Cheats?

[palindromicbob]

Not a word anyone would like to hear on the course but I'm sure you met/seen/heard of some. I was just wondering what the worst you've come across is.

I heard about someone recently that is banned from competitions at their club. Here is how he was found out.

Par 4 18th is overlooked by the club house. Those that had completed where looking out and saw this one particular person coming down to the green where his ball lay just of the fringe. He played onto the green (at least his third shot even a pro would struggle to get that close in one) and proceeded to 3 putt yet when his card was returned he had marked it as a 4.

 

[DaveM]

The only one I have come across was in a medal comp at my old club. The blue eyed boy of the club was in our four ball. When he hooked his tee shot into knee high rough. Oh forgot to say his dad was caddie for him. We all set about looking for his ball. When out of the corner of my eye I saw his dad drop a ball in the light rough at the edge of the fairway calling out he had found his ball. One of the other lads saw it as well. When we pull him about it,a whole string of abuse came out of his mouth. Which got worse when we told him he would be reported. The worse thing was when we did report it, they belived him even though more than one person had seen him cheat.

 

[Smiffy]

An "ex" friend of mine is an out and out cheat. We, as a group, have decided not to invite him on any more of our meets.
We always suspected him of cheating, he would always mis-count his score on various holes throughout the round, but he would never be more than his actual score, always less.
On a week-end visit to Lanhydrock in Cornwall a couple of years ago I was playing in his fourball and watched him walk onto the 3rd green. His ball was lying about 30 feet away from the hole and he didn't think anyone was watching. He pulled his ball marker out of his pocket and threw it onto the green, it landed about 10 feet nearer the pin than where his ball lay. I then saw him pick his ball up, put it in his pocket and then replace in the spot where his marker now lay. He didn't just improve his putt by an inch or so, it was at least 10 feet! I clearly saw what he did, the other two guys in our group didn't. I wanted to say something, explained what had happened to one of the others but he didn't want me to create a scene for fear of ruining the week-end. I was fuming.
A group decision has now been made that this guy doesn't come with us anymore. He hasn't asked why, I haven't seen him for over a year. But I'd love to let him know what I saw.
So Rueben Ripley, you now know why you don't get invited on golf trips anymore.

 

[nil1121]

I always spectate the matches my children are playing as I’m also a keen golfer and while walking around I keep a record of the scores for my child and also the children they are playing with.

The first experience was with my son in a county match were my son was 1 hole down after having fought back from being 4 down. My son had hit a good drive down the left hand side of the fairway and his opponent then hit into long rough on the opposite side of the fairway. We found his ball and he had a very difficult lie. While my son was playing his shot I looked across at his opponent and was astonished to see him moving his ball with his club to achieve a better lie. They went on to half the hole.

The second experience was with my daughter in a national EWGU run competition where the girl she was playing with put in a score 3 shots less than it should have been for the front 9 holes. I understand its my daughters responsibility to sign the card for the other girls score and she should be aware of how many shots she has played on a hole but you just don’t expect this sort of thing to happen in golf.

The last incident was whilst my son played in another county match. After the match I was in conversation with one of the other lads father who told me that, much to his astonishment, he had seen one of the other players move his ball for a better lie on two separate occasions during the match

 

[Parmo]

That many of them at our club I would wear down the keys...

 

[chris661]

Whilst a member of a different club, I was playing in captains day and one of the guys in my group who went on to win threw down a ball on the 14th after carving one away into the rough. I refused to sign his card but he never asked why as he knew I had seen him but his mate who was the third in the group did. What's worse as the guy had previous form for it and when I complained to the pro he just said to me to keep quiet!!

 

[rosecott]

Not a word anyone would like to hear on the course but I'm sure you met/seen/heard of some. I was just wondering what the worst you've come across is.

I heard about someone recently that is banned from competitions at their club. Here is how he was found out.

Par 4 18th is overlooked by the club house. Those that had completed where looking out and saw this one particular person coming down to the green where his ball lay just of the fringe. He played onto the green (at least his third shot even a pro would struggle to get that close in one) and proceeded to 3 putt yet when his card was returned he had marked it as a 4.

He marked his own card?

 

[One Planer]

I have experianced it first hand playing in a 3 ball in the May Stableford, and it cost me a win.

