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Playing Out of a Divot?

JB

JB

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We have had threads like this before, but wanted to ask here.

Many on THP believe that it should be ruled ground under repair. As it benefits those from the early round a bit more than later. If that is the case, when during the healing process, would you think it would no longer be under repair?

And do you think shady golfers would begin taking relief at every bad lie they encountered?
 
Two questions in that post. Answers are: never at the end and yes.
 
That would be the hard part to discern, is it healed. I would say if you could reach down and move it easily it isn't healed. (then you run into the ball moving)
Second part, yes they would
 
Until it grows back?

Yes, they would.
 
I think Covidian law applies here. Be happy we're out playing golf. move it under GUR and playon. Since there are no sand bottles on course, we can't repair any divot.
 
Snickerdog said:
That would be the hard part to discern, is it healed. I would say if you could reach down and move it easily it isn't healed. (then you run into the ball moving)
Second part, yes they would
Click to expand...

I'm guessing you're referring to a divot that has had the pelt replaced.

What about a sand filled divot?
 
Golf is a game of self policing. It is what makes the game so wonderful in a lot of ways, however, we also have each other and technology to support what we may not be able to define.

playing out of a divot in a fairway makes less than zero sense to me. It is a fairway and it was designed to be a fairway by the original architect. Not unlike the areas of a course marked GUR due to simple things like bake-out or rain, it should seem quite simple that if a ball is in a divot created by a golf club, it should get relief.

Order of logic required to gain relief;
1- playing stroke play for handicap - player discretion
2- playing matchplay - agreed upon ruling by all parties in match (with tiebreaker going to pro shop)
3- tournament - agreed upon by all competitors in the foursome (with tiebreaker going to pro shop)

Super simple, super easy.
 
I have never seen a spot marked GUR because of rain. Maybe a handful of times for a baked out fairway, but I must be playing the lower end courses because I don't think they know what GUR is where I play.
 
JB said:
We have had threads like this before, but wanted to ask here.

Many on THP believe that it should be ruled ground under repair. As it benefits those from the early round a bit more than later. If that is the case, when during the healing process, would you think it would no longer be under repair?

And do you think shady golfers would begin taking relief at every bad lie they encountered?
Click to expand...

Playing out of divots is "rub of the green" so to speak. Not GUR. We play the ball down in my Saturday group and no one takes drops if they are in a divot. I walk and still carry a sand bottle and fill my digits during a round. Golf is hard, people need to learn the game instead of looking for shortcuts....just my .02
 
Canadan said:
Golf is a game of self policing. It is what makes the game so wonderful in a lot of ways, however, we also have each other and technology to support what we may not be able to define.

playing out of a divot in a fairway makes less than zero sense to me. It is a fairway and it was designed to be a fairway by the original architect. Not unlike the areas of a course marked GUR due to simple things like bake-out or rain, it should seem quite simple that if a ball is in a divot created by a golf club, it should get relief.

Order of logic required to gain relief;
1- playing stroke play for handicap - player discretion
2- playing matchplay - agreed upon ruling by all parties in match (with tiebreaker going to pro shop)
3- tournament - agreed upon by all competitors in the foursome (with tiebreaker going to pro shop)

Super simple, super easy.
Click to expand...

We need to create the Not a Divot app, like Jin Yang did for Not a Hot Dog.

 
OGputtnfool said:
I'm guessing you're referring to a divot that has had the pelt replaced.

What about a sand filled divot?
Click to expand...
Sand filled would take a long time to heal, so if agreed upon by the group then move. Otherwise play it as it lies.
 
I think it's healed enough when it's not like bumpers going down the bowling alley.

Give relief, this game is hard enough. Playing from the front or middle of the divot isn't awful but man.. Back of the divot is cruelty.
 
donny475 said:
Playing out of divots is "rub of the green" so to speak. Not GUR. We play the ball down in my Saturday group and no one takes drops if they are in a divot. I walk and still carry a sand bottle and fill my digits during a round. Golf is hard, people need to learn the game instead of looking for shortcuts....just my .02
Click to expand...
I'd like to better understand why "rub of the green" is a reason to continue to play out of a divot.

There was a time that balls couldn't be marked on greens, and you basically had to play around them. "Rub of the green" they said. That was stupid, and the rules changed. So too should this.
 
Snickerdog said:
Sand filled would take a long time to heal, so if agreed upon by the group then move. Otherwise play it as it lies.
Click to expand...

After thinking about it a bit, I need to ask. What would be so hard about playing off a divot that had the pelt replaced? I mean, seems to me it'd be like any other fairway lie unless maybe you were lying on the crease.
 
JB said:
We need to create the Not a Divot app, like Jin Yang did for Not a Hot Dog
Click to expand...
I'll put it right beside the app we apparently need with one rule change that requires all golfers to go through a "POS test" to be allowed to golf in tournaments, since 'cheaters will run rampant and ruin the integrity of the game' etc etc
 
Canadan said:
There was a time that balls couldn't be marked on greens, and you basically had to play around them. "Rub of the green" they said. That was stupid, and the rules changed.
Click to expand...

How often do you think that actually happened?
 
JB said:
And do you think shady golfers would begin taking relief at every bad lie they encountered?
Click to expand...
Definitely.
 
My .02 - It's no longer under repair when it resembles the fairway around it.

Would shady golfers try to take advantage of it? I'm sure some would. The rule should still be changed to allow relief from divots, IMO.
 
Canadan said:
what difference does that make? The logic made no sense, so they fixed it.

..just like they should here
Click to expand...
I agree. Should someone have a bad lie if they hit it where they were supposed to....in the fairway. Why be penalized for hitting where you were supposed to just because it's rub of the green, or luck of the draw, or whatever cliche you want to come up with.
 
ToddJ027b said:
I agree. Should someone have a bad lie if they hit it where they were supposed to....in the fairway. Why be penalized for hitting where you were supposed to just because it's rub of the green, or luck of the draw, or whatever cliche you want to come up with.
Click to expand...
we may as well start putting small patches of super gnarly rough in various fairway spots to really drill home this 'rub of the green' stuff, as golfers have it too easy :ROFLMAO:
 
mtbloco said:
I think Covidian law applies here. Be happy we're out playing golf. move it under GUR and playon. Since there are no sand bottles on course, we can't repair any divot.
Click to expand...
I agree. As one who thinks playing out of the hole left by divots is just the rub of the green and the ball should be played as it lies (one of the most basic tenets of the game!), I do think with the absence of sand bottles to fill in these holes and promote grass growth that they should temporarily be played as GUR. There is no objective way to determine when a divot hole has "healed", whether in fact it was ever a divot hole or just another depression in the ground. Being subjective, of course shady golfers will take advantage of the situation.

That said, unless we are playing a match and have agreed to something one way or the other, or we are in a tournament playing strictly by the Rules, go ahead and move it. A casual round of golf is meant to be fun. It might affect your handicap in the long run but I doubt by enough to make an impact when you play in something where it is required, so have fun!
 
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