What Is Anchoring in Golf

Anchoring in golf means deliberately using your body to stabilize the club during a stroke, and Rule 10.1b prohibits it. The rule applies to every club, not just putters, and it can matter anywhere on the course, not only on the green. The key is whether your body is being used as a fixed support for the club or a gripping hand.

What Anchoring Means Under the Golf Rules

The rule covers two different ways of anchoring: direct anchoring and indirect anchoring through an “anchor point.”

Direct Anchoring

Direct anchoring happens when you deliberately hold either:

The club against part of your body, or
A hand holding the club against part of your body.

For example, pressing the butt end of a belly putter into your stomach or chest while making a stroke is direct anchoring. Holding your top hand against your chest so it cannot move freely is also direct anchoring.

There is an important exception: you may hold the club or a gripping hand against your other hand or forearm. That exception is what allows legal arm-lock putting methods.

Indirect Anchoring

Indirect anchoring happens when you create a stable pivot point with your body. The classic example is holding a forearm firmly against your torso so that the gripping hand becomes a fixed point around which the other hand swings the club.

This is sometimes harder to spot than direct anchoring because the club itself may not touch the player’s chest or stomach.

The real test is whether contact with your body deliberately stabilizes the stroke, not simply whether the club, hands, or arms touch your body.

How to Make Sure Your Stroke Is Not Anchored

Use this quick comparison before changing your putting or chipping technique.

What You Are Doing	Likely Result	Adjustment
Pressing the end of the grip into your belly or chest	Illegal direct anchoring	Hold the club away from your torso
Holding a gripping hand against your chest	Illegal direct anchoring	Let the hand move freely with the stroke
Pinning a forearm to your torso to create a pivot point	Illegal indirect anchoring	Remove the pressure that fixes the forearm
Resting the grip along a forearm below the elbow	Generally legal	Keep the forearm from becoming a fixed body anchor
Letting the club brush your shirt during a stroke	Not automatically a breach	Make sure the contact is not deliberate support
Keeping elbows or forearms lightly against your body	Usually legal	Do not use the contact to immobilize a gripping hand

Step 1: Check for Direct Body Support

Set up as you normally would and look at the relationship between the club, your hands, and your torso.

Check whether the end of the grip is pressed into your chest, stomach, side, or another part of your body.
Check whether either hand gripping the club is deliberately held against your body.
If either is true, move the club or hand away so the club is controlled by your hands and arms rather than braced against your torso.

A long putter, belly putter, or extra-long grip is not illegal by itself. The issue is how you make the stroke.

Step 2: Check for an Indirect Anchor Point

Next, focus on your forearms. A forearm can touch your body during a stroke, but it cannot be held against the body to make a gripping hand a stable pivot.

Make a slow practice stroke.
Notice whether your forearm is pressed firmly into your chest, ribs, or stomach.
Ask whether the other hand is swinging around that fixed forearm-and-torso connection.
If it is, separate the forearm from your torso or reduce the pressure so your hands and arms can move naturally.

The rule does not require players to keep every arm or elbow completely away from their body. It prohibits using the body contact as a deliberate stabilizer.

Step 3: Choose a Legal Stroke Position

Several popular putting styles remain legal when used correctly.

Use a conventional putter with both hands free from your torso.
Use an arm-lock style by resting the grip against your lead forearm below the elbow, rather than bracing it against your chest or stomach.
Use a long or belly putter with the grip end clear of your body and the club swung freely.
If you prefer your elbows close to your sides, let them touch naturally without locking a hand or forearm into a fixed position.

Step 4: Rehearse the Stroke You Will Use

Before playing the shot, make a few practice strokes in the exact position you intend to use.

Make sure the club can move because your hands and arms are moving it, not because it is pivoting around your body.
If you are competing and remain unsure, ask a rules official or the committee before playing the stroke.

That is especially worthwhile with a long putter or an arm-lock setup, since a legal stroke can look unusually close to the body.

Legal Putting Styles That Can Look Like Anchoring

A player can use a legal technique that appears suspicious from a distance.

