The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) believes that a ban of anchoring a golf club could have a negative impact on participation in the game of golf now and in the future.
The NGCOA agrees with the PGA of America in recognizing the important role of the United States Golf Association has in preserving the game, and creating and implementing the Rules of Golf. The NGCOA also understands that part of that responsibility includes preserving those elements of the game that are part and parcel of the challenge and appeal of the game.
However, the NGCOA believes that in order to preserve the game as a vital part of the sporting landscape, its popularity needs to increase or at the very least maintain its current level. Any action that inhibits the ability of participants to enjoy the game could negatively impact current participation levels and threaten to undermine industry-wide efforts to grow the game.
The USGA’s proposed ban on anchoring would be more understandable if there had been some quantifiable research conducted to demonstrate that the anchored method confers some unfair competitive advantage. To date, the NGCOA has seen no evidence to that effect.
It is the position of the NGCOA that the entire industry should be doing what it can to increase the popularity of the game and thereby ensure its myriad benefits are enjoyed by as many people as possible, now and in the future. To that end, the NGCOA does not support, and asks the USGA to reconsider, the ban on anchoring.
