What Is a Broomstick Putter?
The "broomstick putter" in golf is a putter with a much longer shaft compared to traditional putters, which usually are around 32 to 36 inches in length. A broomstick putter typically ranges from 46 to 54 inches. The clubheads on broomstick putters are the same as those on "regular" putters, but they have that longer shaft, with the grip end covered by a longer (and sometimes split) grip.
The term "broomstick putter" is just a synonym for the more common term "long putter." "Broom-handle putter" was also once used (it rarely is today), and "broom putter" is another term for these putters, also less-common than "broomstick putter." Interestingly, a comparison of the terms on Google Trends shows that while long putter has always been the more common term, the use of broomstick and broom have picked up again lately. This is probably because some equipment manufacturers have started using the term again in their product lines.
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The length of broomstick putters allowed them, in their original usage, to be anchored against the golfer's sternum, chest or chin during the putting stroke. That anchoring served as a fulcrum point, allowing the golfer to use his lower hand on the broomstick putter's grip to initiate a pendulum putting stroke.
As of a rules update that went into effect beginning in 2016, such anchoring of putters is no longer allowed. But long putters are still in the game. A golfer who uses one of these putters today just has to be sure not to anchor the putter itself or her grip hands against her body.
The broomstick putter removes wrist action from the putting stroke, which makes it worth trying for golfers who struggle with the yips. It also allows a more upright putting stance, so golfers who suffer from back problems might try the broomstick putter. Watch the video above to hear more about why a golfer might choose a long putter, and how to employ one.
Before long putters started being seen on the Senior Tour in the 1980s, the use of "broomstick" by a golfer was usually a pejorative — "My putting is so bad it felt like I was swinging a broomstick on the greens" — or a way of complimenting a golfer's putting: "Nicklaus is putting so good right now he could use a broomstick and it wouldn't matter."
But the term started being applied to the long putters that began showing up on the world's pro golf tours, especially in the late 1980s. For a while, "broomstick putter" and "long putter" were used about equally, but by the mid-1990s most golfers settled on "long putter" as the preferred term.
Related articles:
- Are golf ball pickups for your putter legal under the rules?
- Center-shafted putter pros and cons
- What was the club called a driving putter?
The Birmingham (Ala.) News. "Third straight for Murphy?" Associated Press, September 5, 1968.
The Independent, London, England. "Harwood Steals the Show," August 21, 1989.
Kienzl, Ray. "Finding a putter is like finding a good woman," Scripps Howard News Service, Carroll County (Md.) Times, August 18, 1986.
Pedroli, Hubert, and Tiegreen, Mary. Let the Big Dog Eat!, William Morrow Publisher, 2000
