Why golf won’t ever introduce a rule to get free relief from divots

The divot rule. It seems that every six months or so, the debate over whether golfers should get a free drop out of a divot resurfaces.

It’s perhaps the most annoying non-rule in golf; you don’t get free relief if your golf ball is lying in a divot.

Forever debated, the divot rule will never be introduced in the rules of golf. Primarily because it’s extremely difficult to come up with a water-tight definition for a divot in the first place.

It’s easy to identify a newly created divot, say from a rude golfer playing in the group in front of you. But a divot was created a month ago? This won’t be so clear.

And what about the divots that have been repaired and filled with sand? How long before they are no longer deemed to be a divot any more?

The guys in this video from Golf Monthly do a great job of discussing the debate. And they discuss it so well I just thought I should share it here so I can point to it every six months.