The USGA \u201csaved\u201d golf several years ago by banning anchored putting strokes. Personally, I don\u2019t care if you anchor your putter. You can anchor your driver, if you want to.<\/p>\n
But now the USGA is saying, beginning in 2016 you cannot post rounds for your handicap if you played alone<\/a>. No witnesses, not post.<\/p>\n This decision is making people quite upset. <\/p>\n Golf Canada said they will not adhere to the new policy. <\/p>\n Golf publications are up in arms about this. Ryan Herrington, in the November 30, 2015 GolfWorld<\/em>, said the decision \u201cmakes this solitary journey feel a little more like a good walk spoiled.\u201d<\/p>\n Actually, it does the opposite. It liberates us from golf having to be a competition every time we go out, always having to play our very best because every shot has implications. <\/p>\n Handicaps were designed to level out competitions. But just because you might compete at sometime in the future doesn\u2019t mean that every stroke you play has to be hit with that uncertain future in mind.<\/p>\n This new policy gets us one step closer to a recreational game in which we go out to the course, bat the ball around, and have fun in a beautiful, relaxing environment, and nothing more.<\/p>\n And you can do that now if you play alone. (Of course, you don\u2019t have to post any of your rounds if you dump your handicap, but that\u2019s another blog post.)<\/p>\n The point is, many golfers enjoy playing alone, and then there are times you just want to run out, grab a quick nine, enjoy yourself, and then get back to your life.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re out there and you want to hit a do-over, go ahead! If you want to bend the rules or (horrors!) ignore one, go ahead, because you won\u2019t be posting your score. <\/p>\n So go enjoy yourself. You won\u2019t have to worry about the USGA\u2019s handicap gods spoiling your good walk anymore.<\/p>\n Whether they know it or not, the USGA just made recreational golf a better game. I doubt that\u2019s what they intended, though, so let\u2019s just keep this our little secret. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The USGA \u201csaved\u201d golf several years ago by banning anchored putting strokes. Personally, I don\u2019t care if you anchor your putter. You can anchor your driver, if you want to. But now the USGA is saying, beginning in 2016 you cannot post rounds for your handicap if you played alone. No witnesses, not post. This … Continue reading The USGA Does Us a Favor<\/span>