The so-called "90-day period of consultation" on the proposed ban on anchoring is now over and officials of both the R&A and the USGA have plenty of gripes and groans to mull over.
It's a bit like a golfing version of Points of View.
Tim Finchem, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, whipped up something of a storm when he indicated that his circuit would fight the ban on the use of long and belly putters that are anchored to a part of the body. With the top brass at the PGA of America also expressing their opposition to the outlawing, there is a danger that a major star spangled spanner is set to be plunged into the works.
On this side of the Atlantic, the Professional Golfers' Association, led by Scotsman Sandy Jones, has indicated that it will fall into line with the R&A and the USGA while it is expected that the European Tour will follow suit.
The threat of a huge division in the game and the prospect of bifurcation – two sets of rules for amateurs and professionals – means the powers-that-be won't be rushing into a decision on the proposed rule 14-1b. There will be much debate to come.
"Anchoring has been a polarising issue in our sport and despite having weighed the matter thoroughly before making the proposal, we believed it was important to give stakeholders in the game the opportunity to air their views," said an R&A spokesperson last night. "As we have throughout this process, we will work closely with the USGA in moving towards a final resolution."
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