hursty said:
How is this fair?
Like I said previously I don't agree with the preferred lies on all fairways option but definitely think the relief from divots rule needs looking at.
You are probably right about fixing divots, it's a fear without a proper reason for it. Those who fix divot holes or try to minimize their effect would continue to do so and those who don't just don't care. I do wish people who end up in divots would learn from the experience though and start doing their part.
Ending up in a divot is not fair but I can't see an obvious solution to it (except for hunting down the person who doesn't replace a beaver pelt). In the long run though I believe luck will even out (even in a single match), maybe there was some bounces going your way earlier on etc. Sometimes it can't be known if you had a very lucky escape from a terrible bounce as that terrible bounce didn't happen.
The next problem would be with requiring all bad breaks to be considered equal. One might consider the rest of my ramblings a bit of a hyperbole but that's just how I see things.
For example you hit your approach shot into a greenside bunker. Someone has left the rake inside the bunker, just on the outer edge. Your ball comes to rest against the rake. Had the rake not been there, the ball would've rolled to a nice lie at the bottom of the bunker but now you have a very difficult, downhill bunker shot. The worst case is you need to take a penalty stroke because you can't replace the ball nor find another spot where the ball would come to rest in the bunker in a spot not nearer the hole.
A bunker is a hazard and you shouldn't expect a good lie in one but in both cases the cause was purely a player who didn't care for the course or other players on it. From my experience the latter is also the more common occurrence.
I should probably explain that over here rakes should be placed in the bunker but so that they cause as little problems as possible. That is perpendicular to the direction of play so that balls can roll under them and at the bottom/center of the bunker but people are too lazy and leave them on the edges and even partially outside.
Thus fix the divot issue and there will be ten other issues waiting in line and I can't see it being fair to fix one bad bounce but not others. I know you haven't voiced an opinion on that bit but that's the required, next step for me if you allow relief from divots. Even if you figure out all such situations, you're still stuck with the elements - the greatest problem of them all when it comes to fairness in a tournament setting.
Golf isn't fair on a shot-by-shot basis nor is it ever easy. From a rules point of view though and how I see playing the ball as it lies as an essential (and even romantic, dare I say) part of the game, even in the face of adversity, I prefer coping with the bad luck and keeping the rules more simple. The best solution is to push people to take better care of the course and be more considerate towards others.
