-- USGA Photo
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland & FAR HILLS, N.J.
(Nov. 28,
2012) -- The R&A and the United States
Golf
Association (USGA), golf’s governing
bodies, today
announced proposed changes to the
Rules of Golf that
would prohibit anchoring the club in
making a stroke.
The proposed Rule 14-1b, which follows
an extensive
review by The R&A and the USGA, would
prohibit
strokes made with the club or a hand
gripping the club
held directly against the player’s body, or
with a
forearm held against the body to establish
an anchor
point that indirectly anchors the club.
The proposed new Rule would not alter
current
equipment rules and would allow the
continued use of
all conforming golf clubs, including belly-
length and
long putters, provided such clubs are not
anchored
during a stroke. The proposed Rule
narrowly targets
only a few types of strokes, while
preserving a golfer’s
ability to play a wide variety of strokes in
his or her
individual style.
Prior to taking a final decision on the
proposed Rule,
The R&A and the USGA will consider any
further
comments and suggestions from
throughout the golf
community.
“We believe we have considered this
issue from every
angle but given the wide ranging interest
in this
subject we would like to give stakeholders
in the
game the opportunity to put forward any
new matters
for consideration,” said Peter Dawson,
Chief Executive
of The R&A.
The proposed Rule change would take
effect on
January 1, 2016, in accordance with the
regular four-
year cycle for changes to the Rules of Golf.
This
timetable would also provide an extended
period in
which golfers may, if necessary, adapt
their method of
stroke to the requirements of the Rule.
For more information about the newly
proposed Rule,
as well as additional information including
videos and
images of strokes that would be allowed
or prohibited
by the proposed changes to Rule 14-1,
visit
www.R
andA.org/a
nchoring or
www.us
ga.org/anch
oring.
NEW RULE WOULD DEFINE AND
PRESERVE THE
NATURE OF THE STROKE
In proposing the new Rule, The R&A and
the USGA
concluded that the long-term interests of
the game
would be served by confirming a stroke as
the
swinging of the entire club at the ball.
| MORE ANCHORING
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“Throughout the 600-year history of golf,
the essence
of playing the game has been to grip the
club with the
hands and swing it freely at the ball,” said
USGA
Executive Director Mike Davis. “The
player’s challenge
is to control the movement of the entire
club in
striking the ball, and anchoring the club
alters the
nature of that challenge. Our conclusion is
that the
Rules of Golf should be amended to
preserve the
traditional character of the golf swing by
eliminating
the growing practice of anchoring the
club.”
NEW RULE WOULD ADDRESS RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE GAME
This proposal reflects The R&A’s and
USGA’s
responsibility to define how the game is to
be played.
Aspects of how a player must make a
stroke have
been addressed in past Rules changes,
such as the
century-old Rule codifying that the ball
must be fairly
struck and not be pushed, scraped or
spooned and the
1968 prohibition on the “croquet” style of
putting.
“As governing bodies, we monitor and
evaluate
playing practices and developments in
golf, with our
primary mandate being to ensure that the
Rules of
Golf continue to preserve the fundamental
characteristics of the game,” added Davis.
Although anchoring the club is not new,
until recently
it was uncommon and typically seen as a
method of
last resort by a small number of players.
In the last
two years, however, more and more
players have
adopted the anchored stroke. Golf’s
governing bodies
have observed this upsurge at all levels of
the game
and noted that more coaches and players
are
advocating this method. The decision to
act now is
based on a strong desire to reverse this
trend and to
preserve the traditional golf stroke.
“Anchored strokes have become the
preferred option
for a growing number of players and this
has caused
us to review these strokes and their
impact on the
game,” said Dawson. “Our concern is that
anchored
strokes threaten to supplant traditional
putting strokes
which are integral to the longstanding
character of the
sport.”
REVIEW PROCESS AND
TIMETABLE
Earlier this year, The R&A and the USGA
announced
that they were reviewing the subject of
anchoring.
There has been widespread discussion of
the issue
throughout the international golf
community which
has been noted by the governing bodies.
Each organization is expected to take a
final decision
on the proposed Rule change in spring
2013. Anyone
wishing to provide written comments to
the
appropriate governing body is encouraged
to do so by
February 28, 2013 as directed on the
respective
websites: www.RandA.org/anchoring or
www.usga.org/anchoring.