USGA's Davis signals simplification of Rules of Golf

It hasn’t been a good last handful of years or so for the Rules of Golf. They’ve been used by observant fans to get players in trouble from the comfort of their couches. They were muddied in a way that marred the end of the U.S. Open, perhaps the ultimate stepping-in-it moment for the USGA, which, along with the R&A, crafts the rulebook.

In the wake of the litany embarrassing situations the Rules of Golf have created, the USGA is working toward making them a little easier to understand.

Speaking at the PGA of America’s annual meeting this week in New York, USGA executive director and CEO Mike Davis said the organization will soon unveil a first-effort version of a revised, simplified slate of rules.

“We are assessing how we can make the Rules of Golf easier, plain English, easier to apply. Some of the rules right now are simply too difficult,” he said, according to Golf Channel.

That can only be a good thing, particularly, as Davis indicated, if that simplification offers a better way to handle what happened to Dustin Johnson at Oakmont.

“As for the Dustin Johnson ruling, Rule 18-2, that God-forsaken rule, that is going to be getting attention in the near future,” Davis said. “We listen and we learn.”

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.