Is the ‘broom handled’ putter about to be brushed out of the door?

With the 39th Ryder Cup matches almost upon us, and being a keen golfer myself, I thought it was appropriate to look at what has been described as a "complex and emotive issue" in the golfing world dividing opinion, the long putter. To prove that we are a broad and diverse church here at LawInSport at the heart of this post will be the hallowed Rules of Golf ('ROG') as a 'law in sport', which is jointly administered by the two principal governing bodies in golf the Royal & Ancient ('R&A') and the United States Golf Association ('USGA').