That is exactly my point...if you can become precise enough to pick it clean you can play off of any surface...I have a bias as the course I play has very tightly mown fairways and in the dry season can become quite hard to the point that cracks appear in the ground...divots are discouraged...then in the wet season the ground is, well, wet and again a big divot is a liability...I played on a course with lush fairways that were the perfect consistency for taking a divot and just adjusted my setup...IMO picking it clean is never a bad habit...