We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Playing Out of a Divot?

Whatever happens to a Ball by accident, must be reckoned a Rub of the green.
Click to expand...

So a ball that lands in an unrepaired club mark left when a golfer took a divot is accidental. Even if the golfer's intent in leaving the club mark unrepaired was to penalize following golfers, the odds of a folowing shot landing that spot are very long, so an unfortunate landing there should be considered an accident.

Now a stymie, on the other hand, is different. One player certainly could stymie another by accident, but some golfers played for the stymie deliberately. So to me modification of the stymie rule makes sense.

In a perfect world, every golfer would repair club marks, and apparently that will happen before people stop calling them divots.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Full disclosure: I probably would feel differently about this if I hit more fairways.
 
Had this dandy yesterday after a great drive. At least local rule was in effect to move due to no sand on the carts.

IMG_20200915_130345.jpg
 
Last edited:
troyefl said:
Had this dandy yesterday after a great drive. At least local rule was in effect to move due to no sand on the carts.

View attachment 8963844
Click to expand...

I'd say dig it out and play on. Of course, in this case, the rule was in effect to permit moving the ball for the faint of heart, but otherwise just hit it and do your best.
 
16 pages. Impressive.

Fairway Divot. Move it. If you want to hit out of it, be my guest.
 
This conversation has started to stir again after what happened to Westwood this weekend. It got me thinking once again about how to properly define a rule that would work both as a common sense action, and one that could be easily defined while playing. Here's what I have come up with;

Damaged Fairway Lies
- A ball coming to rest in the fairway on damaged ground will be granted relief if the following conditions are present: (1) the ball must be below the regular surface of the fairway, and (2) the damaged area must exceed the width of the golf ball. Relief granted will be one club length from nearest point of relief with knee high drop

This solves for a lot of the gray area where nearly healed divots would not exceed that width requirement, and it also supports areas of the course that are damaged due to burnout etc (since we don't all play perfect conditions).

Thoughts?
 
It'll never happen. Too logical.
 
Canadan said:
This conversation has started to stir again after what happened to Westwood this weekend. It got me thinking once again about how to properly define a rule that would work both as a common sense action, and one that could be easily defined while playing. Here's what I have come up with;

Damaged Fairway Lies
- A ball coming to rest in the fairway on damaged ground will be granted relief if the following conditions are present: (1) the ball must be below the regular surface of the fairway, and (2) the damaged area must exceed the width of the golf ball. Relief granted will be one club length from nearest point of relief with knee high drop

This solves for a lot of the gray area where nearly healed divots would not exceed that width requirement, and it also supports areas of the course that are damaged due to burnout etc (since we don't all play perfect conditions).

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Can I line it up? I like your solution, it’s clear and concise. This doesn’t need to be difficult!
 
RealPretendPsychic said:
Can I line it up? I like your solution, it’s clear and concise. This doesn’t need to be difficult!
Click to expand...
line it up from a knee high drop? Or when the ball rolls forward and you get to place?

If the latter, I guess that's up to the rest of the rules to decide haha
 
How about. If the ball is in the fairway you can move it 6in in any direction no closer to the hole.
 
Canadan said:
line it up from a knee high drop? Or when the ball rolls forward and you get to place?

If the latter, I guess that's up to the rest of the rules to decide haha
Click to expand...
I’ll leave it up to my playing partners to decide, but they’re a bunch of degenerates who are unlikely to grant me relief anyway so I doubt it comes into play. If we can have a tournament with lift and clean on both courses over two days just to make things fair for everyone, I would really hope this makes the list of rules to be addressed.
 
RealPretendPsychic said:
I’ll leave it up to my playing partners to decide, but they’re a bunch of degenerates who are unlikely to grant me relief anyway so I doubt it comes into play. If we can have a tournament with lift and clean on both courses over two days just to make things fair for everyone, I would really hope this makes the list of rules to be addressed.
Click to expand...
It'll be fun to see if a guy like Whan gets it on the radar.
 
1. I can't believe this thread is back

2. I can't believe I strolled in, because..

3. If I remember right, I hadn't had to play from a divot in ages until I came in here last time and then it was like a freaking epidemic.
 
OldandStiff said:
1. I can't believe this thread is back

2. I can't believe I strolled in, because..

3. If I remember right, I hadn't had to play from a divot in ages until I came in here last time and then it was like a freaking epidemic.
Click to expand...
 
