A meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) hosted annually by R & A CEO Martin Slumbers with leading members of the European Tour media would seem now very timely.

Less than eight weeks into a new season and the proud ‘self-calling penalty’ game of golf is being dogged by all the wrong headlines.

There’s been no fewer than 10 different scenarios to controversially tug at the ancient club-and-ball game’s heart strings.

All but one of the 10 relate to the Rules of Golf.

Three of controversies come from new rules introduced on January 1st and with two of the three embarrassingly for the ruling bodies resulting in a new interpretation of a caddy helping line-up a player rule.

But don’t tell that to China’s Haotong Li.

Two other breaches of the rules, and one particularly serious involving Sergio Garcia, were blatant acts of petulance.

In fairness both Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau have publically apologised but how Garcia avoided both a lengthy suspension and a hefty fine remains bewildering.

Another two rules incidents, and taking place last Sunday in Mexico City, involved similar ball positions but with one getting a ‘free’ drop and the other, and that being Rory McIlroy, being denied a similar ‘free’ drop.

The incident for McIlroy, and adjudicated correctly, effectively derailed his Mexican victory goal.

In talking of free drops, there was an earlier incident in Mexico leaving Rickie Fowler being slapped with a one-stroke penalty and now calling the new drop knee-high drop rule ‘terrible’ and seeking a change.

Other rules-related incidents this new year concerned a high-ranked US female amateur warned she faces losing her amateur status if she continues to be seen in TV ads.

We also had Genesis Open champ, J B Holmes slammed for slow play on route to victory in LA.

Also last week there was the bizarre claim two of LPGA’s top female golfers may have been guilty of ‘backstopping’.

Backstopping and defined under Rule 15-3a is the purposeful act of helping assist another player’s shot by first not marking your own ball on the green.

In a nutshell, if you left your ball close to the flag and an opponent purposely hit your ball for advantage you both could be penalised two strokes under the Rule.

The only non-rules outcry so far this season involved Matt Kuchar finally limiting damage control by agreeing to pay his 2018 Mayakoba Classic winning caddy a rightful victory payment.

We are still two months shy of the year’s first Major and with golf desperately needing to escape such negative headlines.