Should you be able to get relief from divots in the fairway?

Should you be allowed to get relief from divots in the fairway?

  • Yes

    Votes: 40 34.2%
  • No

    Votes: 78 66.7%

  • Total voters
    117

Jimaroid

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 15, 2014
Messages
3,734
Location
Fife
Visit site
*points at whole sentence*

Do you not accept that the natural consequence of striking a soft material with a hard implement will result in that soft material being deformed?

It would only be unnatural if a divot wasn't taken!

Divots are natural the same way a ball falling into a hole is natural, that is normal and expected.
 
D

Deleted member 21258

Guest
I wasn’t aware crows had golf clubs .. their damage is natural.
yeah I have seen divots explode but some attempt to make good would be appreciated..
and in the end it was a “ perhaps look at the issue another way” it’s a subjective topic so there are no right and wrong arguments

Got to disagree with that.:D

One Crow, has more clubs than a cupboard can hold;)
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
28,066
Location
Watford
Visit site
Do you not accept that the natural consequence of striking a soft material with a hard implement will result in that soft material being deformed?

It would only be unnatural if a divot wasn't taken!

Divots are natural the same way a ball falling into a hole is natural, that is normal and expected.
Your ball going into a divot is a result of said divot not being replaced or repaired by the golfer, not a result if it having been made in the first place. So it's not nature, it's negligence of a human being.
 

Jimaroid

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 15, 2014
Messages
3,734
Location
Fife
Visit site
Your ball going into a divot is a result of said divot not being replaced or repaired by the golfer, not a result if it having been made in the first place. So it's not nature, it's negligence of a human being.

Well. I'm surprised nobody has mention this yet but here I go... Good luck replacing divots on links courses.
 

harpo_72

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
6,078
Visit site
Well. I'm surprised nobody has mention this yet but here I go... Good luck replacing divots on links courses.
They don’t suffer as badly with the issue.. a real links is pretty scabby and moss or clover is deemed to be an excellent lie ?
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

Major Champion
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Messages
33,482
Visit site
Simple answer is dont replace divots but everyone takes a bag of seed mix out with them and fills in their damage, these areas are then treated as GUR . Win win from a golfers and greenkeepers perspective. But then if people can't be arsed to repair a simple pitchmark what are the chances if them filling a divot hole??
We have seed mix bags to take out and many do - filling in not just our own divot holes but others we come across. It has really helped keeping the fairways in good condition - and it is rare to end up on a divot hole. And with so many repaired holes - with repairs by members ongoing continuously - there is no need to worry about damaging a repaired hole.

Of course I can still end up on a bare(r) piece of fairway - when a foot or two away the fairway is perfect. My lie is rubbish relative to where it might be - and I might complain about my bad luck - but that's the end of it - bad luck - and I don't expect relief from it.
 

Robster59

Tour Rookie
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
5,607
Location
Jackton
www.eastrengolfclub.co.uk
Goodness me. IMHO this thread is part of the "Wah Wah Wah it's not fair" culture that seems to be afflicting the world nowadays. If you had to write the rules and then had to connsider all the "What if..." options you would maybe have a different viewpoint. This particular rule takes into account the machinations and thoughts of people in the 15 pages posted so far. People look for loopholes, push the limits, etc. This is cut and dried. It's in a divot (or whatever you want to call it) you don't get free relief. If you want to take relief, take the penalty. Simple,
 

Rlburnside

Challenge Tour Pro
Joined
Jan 16, 2014
Messages
3,479
Visit site
At least in a scramble only the first player has to play out of it. Right? Since everyone else will be placing their ball within 6 inches?

No we were playing a different format team of 3 and alternate shots it was a society day, 9 hole scramble before the 18 holes in afternoon.

It was a rubbish format.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

Major Champion
Joined
Jul 24, 2012
Messages
33,482
Visit site
Some words of wisdom from Harry Vardon in his book The Complete Golfer of 1905.

'Make a point of seeing that your caddie always replaces your divots, or replace them yourself if you have no caddie. This, as we all know, is a golfer's first duty. If your ball at any time came to rest in a hole where a divot had not ben replaced, you would be extremely annoyed, would say hard things about the other players on the links, and would declare that the course was badly kept'.

Our predecessors on the links of 115ys ago got just as fed up as we on such matters...but they too just got on with it.
 
Last edited:

jim8flog

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 20, 2017
Messages
16,064
Location
Yeovil
Visit site
Just a thought...
We've all been talking, not about the divot, but the hole left by the divot.
The divot is the beaver pelt that goes almost as far as your ball..
So...
The hole is made, ostensibly, by a burrowing animal - humans do dig holes ( ask Tashy)
So, if the hole was made by a burrowing animal, maybe we should get relief after all......:unsure:

Rules of Golf Definitions - Humans are not Animals.
 

Orikoru

Tour Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
28,066
Location
Watford
Visit site
Goodness me. IMHO this thread is part of the "Wah Wah Wah it's not fair" culture that seems to be afflicting the world nowadays. If you had to write the rules and then had to connsider all the "What if..." options you would maybe have a different viewpoint. This particular rule takes into account the machinations and thoughts of people in the 15 pages posted so far. People look for loopholes, push the limits, etc. This is cut and dried. It's in a divot (or whatever you want to call it) you don't get free relief. If you want to take relief, take the penalty. Simple,
I think you might have misread the topic? It was not asking what the rule is currently.
 

jim8flog

Journeyman Pro
Joined
May 20, 2017
Messages
16,064
Location
Yeovil
Visit site
Simple answer is dont replace divots but everyone takes a bag of seed mix out with them and fills in their damage, these areas are then treated as GUR . Win win from a golfers and greenkeepers perspective. But then if people can't be arsed to repair a simple pitchmark what are the chances if them filling a divot hole??

We have divot bags by the tee (they get moved from tee to tee). They are relatively small and the idea is that you use up all the bag on that hole and just leave the bag in the bin on the next tee. If you watch the first tee on a Saturday morning I reckon about 1 in 40 players actually takes a bag with them.
 
Top