Our 16th is a very tight 322 Yard par 4. Anything right is OOB and anything left is in the trees so you must hit the fairway on this hole.

I took my 5 wood, middle of the fairway left myself a nice yardage for my wedge. The "Gentleman" the proceeded to duff his tee shot about 80 yards. His second shot just about crept past mine, Got his 3rd to the green then 3 putted for a total of 6 shots for the hole.

When asked by the chap marking his card what he scored for the hole he shouts 5!

Now normally at the end of every hole, before he gave his hole score, you would see him staring at his scorecard intently. We found out he was calculating how many shots he needed so he would shoot to his handicap and gave an adjusted hole score to reflect this.

I pulled up the chap marking his card straight away and told him. He said "He wasn't sure" as he knocked he tee shot into the woods so, in fairness, probably didn't see his third. In fairness he did say he would mention it to the match sec' at the end of the round.

Turns out the "gentleman" beat me on countback. Suffice to say I wasn't happy.

He got his chips though when he played with my Father. Again in a comp, playing our hardest hole on the course (The par 4 17th) took 10 (After hearing my story about this fellow, my dad counted every shot), when asked for his score he calls 7

My father called him for it on the spot and after a lengthy argument at the end of the round my father refused to sign his card and reported him to the match secretary.

Funnily enough he hasn't been seen on a Saturday or played in a any comps' since!!!!

 

[patricks148]

Playing in an open last year with my mate we were asked if we minded someone joining us, which we didn’t. The guy lived in the states and came over every year for two weeks to play golf around the area.

After few holes where he had said that was a five and I had to correct him wasn’t that a 6. Anyway kept a good eye on him, we get to the 10. He hits a low hook into the broom only about 100 yards.
Finds it in the deep stuff tries to get it out with a 3 wood as there is still 300 yards + to go. Its goes a foot, tries again same and again out to the primary rough. Hooks it back into the deep stuff again two more hack puts it into one of the deep greenside pot bunkers left of the green. I’m standing behind him and he scrapes the sand away behind the ball so it’s sitting up nicely. Hits it fat and it just goes into the next pot bunker along 10 feet away. Does the same again in the bunker, gets it out this time to 6 feet. In the mean time both I and my other playing partner have hit our 2nd shots onto the green. We both 2 putts for par, the other guy sinks the six footer so I say to the guys par for me and Rob, what was that for you so he says that was a 5???????

He even argued the toss with me that it was a 5 then went back though the shots with him, he still wouldn’t have it even though he took 7 shots to get to the first bunker not counting the two lots of penalty shots for grounding the club in the bunker.

He didn’t say a word the rest of the way round, didn’t put the card in got his clubs and buggered off.

 

[Fyldewhite]

I can honestly say I have never directly seen anyone deliberately cheat as opposed to inadvertantly break the rules in some 18 years as a club member.

That said, I have had two experiences of being on committee and dealing with written allegations. One concerned a player off +1 in our local scratch league. The allegation was that he improved his lie and although not proven he now doesn't play (what a waste to see a county player basically jack in). The other concerned a young lad who was led astray by another guy who again doesn't play anymore. I think they were simply making up the numbers and taking it in turns to do a good score not to win but to get their handicap lower (both single figure players btw). The lad is playing again but has the stigma and bad smell around him for ever despite again nothing ever being proven.

The really difficult thing is to prove anything as so much is on trust and so much depends on the intention rather than the action itself most of the time.

 

[Smiffy]

The other concerned a young lad who was led astray by another guy who again doesn't play anymore. I think they were simply making up the numbers and taking it in turns to do a good score not to win but to get their handicap lower

Had this from a guy I knew about 20 odd years ago. He had just joined the Nevill in Tunbridge Wells and was trying to get three cards in to sort his handicap out.
I played with him one evening and after shooting a 6 he'd say "mark me down for a 4" and so on.
Once a cheat, always a cheat Mike Dolby

 

[patricks148]

There was a very serious incident at Nairn a couple of years ago, it went to court and even the court of appeal. The guy was thrown out of the club, but some other club let him in though. I believe he had also been kicked out of another club as well and was a cat1 player.

