Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2013 - 8

(editor's letter
)
Golf's Rulers Prove the Pen Is
Mightier than the Belly Putter
I
f you're one of those two-hands-on-theclub,
swing-it-freely types of golfers, you
may have looked askance at the poor sods
who wielded a long, or belly, putter anchored
against their chest or belly. You may have felt
that something was seriously amiss, that the
cheese was ripe in Muenster.
Golf's rules-makers felt much the same
way.
In a long-overdue definition of a playing
rule (14-1b), they put pencil to paper and
described what golfers cannot do in their efforts
to roll the rock into the cup: to wit, " In
making a stroke, the player must not anchor
Pro or con, we have to admit that the
rules-makers decided to make a tough
call for the good of the game.
the club, either directly or by use of an anchor
point. "
In other words, swing it.
In light of the growing use of anchoring
on the professional tours, and the increasing
" advocacy " of the anchor method among the
game's elite amateur and junior players (not
to mention the wake-up call provided by
messers Bradley, Simpson and Els), the ruleswizards
set aside years of turning the other
cheek and approached the thorny issue at its
core. Instead of eliminating equipment, they
refined what it means to swing the golf club.
The rules-makers admit there is a lack of
performance data showing the anchor method
to be more effective than conventional
putting methods. However, when three of the
last five majors were won using an anchored
putter, they took notice. When a trend suggested
that a new generation of elite juniors
was being schooled in the advantages of anchoring
the club, the rules-makers knew it
was time to act.
It was time to look at the fundamental
meaning of swinging a club, to determine if
anchoring was permitted within the spirit
of playing the game and to write a rule that
serves the best interests of the game for future
generations. That's what stewards do.
Several high-profile champions have spoken
out against the anchoring ban. On the
other hand, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer
and Tiger Woods favor the new rule.
The MGA's role isn't to debate the merits of
the rules. But as the governing body of amateur
golf in Minnesota, we exist to educate
and inform golfers and to enforce the rules.
Rule 14-1b probably affects less than one
percent of all golfers in Minnesota; its intent
is to outlaw the anchored swing as the goto
putting and chipping method for future
generations of golfers. After 2015, the game's
leaders don't want to see an anchorer wearing
a green jacket, hoisting the Claret Jug or
proudly displaying any other silver hardware.
At that point, golfers will have to swing all 14
clubs in their bag.
How the ruling strikes us may depend on
how we chip and putt. Pro or con, we have to
admit that the rules-makers decided to make
a tough call for the good of the game. That's
called leadership.
See you on the tee.
W.P. Ryan, Editor-in-Chief
6
MINNESOTAGOLFER Directory 2013
www.mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2013
