Anchor’s Away

Now we’re hearing that maybe everything isn’t exactly a “go” with the USGA’s proposed anchoring ban, as it’s being reported that the Tour (namely commissioner Tim Finchem) is considering pulling their support of the USGA’s stance on anchoring the putter. In THIS Golf.com article that was written and submitted to be published earlier today, Brad Faxon, despite revealing his staunch personal support of the proposed ban on numerous occasions, does a reasonable job illustrating the obvious implications of the anchoring ban, and too – the divided opinions on the subject as it relates to the players.

Finchem may in fact be the biggest opponent of the ban, according to Faxon. “I believe — and I haven’t talked to him about this issue in a while — that Finchem’s stance will be that the PGA Tour is in a good place, that a rules controversy over a well-established putting method does not serve the game well and that the Tour should urge the USGA to back off the proposed ban,” Faxon states in that article. He goes on to suggest that Finchem might even encourage the Tour’s policy board (during their teleconference meeting later on this afternoon where they plan on discussing the topic) to issue an ultimatum of sorts to the USGA. “The most heavy-handed way he could persuade the USGA to drop the proposed ban, and I would normally never describe Tim Finchem as heavy-handed, would be by convincing the Tour Policy Board on Monday that the Tour should tell the USGA the following: If the USGA goes through with this ban, the PGA Tour will very likely consider creating our own condition of competition that will allow anchored putting on the PGA Tour, the WEB.com tour and Champions tour.” Faxon goes on to suggest that should the Tour indeed go their own way and ignore the USGA’s decision, “chaos” would likely ensue and the USGA could lose its’ authority in American golf.

Although I personally don’t believe the ramifications would be quite that drastic, it goes without saying that the precedent that would be set with such a situation could certainly have long-term implications. And not just with the money-making commercialization of the game from the PGA Tour’s standpoint, but also at the grassroots level with the PGA of America, the very organization that has always maintained that their numero uno objective is growing the game. They seem to be in lockstep with Finchem’s opinion that the anchoring ban is not only unneeded, but would also stifle the growth of the game at the amateur and recreational level.

It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall, or in this case a bug in the telephone, during that teleconferenced meeting this afternoon. I don’t expect much to be said publicly about it, not now anyway. But all of this, at the very least, fuels the suspicion that maybe the USGA has failed miserably with regard to considering all of the opinions from the many institutions this involves. They have an obligation, or so they say, to protect the game and its’ longstanding traditions. If that were 100% true, the debate today would be about technology and more specifically the modern golf ball, not about banning a technique that has been considered an acceptable practice for the past 30 years.

But that’s just the view I see from my neck of the woods. My credibility isn’t at stake here, like theirs’.

USGA Extends New Groove Rule Compliance to Local Qualifying for US Open

“After a successful implementation of this condition in 2010, it is logical to implement it for all players competing in our three national Open championships in 2011,” said Mike Davis, USGA senior director of Rules and Competitions. “It is our understanding that there are ample conforming clubs in the marketplace such that adopting this condition for first-stage U.S. Open qualifying ensures a level playing field for all competitors.” ARTICLE

Indeed, there is enough equipment out there with the new competition grooves that it shouldn’t be an issue. And, for that matter, this should have been the standard for every stage of the qualifying process all along.

Not that I agree with the USGA entirely on the need for the groove change last year…. but the elite amateur players throwing their hats in the ring to get into the US Open have probably already made the conforming equipment changes already. And before anyone asks – no, I’m still playing the old grooves…..

Golf’s Governing Bodies Carefully Plotting Reassessment of After-the-Fact DQ Policy

Bound by tradition…. golf always has been. And if you’re a purist in the most traditional sense, then what might possibly be on the verge of happening is most likely going to get your knickers all in a wad, as the USGA and R&A are both poised to reassess the after-the-fact disqualification process that has come to recent light via the Camilo Villegas & Padraig Harrington snafus. But by and large – the sentiment that such a change is needed has been in the works far longer than just the past few weeks.  Three years ago, the European Tour wrote to their governing body – the R&A – trying to convince them that in some cases the punishment simply didn’t fit the crime. Yet nothing compelled the R&A to seriously consider looking at changing the rules, most likely because the occurrences were so rare.

Europe’s senior rules official, Andy McFee, was the rules official on hand to inform Harrington on Friday that he improperly marked his ball on the 7th hole the day prior, and as a result of not adding the penalty he signed an incorrect scorecard and was DQ’d. But this hasn’t been the only time that McFee has had to inform the personable Irishman of some bad news after-the-fact. Back in 2000, Harrington went into the final round with a 5-stroke lead at the Benson and Hedges International Championship. Andy McFee had the unfortunate duty of informing Harrington that he had failed to sign his scorecard after Thursday’s round, resulting in an automatic DQ. McFee said afterward, “It is very harsh – the punishment does not really fit what the player has done…. It’s something the PGA Tour and ourselves have raised with the governing bodies and as yet we have not put forward an argument that has convinced them.”

Until now. Given the uptempo in viewer call-ins, both the USGA and R&A have been given reason to reassess the “trial-by-television” disqualifications that have surfaced in recent weeks, no doubt sensing that given the age of enhanced television programming and digital video recording – this very well could be just the beginning.

