Horschel calls for ban on arm-lock putting grip

Six-time winner Billy Horschel went out of his way to call for the arm-lock putting technique to be banned as more and more PGA TOUR pros adopt the grip made popular by Bryson DeChambeau.

"... I'm bringing up something different here, and I'm sort going out on a limb, but I don't think this arm-lock putting should be allowed either," Horschel said Thursday, according to ASAP Sports.

Horschel was initially asked about green-reading books but took the opportunity to take a stance against the arm lock, which is a putting grip where a golfer uses a longer putter and "locks" the shaft into their leading forearm.

"I'll give the belly putter back and take away the arm lock," Horschel said. "I think when you look at what guys are doing now with the arm lock and moving the grips to the side where it's parallel or matches the face and then when you do that up against your arm, I mean, you know that face is dead square and that face doesn't rotate at all. It's just sort of locked in. Guys are doing it too good."

DeChambeau isn't the only one using the arm-lock method. Webb Simpson, a former belly-putter user, won the 2018 Players Championship while utilizing the grip.

PGA TOUR rookie Will Zalatoris uses a version of the arm lock, as does Matt Kuchar, who recently tested a reverse arm-lock method.

"Like I said, I would rather give them the belly putter back," Horschel said. I think there is a little bit more flow. Some guys going that way are becoming great putters, but it's just something guys are trying and seeing some benefits for.

"But just goes back to I think you have great greens readers and great putters that are just sort of innately that way, and you have some guys that have that skill, and they get better with practice and learning some stuff. And you have some guys that just are awful and get a little bit better by work."