Golf Coast: Latest golf rule changes don't address real issues

Golf is a tradition-rich sport with a world history dating back centuries.

It's also equipped with governing rules just like any other sport.

But after last week's announcement from the United States Golf Association and Royal & Ancient Golf Club on the 2016 Rules of Golf, the changes coming still don't address the core problem: fixing antiquated rules.

OK, the USGA and R&A did get it right with the rules that were changed.

Those were:

Rule 14-1b: the ban on anchoring a club during a stroke

Rule 18-2b: ball moving after address is withdrawn

Rule 6-6d: an exception to disqualification penalty for incorrect scorecard

Rule 14-3: penalty modification for using artificial devices or equipment

Each of those rule changes are good for the game. In order, the ban on anchored clubs is specifically linked to the rise in anchored putting. Players like Adam Scott have already transitioned away from the anchored putter. The ball moving after address only costs you a one-shot penalty when the facts show you caused it to move, not because wind or some other factor caused it to move when you addressed it. The third rule change in the above list (Rule 6-6d), takes away armchair quarterbacks from affecting a professional golfer's livelihood. In no other sport have people watched the events unfold on television, then called to say there should be a penalty enforced and that player is DQ'ed from the tournament for signing an incorrect scorecard.

No longer is that the case as players are not DQ'ed for turning in a signed card when penalty shots are added after the fact.

Finally, the fourth rule change doesn't automatically DQ someone for using a GPS or other artificial device upon the first use. Rather, it's a loss of hole in match play and two shots in stroke play. Additional breaching of the rule equals a DQ, though.

Those rule changes are good, but golf still lags behind when it comes to the real issues with the rules.

How about adding a provision that players get free relief when their ball is in a divot through the green?

Golfers get relief with the embedded ball rule through the green, and they should get the same consideration when smacking a perfect tee shot down the middle of the fairway that somehow finds a divot.

You shouldn't get penalized for hitting a good golf shot and finding the short grass. That's why it's for shots through the green (ie. balls resting on the course except for the teeing ground, putting green and hazards).

If a shot settles on a sprinkler head, you get free relief. If a shot nestles on an ant hill, you'll get relief.

So why not give it to a ball stopping in a divot after it was striped down the middle of the fairway?

Fix that and speed up play. Golf has seen a decrease in activity during the social media age, where younger generations possess shorter attention spans than ever before.

So let's get rid of antiquated rules and examine how to grow the game with faster play, so the grand old sport can live for centuries to come.

Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017 or via email at jdill@bradenton.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason__Dill and like his Facebook page at Jason Dill Bradenton Herald.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 11:31 PM with the headline "Golf Coast: Latest golf rule changes don't address real issues ."