Changing the rules...

[Kilted Arab]

So you arrive at you ball and it is lying in a divot? Right? You know it's a divot because you've seen the guy ahead take the turf out, right? Or is it a slight imperfection in the ground? A pock mark, an old partially recovered divot. What if it is a divot where the clump has been put back in but you don't feel like hitting it off the loose earth? Or what if the divot has been filled by seeded sand? Drop off every time?

I'm a traditionalist on this and I agree with Crowe and my hero Feherty. Play it as it lies. Sometimes this results in bad breaks and having to play from 3" holes left by *******s who can't be bothered replacing them. (Golfers who don't replace their divots should be beaten with birches!).

I think we need to educate golfers in the etiquette of golf. I think the greens staff have to help people help themselves by provided sanded seed. But I think it is a very rocky road to go down to just carte blanche rewrite this rule.

There is the practical issue of course damage with regards to divots. Here we get the sanded seed supplied in our carts, but thats not really an option for walker/carriers.

I'm in two minds over the issue - i like the 'play it as it lies' principle, but not sure why a player should be unfairly penalised - and the course further damaged - after the golfer plays a decent drive.

As an aside, a lot of the time you see divots lying next to the original mark and you think "the b'stard didnt replace it", one of the reasons is crows and other birds. They pick the divot up to get to the earth - easier for them to root for worms. Clever birds!

 

[DaveE]

This could all be solved by simply allowing the use of tees in the fairways. :emot-ange

 

[Dave Ireland]

I'm more interested in the range finder thing.

Divots don't concern me as most of my shots come from the woods anyway.

I have a range finder Sling and to be honest it's practically worthless in determining yardage to the pin. Reason being you'd need the arm of a sniper with 5 Diazepam inside you, because you need to hold it completely steady and train the laser on the white part (reflective bit) of the pin.

It's of far greater benefit in plotting your way around the course, yardage to hazards, trees, bunkers etc - you also get a good read on your driving distance (looking back to tee box) if there's decent teee markers.

Like everything tho, no matter what gizmo they give you, the shot still has to be hit