Anchoring and the PGA

PGA of America says tougher rules could hurt game

NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Limiting how far the ball travels and the type of putters players can use could do more harm than good for golf, the PGA of America said on Tuesday. A survey of PGA members showed 63 percent were against a ban of anchoring. I, for one, voted in the minority on this one and can not understand why so many PGA pros would go against a basic tenet of the game – it's not a swinging action.  And I consider Note 2 to the Rule 14-1b to be as important to understanding this situation as anything, as an arm affixed to the body considered the same as a club affixed to the body. It's not a swinging action. 
"I've already had players in my club that are using long putters ... saying 'are you going to make it a local rule that's going to allow me to putt this way?'" said Bishop. Good question. Got to check with the USGA on that one. 

He added, "It puts us in a tough position as club professionals trying to administer events at our club level." I would think whether to allow anchored putters is a board decision, not a club professional decision.

But imagine banning croquet style putting today, with all the social media! What a circus! Croquet style, in which both arms really do swing, would be a tough sell. Straddling the target line? So what? It's a swing!

As far as distance the ball travels: "If you do anything that's going to cause the rank and file amateur player to not hit the ball as far, there's no way you're going to enhance their enjoyment of the game," PGA President Ted Bishop.  "This game is a hard game and anything we do to make the golf course play longer, play more difficult, is certainly going to deter from the enjoyment of the game for the average player."

Well, I thought the enjoyment of the game of golf comes from lower scores, the social setting, weather, exercise derived, etc. Certainly there are those whose only real pleasure comes from hitting the ball as far as they can. But the game is stacked against them, always has been. And whether the courses need to be lengthened is questionable. Certainly the tour courses need extra length but the average player, for whom the PGA purportedly speaks, is definitely challenged by a 6,800 yard course. It's not like 15 handicappers are all of a sudden continually four under par on 6,800 yard layouts. Why courses have lengthened to over 7,000 yards in the first place is beyond me.