Grant Moir, Rules of Golf Director for the R&A, commented on the issue, saying, “Obviously in the light of this and what happened to Camilo Villegas, the significance of the disqualification penalty has been brought sharply back into focus. Certainly with the introduction of every-increasing scrutiny and enhanced images there is a fresh impetus to have a look at it and see if the rules are still appropriate.” Shortly after Moir’s comments hit the press, USGA’s senior director of rules and competitions – Mike Davis – added his take on the situation in an interview with Golf Digest. “We’re all bothered by what is a narrow set of circumstances where someone can get the facts right and still be disqualified. So the USGA and R&A will open it up again, but we also have to make sure we don’t do something that has domino effect.”

One thing is fairly certain: the attention that this issue is getting will only motivate more viewer call-ins in the coming weeks and months, and this issue will not go away anytime soon. The game’s ruling bodies find themselves at a crossroad, with tradition going one direction and common sense going the other. I can’t speak for everyone, but it is my wish that common sense prevails.

(Some quotes contained in my article were taken from these articles HERE and HERE.)

USGA Executive Director David B. Fay to Retire

I’ve been at odds with the USGA this season because of the groove rule change, well that and all the times I found my ball in a divot in the middle of the fairway after a good tee shot…. but Fay deserves credit for getting the US Open back onto public venues, as well as his push to get golf into the Olympics. It was also nice having him on the various telecasts to help explain some of the rulings that would come about as well, helping educate the viewers.

Enjoy your retirement, Mr. Fay.

ARTICLE

Pelz: Grooves Change “Worst Decision the USGA Has Ever Made”

Interesting interview with Dave Pelz. He talks about his collegiate golf days, current teaching trends, who he feels was the greatest putter way back then and today as well. Oh, and he’s clearly at odds with the USGA on the new groove rule.

 

DAVE PELZ INTERVIEW COURTESY OF PGATOUR.COM

Why is Juli Inkster Still Upset about DQ?

The Rules Don't Apply to Me?

You know, sometimes you just gotta take your lumps and move on. That pertains to life in general…. you get pulled over by a cop for doing 50 mph in a 45 mph zone, you don’t have to like it, but you are obligated to obey the law. Accept the fine, pay the fine, move on. Rules are rules.

And the same applies to golf. Especially if you’re a veteran tour player and have played the game at the professional level for 20+ years.

THIS ARTICLE from Golf.Com seems to suggest that Juli Inkster has “moved on” from her disqualification nearly a month back at the LPGA’s Safeway Classic. But at the same time, they say that Inkster is still “miffed” about it.

Miffed about what? Upset that she broke one of the most basic golf rules in the game – a rule that a majority of competitive amateurs know and understand? Or upset with the fact that someone called her out on it?

Look, I can be fair here… to a certain extent – I don’t care for viewers calling in to the tournament rules committee at the host venue and reporting potential rules violations on the players. I understand that in some instances, some players are under more scrutiny being on camera than some of the others that are not. I get that. I can appreciate that. And I can respect that argument, to a certain extent. But at the end of the day, Juli Inkster has absolutely no one but herself to blame for her weighted donut gaffe. She’s the most senior veteran still playing on the LPGA Tour! She should’ve known that most basic, simple rule regarding training aids being forbidden to use during a round of golf, and should’ve known precisely what the USGA considers training aids.

Everyone makes mistakes, and her mistake was unfortunate. But in the end – a rule was broken and she was called out for breaking a rule. The only person Juli Inkster should still be upset with a month after the fact is she herself.

The USGA Standard: Pebble was Tough, But Fair

The 2010 US Open is in the books, and once again the world’s greatest golfers were humbled by a USGA setup. The course only measured 7040 yards, short by the normal tour standards, but then again – Pebble Beach has never been all about length. Just ask Dustin Johnson, who had as much as a 30-40 yard advantage off the tee last week. No, the challenge here has always been more about controlling distance, particularly into the greens. Just ask Tiger Woods, who admitted later Sunday evening that leaving his approach shots above the hole ultimately led to his demise.

The USGA proved once again that they can unleash a brutal test of golf by requiring a premium on approach shots and positioning. Add in the fact that those greens are Poa, which are difficult to judge on even the more subtle contours, and you can quickly distinguish the best from the rest, for that week anyway. Yes, the greens looked blotchy. Yes, the putting surfaces became bumpier as the day progressed. But everyone who has ever played Pebble Beach already understands this. It’s packaged in as part of the challenge. And a challenge it most certainly is.

While the top ranked player in the world bickered about how “awful” the greens were after the first round Thursday evening, he quickly overlooked one of the key tests in a US Open exam, a test that has historically been required in nearly every single US Open in the history of the event – the ability to adjust. It’s worth noting that Tiger aced this exam back in 2000. How quickly the student forgets…

The USGA setup was certainly tough, but it was likewise certainly fair. They accomplished their main goal: to identify the player who played the best over the four rounds of the tournament. I defy anyone to say that Graeme McDowell was not that player last week.

Kuddos to the USGA, they got it right.