OldandStiff said:
1. I can't believe this thread is back

2. I can't believe I strolled in, because..

3. If I remember right, I hadn't had to play from a divot in ages until I came in here last time and then it was like a freaking epidemic.
Click to expand...
Better you than me!!! hahahahahaha

...now let's fix it
 
How about off of a divot? I had this happen to me 4 years ago at my home course after a perfect tee shot. The odds have to be astronomically low of this ever happing to me again, lol. FWIW, I did play it from it’s perch on top of the divot.

FFA4EA4A-9895-45FE-B9F5-87A31DF5B0B6.jpeg
 
Canadan said:
Better you than me!!! hahahahahaha

...now let's fix it
Click to expand...
Nope. I'll leave it to you.

A goose stole my ball a couple weeks ago and we've been hitting mud covered balls on approach for months. **** happens. Didn't Westwood just roll with it?
 
tahoebum said:
How about off of a divot? I had this happen to me 4 years ago at my home course after a perfect tee shot. The odds have to be astronomically low of this ever happing to me again, lol. FWIW, I did play it from it’s perch on top of the divot.

View attachment 8997118
Click to expand...
#lifegoal to play from a lie like that.:LOL:
 
Canadan said:
This conversation has started to stir again after what happened to Westwood this weekend. It got me thinking once again about how to properly define a rule that would work both as a common sense action, and one that could be easily defined while playing. Here's what I have come up with;

Damaged Fairway Lies
- A ball coming to rest in the fairway on damaged ground will be granted relief if the following conditions are present: (1) the ball must be below the regular surface of the fairway, and (2) the damaged area must exceed the width of the golf ball. Relief granted will be one club length from nearest point of relief with knee high drop

This solves for a lot of the gray area where nearly healed divots would not exceed that width requirement, and it also supports areas of the course that are damaged due to burnout etc (since we don't all play perfect conditions).

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
It makes perfect sense. Which is probably why it will never be implemented, haha.
 
I kind of want @Canadan 's relief rule in place, just to see Bryson argue with an official about the width of the damaged area or like what's actually below the fairway by using a visual aid or device to argue his case while he bad poker faces losing his **** about it. $5 says his caddy is made to carry a ruler. Lol
 
Last edited:
OldandStiff said:
I can't of want @Canadan 's relief rule in place, just to see Bryson argue with an official about the width of the damaged area or like what's actually below the fairway by using a visual aid or device to argue his case while he bad poker faces losing his **** about it. $5 says his caddy is made to carry a ruler. Lol
Click to expand...
that only covers one half of the rule I noted though.

Also, you can use a tee, don't need a ruler haha
 
Canadan said:
This conversation has started to stir again after what happened to Westwood this weekend. It got me thinking once again about how to properly define a rule that would work both as a common sense action, and one that could be easily defined while playing. Here's what I have come up with;

Damaged Fairway Lies
- A ball coming to rest in the fairway on damaged ground will be granted relief if the following conditions are present: (1) the ball must be below the regular surface of the fairway, and (2) the damaged area must exceed the width of the golf ball. Relief granted will be one club length from nearest point of relief with knee high drop

This solves for a lot of the gray area where nearly healed divots would not exceed that width requirement, and it also supports areas of the course that are damaged due to burnout etc (since we don't all play perfect conditions).

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
You might need to reword (1). I know what you mean, but as worded some would interpret the ball as essentially buried with the top of the ball below the regular surface. One humungous divot!

As an aside, this is one area where the pros have it so much better than we do. Between rounds, all divots get filled and tamped down with a seed and soil mix. Our courses? Not so much. I would LOVE it if I never had to deal with anything worse than what Westwood faced. The hole had been properly filled and tamped, so he had a lie that was almost level with the surrounding fairway grass.
 
Canadan said:
.......the ball must be below the regular surface of the fairway
Click to expand...
What part of the ball, the bottom, the equator, the top? Or, put another way, after defining which part, how far below the surface of the fairway? I just cannot see a way that one can define these abnormal ground conditions such that fair and equitable relief is given to all and not open to interpretation from one instance to the next. The only solution would be allowing one to pick, clean and place the ball in the fairway all the time and within a specified distance of the original lie since there is the the expectation that being in the fairway should always result in a perfect lie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top