GCA Q&A With David Eger

Thirteen years after his first GolfClubAtlas.com Feature Interview, David Eger returns.  Thanks to reader John for reminding me to read Eger's insights shared with Ran Morrissett on topics ranging from Pinehurst to course setup to Champions Tour life to the recent anchoring ban:

I’ve never been a fan of anchoring a putter when making a stroke. 15 years ago when someone had a long putter, you licked your chops knowing the guy couldn’t putt a lick. Nowadays, and Webb Simpson, Adam Scott & Keegan Bradely prove it, anchoring is a better method to putt well. I also have a problem with the Matt Kucher method, side saddle & anything different than conventional (yes, including the various claw grips) to be troublesome.

Comments

[Fester]

That's great, David. Could you define 'conventional' for us?

Is cross-handed out? Interlocking? Overlapping? Baseball grip, split-handed or even putting left-handed if you're a right hander?

How you get it in the hole once on the green isn't a pimple on the backside of golf's issues.

[No Longer Used to be Former Stack & Tilt Convert]

Finally some honesty. He doesn't like belly or other methods because of aesthetics. I can live with that. But because of the way it was written and ridiculous timeframe given, I have switched from short conventional style to belly style as form of protest---and because it is legal.

[Michael Moore]

Great interview - "Some courses seem to be nothing but short irons but then if weather is cool and wet, the opposite is true: middle and long irons mostly."

[titleist38]

So much good stuff in the interview, but this caught my attention -"Technology has virtually been flat. Manufacturers tweak club head designs, shafts & balls but since the size of driver heads was limited to 460 cc’s, there hasn’t been any significant improvement with equipment". Peter Dawson has been saying the same thing over and over for the last few years and has been continually ridiculed for it. When someone as steeped in the game as David Eger, a good enough player to have won $7 million in his career says it, does it have more credibility?

[KLG]

Excellent interview and confirms my contention that the anchoring debate is a matter of aesthetics and dissonance. But, could it be that "flat" for the mulligan set might not be the same as flat for the Bubbas and Dustins of the world? The tee on the Road Hole was put OB only a couple of years ago...In any case, as Eger enthusiastically admitted, he is a Titleist partisan. That is what should be known as a "conflict of interest" when discussing equipment as an expert practitioner. No?

[smails]

KLG, when a barber tells you you need a haircut, its not a conflict of interest, its a salesman doing his job.

[Media maven]

He could write an interesting book about his time with PGA Tour and USGA (not a good fit it turned out). Glad to see him making $$ on Champ. Tour.

[digsouth]

''How you get it in the hole once on the green isn't a pimple on the backside of golf's issues.''

So what? Does this mean it cannot be discussed? What would make you and all of your ''thar's bigger bears to kill in them thar hills'' billy happy? So what ?

It may not be a pimple on golf's backside, but I can tel you it is one on golf's butt, and it hurts when you sit down.

This man gave his opinion, and I think ''the claw'' looks absolutely stupid...to the point that I devised a double reverse claw,left hand low, and my famous putting with my rear leg forward, my from leg back, and I hold the putter with my hands behind my back and make a normal stroke..the ball is right under me...and make about 7 out of 10 from 8 foot in, if there is not much break...Players that know me ask me to do this to freak out pick up players in our group....But the point is- he was simply stating his opinion.

Those ''bigger issues''need to be ''solved'', yes, really? No conversation allowed on other matters.

I'm not railing on you, Fester....sorry if it comes off harsh....I am just tired of the continued attempts at redirection of several about everything from clubhead size to too much girlfriend info when the putting conversation begins.

BTW-- I like your handle.

[rmp]

conventional - Drivers with heads as big as toasters, 64 degree wedges, grips that will not fit into a bag, irons that a good player almost has to try to mishit, traphite shafts yeah all conventional. the anchoring rule is about a bunch of egotistical people who missed the boat on ball, square grooves and most other issues in the last 40 years who have decided to take on a minority who theythink will meekly go alone, however, like some one else above, I have broken out a belly putter and will continue to use it as long as I please. I will also not be renewing my membership in the USGA. At tournaments I sponsor, there will be a local rule allowing any putting method.

[dgs]

digsouth

Tried your putting method, ended up with a sprained wrist and pulled a groin muscle. What am I doing wrong??


:-)

[digsouth]

Wow dgs...sorry for the pain.

1. Grip the club in your normal manner (that is assuming it is a conventional method of gripping, or a conventional crosshand method.
2. Put the club behind your back, holding it with your primary hand as you place it behind you, and then regripping with the second hand.
3. Place your rear leg forward, and your front leg backward.(not widening your stance, but in front and behind your body)
4. Adjust the grip to a position where the length of the putter is correct to the ground.( your hands are closer to the ground)
The putter should hang directly under your crotch.
5. putt.

This method is amazingly accurate---*as long as it is not a very long putt.* The longer putts require too much ''hit;; to accurately putt.

With a minimal amount of practice, you can get pretty good, assuming you were pretty good to begin with. Let me know how it goes.

[dgs]

digs

Thanks for the more detailed explanation. Followed each step, sadly it didn't work out too well. I'm now in traction, the good news is that the Dr says I should be able to play by September, but I'll have to use a broomstick for putting.

:-)
:-)

[Jimmy Jones]

Tiger Woods: David Eger "rat's out" Tiger Woods for ball drop at the Masters.
All call-in reports of "alleged" rules violations should be disregarded since every shot of every player IS NOT TELEVISED!#Tiger @si_golf In fact, only a fraction of the players on the PGA Tour are even filmed during their round. It's all based on "popularity" and the most popular player on tour is...you guessed it#Tiger