Arm-Lock Putting

Arm-lock putting is generally legal when used correctly. In a typical arm-lock stroke, the grip rests against the lead forearm below the elbow.

The important limit is that the player cannot then hold that forearm against the torso to create a fixed anchor point. The forearm can support the putter; the torso cannot be used to lock that forearm in place.

Long and Belly Putters

A player may use either one as long as the club is swung without anchoring it to the body.

For a legal long-putter stroke, keep the top of the grip away from your chest and stomach. For a legal belly-putter stroke, do not press the grip end into your abdomen.

Elbows and Forearms Near the Body

You may brace one or both elbows lightly into your body, and your forearms may touch your torso, provided that contact does not create an anchor point. A player also may stand very close to the butt end of a long putter without violating the rule.

Incidental contact is not the same as deliberate support. A grip brushing a shirt, a forearm touching a jacket, or a club passing very close to the body is not automatically illegal.

Why Anchoring Is Not Allowed in Golf

The anchoring rule is intended to preserve a stroke in which the player controls the club with the hands and arms rather than fixing it against the body.

A body-supported stroke can reduce movement in the hands and wrists by creating a more stable pendulum. The rules draw the line at using the body as that stabilizing point, while still allowing players to choose different grips, putter lengths, and putting styles.

That distinction matters because golf does not ban long putters, arm-lock putters, side-saddle putting, or unconventional grips. It regulates the method used to make the stroke.

Anchoring Can Apply Away From the Green

Anchoring is commonly discussed as a putting rule, but it applies to any stroke with any club. You could violate Rule 10.1b if you deliberately use your body as an anchor.

For example, a bump-and-run shot is usually played with a short, controlled motion intended to send the ball low and rolling. You may keep your arms compact for that shot, but you cannot press the club, a gripping hand, or a forearm into your torso to create a fixed support point.

The same principle applies to a chip from tight grass, a rescue shot around the green, or a low shot from the fringe. If the body contact merely happens during the motion, there is no breach. If it is used to stabilize the club deliberately, it may be anchoring.

Check a Stroke and Handle a Possible Breach

If you think a stroke may have been anchored, assess the actual action rather than relying on how it looked.

Was the club or a gripping hand deliberately held against the body?
Was a forearm held against the torso to give a gripping hand a stable pivot point?
Did contact merely occur during the stroke without being used for support?
Was the stroke made with a putter, or with another club from off the green? The rule applies either way.

The penalty is loss of the hole in match play or two penalty strokes in stroke play. In match play, the player loses the hole. In stroke play, the player counts the stroke made with the illegal method and adds two penalty strokes.

If you are watching another player, avoid assuming that close contact equals a violation. A long putter can appear to touch the chest when there is actually space, and a shirt or loose rain gear can brush the club without creating an anchor. In a competition, raise a genuine concern promptly and let a rules official determine whether the stroke was deliberate anchoring.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to anchor your putt?

Anchoring your putt means using your body to stabilize the putter during the stroke. That can be direct, such as pressing the grip into your stomach, or indirect, such as pinning a forearm to your torso so one hand becomes a stable pivot point. Rule 10.1b prohibits both methods.

Is arm-lock putting legal?

Yes, arm-lock putting is legal when the grip rests against the player’s forearm below the elbow and the forearm is not used as a fixed body anchor. The rules allow the club or a gripping hand to be held against a hand or forearm. It becomes illegal only if the forearm is held against the torso to stabilize the stroke.

Can you still use a belly putter or long putter?

Yes, both belly putters and long putters are legal. You must make a free stroke without pressing the grip into your body or holding a gripping hand against your torso. The length of the putter is not the issue; the anchoring method is.

Is it anchoring if my putter touches my shirt?

No, accidental or incidental contact is not anchoring. A club, gripping hand, or forearm may brush your body or clothing during the stroke without a penalty if it is not being held there for support. Deliberate body stabilization is what makes the action illegal.

Does the anchoring rule apply only to putters?

No, Rule 10.1b applies to every club and every stroke. A player could potentially anchor a chip, pitch, bump-and-run, or another shot from off the putting green. Keep the club controlled by your hands and arms rather than braced against your body.