For the sake of simplicity, all advice on swings and drills is provided from a right handed perspective; lefties …. well, you know what to do!
I’m sure a lot of you may disagree with my point of view on this subject, but this is my gut feeling on this issue.
I saw the press conference today (Tuesday morning) where effective January 1, 2016 The USGA and R&A adopted the rule against anchoring the putter. They said that they adopted the rule to protect the integrity of the swinging motion used in playing the game of golf.
They went through their list of justification, including listening to feedback from players, media, etc.
I don’t think they listened too closely because there was a huge undercurrent of opinion from US PGA Tour players against adopting the rule, which was first exposed to the public several months ago.
There were no meaningful statistics to back up the contention that any advantage is gained by putting this way, and this style has been around for over 30 years.
They also stated that they did this to avoid dissonance among the tour players; but by implementing this rule, the USGA and R&A may well be responsible for more dissonance than the anchored stroke ever created.
Since they asked for and received feedback, they should consider it – not just ask as a formality. This appears to me to have been a done deal when it was announced months ago.
It reminds me of when I was a County Legislator and NYS would send out emissaries to elicit feedback for proposed fee based programs, when it was apparent that the program or fee was going to be implemented regardless of the feedback.
Done deals at the get go.
I think it actually would have been better for the USGA and R&A to not ask for feedback, they opened up a Pandora’s box.
The question that I would like the real answer to is this: what prompted the governing bodies to even consider making this change in the first place? To deny that it was due to recent successes by players using this stroke would be a bit disingenuous, even though that reason has been denied.
Ultimately, I think the USGA and R&A ultimately adopted this rule simply because they could, and that’s a bad reason. Implementation of Rule 14 – 1B makes a sham of the feedback process. They opened a can of worms, expecting all pro tours to simply accept their will, now they may have a bit of trouble getting the lid back on.
Love your practice, enjoy your golf,
Tom
Tom Tucker is a World Golf Teachers and United States Golf Teacher Federation-certified golf instructor. He may be contacted via his website or at the Plum Creek driving range in Batavia, NY.
