re: Ball landing in divot

My fault for not being more specific. If it’s just with friends it’s a no brainer to move it. I was referring to pros. It’s always advertised as a “gentleman’s game” yet you hit a perfect drive and roll into a divot. IMO, you should be allowed to move it.

This. If you're anything worse than a scratch golfer then most weekend games should be bumping it in the fairway, giving gimmees, and playing ob as a lateral hazard. Do whatever you want out there, but just do it in under 4 hours. Doing those things would definitely help pace of play for most groups

I think it should be treated as ground under repair.

For what it’s worth, Jack Nicklaus thinks the same way.

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I think it should be treated as ground under repair.

For what it’s worth, Jack Nicklaus thinks the same way.

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Ok. How do you enforce this rule? What happens currently in an event where there is a dispute in the group over a ruling? You play two balls and ask a golf professional or rules official when the round is over. Perfect. BUT when you ball two balls for a divot ruling, you are actually MAKING a divot on top of the “old divot”. It would be impossible to create the original lie for an accurate ruling. It would be a nightmare and open up a can of worms for all the cheaters out there.

That's not the point or relevant at all and you know it

so how do you handle a lie in a bunker that hasn't been raked, leaving you in a foot print?...

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Outside of professional tours and leagues I think all play should be up in the same condition unless individual players and groups decide on something different for their group.

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I'll have the unpopular opinion. Even in the PGA if the ball is in a divot in the fariway, they should be able to bump it. There are subjective rules in the PGA where they call an official to get a ruling. If the swing and flight are going to be drastically altered based on the lie in a divot, the player should be allowed to bump it. It falls in the embedded lie ruling as well.

I watched a tournament a few years ago and the leader landed in a divot on 18 in the fairway. I don't believe it affected the outcome of the game, but that lie is a very high risk/luck shot.

On a weekend warrior level, the group should always allow it to be bumped. I play in a municipal money round every Sunday and they opt to play it down which drives me insane, but fortunately it isn't an issue very often anyways. And you either agree to the rules or don't play.

I'm a 4 handicap
I can assure I strike the ball pretty well most of the time.

I have no desire to hit a shot from a fairway divot
I've had to don't before more than once

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Slicing a ball into the woods isn’t bad luck.

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It’s good luck to slice it into the woods and have it bounce out.


It’s bad luck to rest in a fairway divot.

Both are part of the game and a part of life.

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It’s bad luck to rest in a fairway divot.

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It's also bad luck for you ball to find a hole dug by and animal, temporary water puddles, certain types of damage left by the grounds crew, etc , etc .. I could go on.. But the one thing they all have in common that a fairway divot doesn't is that you get free relief from those...

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Both are part of the game and a part of life.

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True, but one is a punishment for a really good shot... The other is dumb luck rewarded to a bad shot.. Also if the ricocheted shot ends up in a divot i'd feel the same way ..


The way I look at it is that is a ball finds a fairway divot left un-sanded that's BS because the lazy frick that left it that way shouldn't penalize my good shot.. and that scenario it should be treated as ground under repair.

Is the divot taker did tale the time to fill with sand or attempt to replace the turf then you have two rule.. Ground under repair or the loose impediments rule.. Either way hitting a good shot shouldn't be penalized over something in several other cases we give free relief to.