"The 12th Condition of Competition could be golf’s great compromise."

PGA of America President Ted Bishop expands on the "12th Condition of Competition" idea he talked about on last week's State of the Game podcast where the USGA and R&A would adopt this to allow for anchoring say, on the Champions Tour. Or in the Former Yippers Open.

He says the idea came from current USGA President Glen Nager during a buddies bonding trip at Augusta. Warms your heart, I know!

If the USGA would drop the proposed Rule 14-1b and instead, make the ban on anchoring a Condition of Competition in the Rule Book, all entities in golf could handle it the way they want. Rule 33-1 provides, “The Committee must establish conditions under which a competition is to be played.”

Currently, there are eleven (11) Conditions of Competition in the Rules of Golf. These conditions include matters which are not appropriate to deal with in the rules of the game. They include such matters as Specification of Clubs and the Ball; Caddies; Pace of Play and Suspension of Play; Practice, Advice, Anti-Doping, etc. These Conditions of Competition are options available to any entity who is conducting an event.

And why is the idea, a seemingly good one in many respects, dead on arrival?

Is a 12th Condition of Competition a perfect solution? Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Tim Clark, Adam Scott and Carl Petterson will say no. At least, they would get to anchor their long putters in all but maybe three events each year- the U.S. Open, the British Open and maybe The Masters.

That's the killer. If onef ot eh four majors already telegraphs that they wouldn't be on board, it's impossible for the governing bodies go through with this, no?