If rumours are to be believed, and they are just rumours, the PGA of America will announce on Sunday their opposition to the USGA/R&A proposed ban on anchoring.
There are many trains of thought on the reasoning behind this.
Many, well 3 or 4, PGA tour members have indicated they would fight the ban in the US courts, not against the USGA but the PGA.
Now the American legal system has a history, well, of being weird.
Someone sued Winnebago when there motor home crashed while on cruise control and they went back into the Winnebago to make a coffee, seriously! And they won!!
He got awarded $1.75 Million!
In the UK that would have been laughed out the court!
Burger chains have been sued for coffee being too hot, and won!! Honestly!
Anything is possible inside a US courtroom!
So are the PGA simply protecting them selves from this?
Or is this a simple muscle flexing exercise against golf’s governing bodies?
Would the PGA go it alone as a self governing, self ruling body?
I think they would, without hesitation.
I honestly think the PGA of America think they are bigger than the game and don’t give two hoots about what happens out side America.
By breaking away from the USGA and the R&A they can keep the keys of the candy store to them selves.
But where does the European Tour and every other professional tour stand on it ?
Where would tournament sponsors align with, stand with a break away PGA of America or back the governing bodies? Or would it be simply a commercial decision based on the TV networks ?
As for the players I think they will go where ever the money is.
That could mean no more Open Championship or US Open as we know it!
But will it come to that ? Or will the governing bodies cave?
Common sense says that the governing bodies will cave in, but given their track record on common sense who knows!
I am, and always will be, opposed to anchoring. I honestly think its against the spirit of the game BUT action against it came too late.
If the USGA & R&A had banned it when it started we would not have this problem now, but they didn’t. 15 + years down the line is far far too late.
And once the governing bodies back down they will struggle to keep control.
What we need is 1 world wide governing body controlling golf at all levels.
The days of doddering old fools with dodgy handshakes and the right club tie belong in the last century.
A body which is 100% professional with a CEO answering to an elected board of professional is what is needed, and I mean business professionals not just golfers.
We need to rewrite the rules of golf in plain English.
We need to eliminate slow play.
We desperately need to eliminate sexism, especially within the R&A and clubs hosting the Open Championship.
Look at the LPGA, it was floundering, badly. The appointment of Mike Whan was an act of genius, the LPGA went and simply got the right man, the right professional for the job.
We need to get the governing bodies, all professional and amateur bodies round the same table and get this sorted.
We need to grow golf now more than ever
Will it happen? Never in my life time I fear.
I can just see the “old school tie” mob in the R&A sipping a claret going “these colonials have a bit of a cheek”
But we can dream of equality.
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