 

[RichardC]

I was playing in a medal comp and as the course was fairly short you get an opportunity to chat with others as your walking down the fairway. One of the guys I was playing with always liked to boast when he was playing well, and often tried to find out how others were fairing.

He was playing 4 under his handicap (plays of 8) after 9 holes, and then finds out that a new member was flying and would have after 14 holes and that he would have had no chance. Fast forward onto the par 3 11th and he hits his tee shot to no more than 6", the guy marking his card already had him marked for a 2, when he missed the putt. When walking off the green he said to me "Im not making birdies and getting cut if I can't win!!!!"

I was annoyed to say the least and when in the bar complained to the Handicap Secretary and announced it to the bar that he was a cheat. Never played another comp there and soon left the club (to be honest I was going to leave anyway).

 

[Curls]

Am I the only one who's skin is crawling reading these? Sickening!!!

What I don't get is how people say "they're only cheating themselves". Nope, they're cheating everyone else!!!

I guess there'll always be people who won't play ball honestly, chances are they don't play in life honestly either, and we can but hope that Karma comes back and bites then in the arse.

 

[funkyfred]

A guy I know very well is a constant cheat. I know I should do/done something about it but fortunately I rarely play with him now. He is the best player out of the rough I have ever seen, especially with a 5 wood. What he does is find his ball, picks it up to check it is his and then replaces it on top of grass, so it nicely sits up.

We have a golf society that goes down to the Ashbury (Devon) every year, and on the last morning we have fun team game of 9 holes. Well a few years ago we finished on the 18th which has a sort of amphitheatre, which you can sit and watch the players hit their shots into the green. Well this guy was in the last group and the other 16 of us were all watching them play their shots. This guy's ball was resting on the cart path, he got out of the cart, picked his ball up and proptly dropped it CLOSER to the hole.
About 14 players looking back at them shouted out, and then one of them said quite loudly, I wonder how many times he has done that?

I should say that this guy isn't a member of a club, and only plays with his friends. Perhaps that the reason why he wont join a club because he is afraid he might get found out.

 

[USER1999]

There is a guy in my swindle who has been known to tee his ball up in the rough. All the time. Heck, he'll even do it to your ball if he finds it first.
Thing is, he must be the worst cheat ever, as he never troubles the scorer.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Jeez, I didn't know that it was so prevelent. I've never encountered a cheat and I hope I never do.

 

[19thagain]

There was a very serious incident at Nairn a couple of years ago, it went to court and even the court of appeal. The guy was thrown out of the club, but some other club let him in though. I believe he had also been kicked out of another club as well and was a cat1 player.

I don't think he was 'kicked out' by another club Patrick, he had had allegations made against him and they had been noted, in the records. Small world but I know all parties involved, including the chap that was expelled and, for the record, he was the last person I would have suspected.

It is however one of the most difficult things to allege and prove.

If you are wrong or it is a simple mistake, you have blighted the person’s character and this will stay with him forever not just on the course but in his business/private life as well. (No smoke without fire!) Well we all make mistakes and that goes for the person making the allegation in the first place, so do be very careful when calling someone a cheat.

 

[patricks148]

There was a very serious incident at Nairn a couple of years ago, it went to court and even the court of appeal. The guy was thrown out of the club, but some other club let him in though. I believe he had also been kicked out of another club as well and was a cat1 player.

I don't think he was 'kicked out' by another club Patrick, he had had allegations made against him and they had been noted, in the records. Small world but I know all parties involved, including the chap that was expelled and, for the record, he was the last person I would have suspected.

It is however one of the most difficult things to allege and prove.

If you are wrong or it is a simple mistake, you have blighted the person’s character and this will stay with him forever not just on the course but in his business/private life as well. (No smoke without fire!) Well we all make mistakes and that goes for the person making the allegation in the first place, so do be very careful when calling someone a cheat.

As i said it was a couple of years ago, but it was heavily covered in quite a few Scottish Newspapers and not just the local rags.

Like you said no smoke without fire.

 

[backspin22]

Jeez, I didn't know that it was so prevelent. I've never encountered a cheat and I hope I never do.

Me too. Never seen anyone cheat. Seen lots of inadvertent(hopefully!) rule-breaking, esp. grounding clubs in a hazard, but no cheating.