putting-why-did-pro-golf-ban - National Club Golfer. Steve Carroll. “Nothing riles fans more, but what exactly is anchoring?” Updated 2 July 2024.
https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/rules/rules-of-golf-anchoring/
