Belly Putters - handle with care!

The advent of the belly putter has transformed the golfing fortunes of numerous top professionals like Fred Couples (pictured left), who were afflicted with the dreaded putting "yips" after years of trying to hole short putts under intense pressure.

It has also brought relief to thousands of ordinary golfers, who find a two foot putt to win the monthly medal just as nerve-wracking as if it were to win the Open. Even those of us who have not got the certifiable yips know all too well the nervous jab which sends the ball an inch wide of the hole and eighteen inches past, leaving us with pretty much the same again and a cold sweat on the brow.

We can heartily recommend the belly putter, but a few elementary precautions are required while getting the hang of it. First and foremost, remember that it is a lot longer than the traditional putter. One can trip over it, or poke one's partner's eye out in a jiffy, if a little care is not taken. Secondly, it should be anchored, as the name implies, in the belly button, with the hands down the shaft more or less in the normal putting position, allowing a gentle pendulum swing, with no jerking or snatching (see at right Paul Azinger and Vijay Singh, two fine exponents of the belly putter).

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, when buying a belly putter it is absolutely essential to be properly measured and fitted by a professional, to ensure a snug fit of the putter in the navel when taking your normal putting stance. Failure to do so can result in the putter being anchored further south, in the groin area, and this, coupled with the natural tendency to bend double in dismay when - despite the putter - a short one is missed, can produce excruciating results (below).

Have you not noticed how Padraig Harrington's voice goes up an octave when he's interviewed after a bad day on the greens?

So take care, and enjoy putting once again with your new belly putter.