Brandel's Five Worst Developments Of The Last 50 Years

Brandel Chamblee had me nodding in agreement with this first two "worst developments of the last 50 years" by naming "Overly Complicated Instruction" and "The Stimpmeter."

Number three, the "rule against anchored strokes," however, would have placed about 334th on my list somewhere between Andy North winning two majors and Bobby Clampett announcing at Amen Corner.

3. The rule against anchored strokes. An effort to quash an unsightly professional trend, this is another blow to the declining base of this game. Golf is supposed to be a game for a lifetime, and the anchored putter was a port in the storm of fraying nerves caused by aging. The USGA and R&A, both of which have done so much good, stood silent on this issue for 40-plus years and then stood insolent to the petitions of many. Bifurcation is a stupid word for what would have been a smart move, to provide for the differences between the professionals and the 50 million others who play at a vastly lower level. 

He recovers admirably with #2, Slow Play, and #1, the deaths of Tony Lema and Payne Stewart.