The Spaghetti (String) Incident: Precedent in Golf’s Belly Putter Case

By Amy Sargeant and Ryan M. Rodenberg   In November 2012, The United States Golf Association (USGA) proposed changes to the rules of golf that would ban the use of so-called “belly putters.” The proposed rule change cannot take effect until 2016 as there is a four year cycle for any amendments to the rules. The possibility of a rule change was attention-grabbing. The issue raised with such clubs is that long putters allow players to “anchor” the club to their chest or belly, which a