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Drive for show, putt for dough - Darren Clarke opts to use the long ‘belly’ putter to try and recover magic on the greens

Posted by Big G under General, Latest Golf News, My Golf Returns

Golf traditionalist Darren Clarke has decided to use the ‘long putter’ in a desperate attempt to recover winning ways and force himself into Ryder Cup contention.

Clarke, used the belly putter version at last week’s Indonesian Open, and is the latest player in a long line that has included to start using the extended length putter to try and recapture some magic on the greens.

The Ulsterman didn’t get an instant return, he still hit 30 putts in his final round, but he did manage to avoid three putting throughout the entire week.

When the putts are not sinking, there’s a big psychological factor in using the belly putter - it’s definitely not a last resort but is borne of frustration rather than desperation.A high percentage of tour players i.e. Sam Torrance, Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie and Nick Dougherty etc have given it a go to see if there was any benefit. If you look at the tour statistics you will see the majority of players return to the normal length putter.

The Ed.