Shorty
Boomer Boy
It's not the long putter itself that is banned. It's the technique of anchoring it to your body at a fixed point. The governing bodies felt that the resulting usage of the putter was not an actual "stroke" in the classic sense.
I agree with the anchoring ban at the elite level, but I think it should have been done 20 years ago. I don't agree with the ban as they chose to do it where it covered all golfers. The last thing golf needs at a time when participation numbers are dwindling is another stuffy rule that may make the game harder for some of the higher handicappers who play it for recreation.
If the governing bodies really wanted to go after something that is an affront to the tradition of the game, they should start and end their search with the golf ball.
You're absolutely right about the ball. Back in October, I had a chance to play the course I grew up playing with my Dad for the first time in 25 years. There is one par five on the course with a creek that crosses the fairway about 50 yards from the green. Playing it as a twenty something, I would always would hit driver, five wood to get to my wedge. Last fall I hit driver, seven iron to get to the same spot.