I am not a golfer, and I would never have known, if the Washington Post had not enlightened me, that there was such a thing as an anchored putter, or that it is on the verge of being banned.
That won't stop me from shouting a loud "HURRAH," though. Too many other sports have introduced changes over the years, for example in basketball where that whole three-point shot didn't exist. (Incidentally, basketball also used to have a penalty for what was known as "traveling" - was that changed at some point, maybe while I was overseas? - but one way or the other, no one much seems to care if the players take three steps, or twenty, without dribbling.
Then, there's tennis, a game I played for quite a few years. But those new gigantic, wide raquets? Or two-handed strokes? Give me a break!
Most of these modern changes seem to me aimed not at making it a better, tougher, or more challenging sport, but a more interesting, lively, or higher-scoring spectator experience. Pro sports are really the diametric opposite of real sports, because they encourage people to sit on their behinds rather than getting any exercise.
Changes for these reasons may increase advertising dollars and professional players' and teams' profits, but they don't do much for the "sport" that the game's non-pro afficionados play. If a strict and clear line could be drawn between the amateur and professional games, I might be more in favor, but it's inevitable that the changes introduced for non-sporting reasons creep into the weekend duffer's game too.
Golf may not even technically be a "sport." It's more of a game, but one that involves a degree of skill and effort, no doubt about it. But I applaud the effort to preserve tradition, and to ensure that records set now are comparable to those set decades ago.