Tom,
Like every other club registered golfer in the world, I have always obediently followed the rules at any given point in golf's history. viz ; the R & A for me on this side.
I can remember finding old (1.62) regulation balls and whacking them into oblivion at the nearest farmland field next to our course. My attitude was, that golf had moved on and that the people who governed golf knew what they were doing. There was opposition (and resentment) to the changeover but it all blew over - as things do !
At that time, I was just as loud mouthed about all things golf, but didn't have the brain to write everything down or be more outwardly proactive. That came with a wee bit of wisdom later in life (I think) ! Perhaps I should have read this excerpt I received yesterday from a respondant to my essay ;
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Interestingly at present I am reading the book by Alister McKenzie "The Spirit of St Andrews" from the original manuscripts circa 1930's. I am sure that you will be familiar with it but to reiterate.
In Chapter 2 ,* Flight of the Ball* he states that " he is a strong believer in limiting the flight of the ball" and advocates the use of the "floater" later he states that " Something very drastic ought to have been done ( re the ball ) years and years ago. Golf courses are becoming far too long. Twenty years ago we played three rounds of golf a day and considered we had taken an indeterminably long time if we took more than two hours to play a round. Today it takes infrequently three hours." Later he says " It is often suggested that we have got to the limit of the flight of the ball. I do not believe it, as there is no limit to science."
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My philosophy is that people in general do not like going back with anything. Perhaps that's why we perpetually make mistakes. Sometimes people just don't know what is best for them and tamely accept representative decisions made on their behalf ? The blind leading the blind.
I, and many others, have already had an opportunity in time to speak out against technology, but didn't take it. Maybe I was blind - but now I see !
Only fools ignore the past and refuse to take lessons from it. I know, I've been there and wore the T-shirt !
Your suggestion is a compromise I personally would see as a step in right direction. But I would far prefer to see the ruling bodies regain their dignity by imposing the roll back rule - one in - all in, given that all golfers have always been (traditionally) equals.
Aw the best,
Alfie Ward