Ernie Els has named the rule he would change if he were running the show at golf's governing bodies, and his idea would doubtless have the support of Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler

Mud balls would be a thing of the past if Ernie Els had control over the rules of golf.

The four-time major champion had no shortage of success in his stellar career, and he was able to navigate the complicated and occasionally maddening rules of the game just fine as he reached the top of the world rankings and amassed a haul of 79 wins, cementing his status as one of the best to ever do it.

But if "The Big Easy" were running the show at the USGA or R&A, golf's governing bodies, changing the rules regarding mud balls would be his top priority, a move that doubtless would go down well with Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler.

Mud balls are a pet peeve of many players. It typically occurs in damp conditions, when loose dirt sticks to the ball. Unless preferred lies are in effect, players are forbidden from cleaning the ball until reaching the green, as mud can dramatically affect the ball's aerodynamics, making its flight unpredictable.

Els is not alone in thinking the rule is unfair. Many players believe mud balls unduly punish tee shots that have found the short grass.

“I think when you hit the ball down the fairway and you have mud on your ball, I don’t like that. You’ve just hit a perfect drive down the middle and you have mud on your ball," the South African said in a video promoting the Icons Series.

“And I know this is very controversial. People making the rules will probably never change that rule, but I just feel that, like, why?”

Spieth and Scheffler have been among the most outspoken players complaining about mud balls in recent years. Spieth was particularly angry at the 2025 Masters, where the three-time major champion claimed it is taboo to moan about the issue at Augusta National.

"My iron play killed me the last two days, and to be brutally honest with you, it was primarily mud balls," he said. "It's just so frustrating because you can't talk about them here. You're not supposed to talk about them.

"Mud balls can affect this tournament significantly, especially when you get them a lot on 11 and 13. They're just daggers on those two holes."

World No. 1 Scheffler made a similar complaint en route to victory at the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. He vented: “It’s one of those deals where it’s frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it’s going to go.

“I understand it’s part of the game, but there’s nothing more frustrating for a player. You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision, all of a sudden, you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes.

"But I don’t make the rules. I just have to deal with the consequences of those rules."