If you’ve ever hit a perfect drive, only to find your ball sitting uncomfortably in a nasty lie, you know the frustration. It feels like an unfair punishment for doing everything right. And no one feels that frustration more keenly than Michelle Wie West, who’s not shy about calling out golf’s “dumbest rule” — the one that forces you to play out of someone else’s divot without relief.

Michelle Wie opened up on the We Need a Fourth podcast, about her children taking their first swing at the game of golf—and the joys and challenges that come with raising little golfers. With a five-year-old daughter and a nine-month-old son, Wie shared the playful realities of introducing her kids to the sport she loves. Her daughter, Makenna, is already showing a serious passion for golf, following in Wie’s footsteps and hitting balls until her hands literally blister. “She will hit balls and her hands bleed literally. She will hit balls for two hours straight,” Wie confessed. And the host couldn’t resist but ask jokingly, “How does she feel about the divot rule, like, as just an amateur right now at five? Does she take it off a fairway divot?” Michelle Wie didn’t hold back and quipped, “I think that is the dumbest rule in golf — hitting out of a divot, out of a pitch mark that isn’t yours, and I’ve tried talking to the USGA and the R&A about this, any chance I get…” She went on to explain how she’s repeatedly urged the USGA and R&A to reconsider this frustrating rule, but keeps hitting a wall. They say they can’t change it because it’s hard to define what exactly a divot or pitch mark is, and Wie was clearly unimpressed by the excuse. She was baffled by the lack of flexibility in the rulebook. While this rule might seem small, it’s a classic example of golf’s old-school mentality.

The USGA’s Craig Winter, Senior Director of Rules of Golf and Amateur Status, defends it, saying, “It’s fundamental to golf to play the ball as it lies. And you don’t always get a good lie.” Divots are considered part of the natural challenge of the game. While the idea of granting free relief sounds appealing, the reality is messy — if divots were considered ‘ground under repair,’ fairways would be littered with spots where relief is allowed, making the game much more complicated. So, for now, the rule stays, much to the frustration of players like Wie.

But Michelle Wie West isn’t alone in her frustration. Over the years, several prominent players have spoken out about the unfairness of being penalized for something beyond their control.

Times when the divot rule tested even the best players

In 2024, Jordan Spieth famously found himself stuck in divots on three holes during the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Spieth found himself in a golfer’s nightmare—his ball nestled deep in a divot crater on three consecutive holes down the stretch.

“The [divots] were certainly tough breaks because they were balls that hit in the fairway and funneled into them,” Spieth explained. “Out here, balls funnel into the same spots a lot. It’s not uncommon to be in divots. It kind of stunk that it was three holes in a row, but I still played [them] just fine,” he added, downplaying his frustration. His experience highlights just how frustrating and unpredictable divots can be, even for the game’s best players.

On the topic of free relief from divots, even two-time major winner Jon Rahm shared his thoughts earlier this year during a feature on the Rick Shiels YouTube channel. Rahm noted that although players often hit into similar fairway areas, it’s rare for pros to find themselves playing out of divots during competitive rounds. “If it happens more than once a year, you’re unlucky,” he admitted. However, Rahm revealed he’s torn on whether free relief should be granted.

On one hand, he sympathizes with the idea that divots could be seen as ground under repair.On the other hand, he questions the practical challenges — “What is a divot? Can you call any possible imperfection a divot when it’s on the fairway and get relief?”. He pointed out that the line is even blurrier around the greens, where some might take advantage of the rule. Yet, Rahm feels strongly that pitch marks, those iconic indentations on putting surfaces, deserve consideration for relief, but relief from divots remains a complicated topic.