USGA executive director pens open letter to members

• By Will Gray
• Dec 26, 2012 9:42 PM ET

As the final days of 2012 draw near, U.S. Golf Association executive director Mike Davis penned an open letter this week to members reflecting on a year in which the governing body grabbed headlines both on and off the course.

Davis opened his remarks by touching upon the various championships conducted by the USGA this year, highlighted by Webb Simpson's U.S. Open triumph at Olympic and Steven Fox's improbable comeback to claim the U.S. Amateur title in extra holes over Michael Weaver.

The letter also briefly mentioned one of the biggest stories of the year in golf - a proposed ban on anchored strokes, devised in conjunction with the Royal & Ancient and announced last month. Set to take effect in 2016, the proposed rule change is one that Davis described as "an effort to preserve the traditional character of the golf swing and the challenge of the game."

Another topic discussed in the letter is water shortage, which Davis views as "one of the game's biggest challenges." He noted that the USGA convened a summit last month with industry experts to begin to address the problem and work on potential solutions.

"The availability of water is a major concern for golf courses in many parts of the country," he added.