With the modern rules of golf set to take hold beginning in 2019, one of the main goals was to simplify the rulebook.

Changes like allowing players to putt with the flagstick in and fix spike marks on greens could potentially lead to further disputes down the road, and there’s no question more debate will unfold due to the inherit intricacies in the rules of golf.

With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the top eight biggest rules disputes of 2018:

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

8. Jimmy Walker, backstopping

The idea of ‘backstopping’ – players intentionally leaving their balls unmarked on the green before their partner chips – has been a controversial topic for some time now, and former PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker drew serious attention to the issue when he took to Twitter and described how it can work as a buddy system of sorts.