PGA of America president: Ban a 'step backwards'

• By Randall Mell
• Nov 28, 2012 12:55 PM ET

PGA of America president Ted Bishop told Golf Channel his organization is concerned over how the proposed new rule banning anchored putting will affect its initiatives to grow the game.

"We have spent a lot of time in the past year to get out of the box and think of ways to make golf more enjoyable," Bishop said. "We view this potentially as a step backwards in that philosophy."

Bishop said a majority of club pros surveyed by the PGA of America do not favor banning anchored putting.

Of the 4,228 club pros surveyed by the PGA last week, 63 percent did not want to see a ban. The sampling represents 16 percent of the PGA's membership.

"It indicates the concern that PGA pros have for how this might impact the growth of the game," Bishop said.

Bishop said that's a considerable concern of the entire organization.

"Maybe some of the frustration that the PGA of America feels is that we have conveyed concerns on how this might impact growth of the game, enjoyment of the game," Bishop said. "We spent a lot of time in the past year promoting Golf 2.0 and have gotten a lot of national support for that. So, I just don't want to see anything happen right now that takes a step back in that area."

"I don't know that it will drive people away from the game. The biggest concern is for the group of core golfers who have decided that this is a method of putting that will greatly help their enjoyment of the game. When people are playing better, they play more golf.

"Fundamentally and philosophically, it's disappointing to the PGA of America that anything would happen right now that would have any potential negative impact on enjoyment and rounds played."