Should each tour have it's own set of rules?

[TN94z]

I was reading a Golfweek article written by John Maginnes.  He talks about how the PGA Tour, European Tour, etc...should each have their own set of rules. With all of the recent talk of belly putters and anchoring going on, he states that:

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If there was ever a time for the professional organizations to step in the time is now.

He explains that there are quite a few players using one of these types of putters and as much as 50% of the Champions Tour players use them.  Placing a ban on these styles are effectively going to make some players chances of making a living be much harder.

Quote:

The PGA Tour (and the other organizations) has shown reluctance to step in and adopt its own set of rules but it could and it should. It would give the professional game the ability to govern far more than the length of a guy’s putter. It then could easily handle some of the other aspects of the game that have been ignored by the USGA and its counterpart.

The tour, with its own set of rules, could mandate that the ball be dialed back a few percentage points so that players only hit it 340 instead of 355. This is just one example that would be good for the game. Long players would still be long but maybe we wouldn’t have to rebuild every great golf course in the world to make it a challenge for the best players in the world.

He goes on to say talk a little about amateurs and Pros playing by the same rules

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The possibilities here are endless. There is no other sport that even attempts to have the same set of rules for professionals as it does for amateurs. Furthermore there is no other sport where the governing body for the professionals is an amateur organization. I have the utmost respect for the USGA and the R&A.; What I don’t understand is how it would cause any problem for the professional game to govern the professional game.

I have heard all the tired, old arguments before about how golf is the only game with one set of rules for all. What I don’t understand is the thinking that it is a good thing. You don’t play like Bubba, Ernie, Webb or Tiger. Their organization should make their rules. The rest of us, those who play for the love of the game, will continue to ignore the rules on Saturday mornings like always.

So what do you guys think?  Good idea? Bad idea?  Would this just make everything more complicated than it already is or would this solve issues that seem to have no resolution at the moment?

[Beachcomber]

I really like John Maginnes (Maginnes on Tap is great)... But I'm sorry.  He is wrong here IMO.  I like that the R&A; and USGA work together to put together a universal language that we all understand and follow which is the 'Rules of Golf'.  I believe the tours should continue to use the rules published by these two bodies as the doctrine and follow them accordingly.

While I agree they should incorporate a rule change for the long putter (belly)... If it doesn't go into effect until 2016, then so be it.  It gives everyone plenty of time to adjust accordingly.  And it isn't like the Long putter has started to cause scoring records to be shattered or anything.  Has it?

And I think it is concidental that 3 of the last four majors have been won by long putters.  And that it isn't going to make the conventional putting stroke obsolete.  I'll go as far to say that even if players with long putters win the balance of the majors between the 2012 PGA and the 2015 PGA... Then so be it.  The long putter had its run in golf, just like steroids in baseball.

The steroids comment is a joke by the way.