PGA TOUR Pros Want Their Own Set of Rules

The USGA recently unveiled a list of multiple rule changes that they are hoping to implement in the next few years and this has brought up a question that has surrounded the golf game for years: Should professionals and amateurs be playing under the same set of rules?

This was a question that was posed to professionals by GOLF.com last month during the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the results seem to be in favor of separate sets of rules.  In fact, over 60% of the professionals who were asked this question believed that there should be different rules for the different players.

Currently, the two sets of players follow the same sets of rules, some of which professionals think can be taken advantage of.  For example, players are allowed to leave the flagstick in for tricky putts, for the purpose of using it as a backstop.  Another rule that pros could take advantage of, according to Graeme McDowell, is the repairing of spike marks.  McDowell says that players can abuse this by making a groove that leads to the hole.

>>my thoughts also

RT @TonyJohnstone56 .@RandA Repairing spike damage WILL be abused. Tried on Eurotour in 80’s. Some made groove into hole

— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) March 1, 2017

Several other pros have been vocal about this question on social media as well.  While the consensus is that many of the rule changes that are coming from the USGA are moving in a positive direction but all of these same players believe that the pros should have their own rulebook when they are on the course.

Another of the controversial rules that both amateurs and professionals could take advantage of is the ability to have a distance measuring device on the course with them.  Matt Kuchar’s caddie, John Wood talked of the importance of this, stating, “To be able to simply whip out your DMD and laser the flagstick would take out an important component of what the players and the caddies have to do.”

Judging from the reactions of many professionals on the PGA TOUR, it may be wise for the USGA to reconsider combining the rules for amateurs and pros and it will be interesting to see if they revise their upcoming rule change plans to appease their golfers.

Cover Photo via Flickr