Now that the 2013 has started, it's time to look a little bit back, and a little bit forward.

And sure, there are some reasons to be a bit turned off by golf. It's as expensive as ever, it can be painfully slow, and gone are the days when use your gut as a third hand while putting (if you're into that sort of thing), but there are even more reasons to be optimistic. We've got two players who tower over the rest of the field (plus a select group of more-than-competant runners-up), the majors are all entertaining, and the Playoffs won't take a plead from the President to work (unlike the BCS).

It's fun to follow sports on a week-by-week basis, but it's also valuable to take a step back once in a while. Let's dive in.

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In 2016, anchoring putters will be outlawed, and the joint USGA/R&A ruling caused quite a stir when the proposed ban was announced. The ruling bodies contend that anchoring a golf club to the body is not a swinging motion, and thus not allowable under the Rules of Golf. Supporters of belly and long putters rely on arguments like "the game is evolving," "long putters will grow the game," and "they don't provide an advantage."

Because it's a decision that involves $300 putters, three of the last five major winners, and putting guru Dave Pelz, it made noise in the sports world despite the basketball and football seasons being in full swing.

Reactions to the decision have been interesting, to say the least. Several forum threads (here and here) revealed that golfers were against a ban in 2007, but times have changed, and another poll has a majority of responders supporting the ban. Golf writers, on the other hand, seem staunchly against the ban, and many have been quick to criticize the ruling. Professional golfers seem similarly split, so let's take a bit of time to respond to what people have had to say.

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Unless you've been living under a rock that doesn't get WiFi for the last few days, you've likely heard the story of how the United States lost the Ryder Cup. Leading the European team 10-6 going into the Sunday singles matches, the U.S. got off to a slow start, and although they did manage to knock over a few dominoes in the middle of the day, a par putt on the 18th green gave the victory in the penultimate match to former world number one Martin Kaymer.

The normal Ryder Cup formula was reversed, in that the Euros got down in team play and made it up in the singles. The U.S. team, which looked poised to clinch the Cup well before the so-called anchors of Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods came down the stretch, was set up well, with it's high-energy youngsters starting off play.

But in the end, the Stateside team was no match for, as I put it last week, Ian Poulter's fist-pumps and patriotism.

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Going into the 2012 Ryder Cup, there isn’t a noticeable chasm between the two teams. The Euros have the hottest player in the world over the last two months in Rory McIlroy, but the American team has Tiger Woods and 2012 FedExCup champ Brandt Snedeker. The U.S. team has one more player in the OWGR top 10, as well as the highest average ranking, but the European team has three of the top four players. The American team has slightly more overall experience, but the Euros have a better overall record. And so on it goes.

The Americans are looking to bring the Cup back Stateside, while the Europeans hope to keep it. Let’s break it down.

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