Match play gamesmanship

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm sure it's deliberate, I have seem similar. I politely laughed and mentioned I had some yellow balls of same make in the bag, I can swap if they were "having identification issues." My playing partner who was twice my size said something less "sociable!"

Don't rise to it, but make sure they know you know it's deliberate. Maybe that club needs to be having a fixture removed from the calendar?

I’m not so sure…

As mentioned, I have been tripped up by the same in the past. At the time I thought it deliberate…but on reflection I very much doubt it…coming to believe that they themselves had a bit of a brain fade, and didn’t realise they were standing by our ball until they came to play and immediately spotted they were by our ball.

Apart from anything else, for me it’s very much better to forgive than hold a resentment. But though I put the incident behind me I don’t just forget and so I remember to check my own ball as that is my responsibility, not my opponents.

 

[rudebhoy]

Played a pairs ko the other day. My partner had a shortish putt to win a hole. Just as he pulled the putter back, one of our opponents dropped his ball on the green and said "oops, sorry". My mate missed the putt and was fuming. I honestly didn't know if it was accidental or deliberate. I told him to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Had an incident in a similar match last year which was far more black and white. I was last to tee off and hit a poor drive which ended up in the cabbage. My partner and I went looking for it. One of the opponents walked over to help. His mate shouted him back and told him not to help us. Left a real bitter taste, that one.

 

[NearHull]

Played a pairs ko the other day. My partner had a shortish putt to win a hole. Just as he pulled the putter back, one of our opponents dropped his ball on the green and said "oops, sorry". My mate missed the putt and was fuming. I honestly didn't know if it was accidental or deliberate. I told him to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Had an incident in a similar match last year which was far more black and white. I was last to tee off and hit a poor drive which ended up in the cabbage. My partner and I went looking for it. One of the opponents walked over to help. His mate shouted him back and told him not to help us. Left a real bitter taste, that one.

Did you play the rest of the match in stilted conversation with your opponents?

 

[rudebhoy]

Did you play the rest of the match in stilted conversation with your opponents?

I felt a bit sorry for the guy who tried to help and got called back. He was basically bullied by his mate. We chatted with him, but didn't bother with his mate unless we had to.

 

[Crazyface]

I felt a bit sorry for the guy who tried to help and got called back. He was basically bullied by his mate. We chatted with him, but didn't bother with his mate unless we had to.

A piece of advice I read once on here regarding looking for an opponents ball is :- look, but for Christ sake don't find it! LOL Well I found it funny.

 

[cliveb]

Played a pairs ko the other day. My partner had a shortish putt to win a hole. Just as he pulled the putter back, one of our opponents dropped his ball on the green and said "oops, sorry". My mate missed the putt and was fuming. I honestly didn't know if it was accidental or deliberate. I told him to give them the benefit of the doubt.

If I accidentally dropped a ball like that, I would immediately tell my opponent to retake his shot. The fact your opponent didn't do so suggests it was deliberate.

I recall a pairs match a few years back when an opponent's phone rang as my partner was on his backswing, and they instantly asked him to replay the shot.

(Now waiting for someone to tell me that it's against the rules to give a mulligan in matchplay).

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

A piece of advice I read once on here regarding looking for an opponents ball is :- look, but for Christ sake don't find it! LOL Well I found it funny.

It’s quite possible to look with rather ‘unhunting’ eyes - not that I have ever done that…God forbid

Just to be clear….I will always look for another player’s ball, and if I spot one I will always make its position known to the player.

 

[D-S]

Always a good idea to look for the opponents ball in places where its not good if you find it - nothing worse than finding your opponents ball with a shot to the green on a nice lie.

 

[Neilds]

I suspect that some of the posters who believe that dark arts are used in match play only think that way because they use them as well

 

[patricks148]

I had an unpleasant experience when I first started playing where someone deliberately told me a ball was mine him knowing full well it wasn't, purely because I was having a good round and was a high handicap. I learnt the lesson and now mark my ball in such a way its easy to identify.

 

[LincolnShep]

If I accidentally dropped a ball like that, I would immediately tell my opponent to retake his shot. The fact your opponent didn't do so suggests it was deliberate.

I recall a pairs match a few years back when an opponent's phone rang as my partner was on his backswing, and they instantly asked him to replay the shot.

(Now waiting for someone to tell me that it's against the rules to give a mulligan in matchplay).

It was a long time ago, so the rules may have changed, but this sounds like Seve and the 'cake' incident. Seve choked on Nick Price's backswing. He was extremely apologetic and wanted Nick to retake the shot but the rules official said it was not permitted. Billy Foster tells the story well:

 

[Canary Kid]

I thought that, probably wrongly, one could do virtually anything in matchplay if all the players agreed, given that there is no requirement to “protect the field”. If I accidentally did something that put off an opponent in mid-stroke, I would offer him the opportunity to retake the shot … and have done so in the past … and would expect my partner to back me up.

 

[C7usk]

It was a long time ago, so the rules may have changed, but this sounds like Seve and the 'cake' incident. Seve choked on Nick Price's backswing. He was extremely apologetic and wanted Nick to retake the shot but the rules official said it was not permitted. Billy Foster tells the story well:

Lol. Quality

 

[Genu9]

Play with a different colour ball to theirs. Even use Club Logo balls then they'd have to go and buy balls from Pro Shop to pull the stroke.......

 

[sunshine]

Sounds to me that it is clearly deliberate if they are calling you out as soon as you hit the ball.

I would question their behaviour, ask them why they didn't say something before watching you play. I'd ask them how desperate they are to win. I'd also ask if their team mates would be proud of their behaviour.

Yes it is the players responsibility to identify their own ball but it is an easy mistake to make, I've seen it happen many times but never seen someone do what the OP witnessed.

Exactly. If someone did this I would instantly ask why they didn’t mention it before I had played. Make them feel embarrassed.
It’s a bit like noticing someone has teed up just in front of the markers and not saying anything until they have played their shot.

Personally I always examine the lie before every shot so I automatically identify the marking on my ball.

 

[sweaty sock]

Exactly. If someone did this I would instantly ask why they didn’t mention it before I had played. Make them feel embarrassed.
It’s a bit like noticing someone has teed up just in front of the markers and not saying anything until they have played their shot.

Personally I always examine the lie before every shot so I automatically identify the marking on my ball.

Check its your ball. if they're still trying this trick take a few practice swings and take a healthy divot pointing straight at trouble as close to there ball as possible, before announcing, "ah, this looks like your ball"

 

[evemccc]

Interesting and somewhat divergent views on what constitutes ‘gamesmanship’ and how acceptable it is, and related things such as help in looking for lost balls etc

1) Consider pace of play: is deliberately putting pressure (even unspoken pressure) on an opponent to get the opponent to play slower or faster than they would wish, ‘gamesmanship’? (if it were done because it’s known that the opponent favours normally playing slower/faster than you)

Caveat: their speed was within what is acceptable for a two-ball matchplay

2) How could you react if eg. you knew your opponent was deliberating trying to speed you up? Or take far too many practice swings or too many looks at the green to slow down your rhythm?

 

[sunshine]

Imagine playing against the Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez. He’d be standing all over the line of your putt, pointing you towards the OOB and moving around during your swing

 

[Orikoru]

Imagine playing against the Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez. He’d be standing all over the line of your putt, pointing you towards the OOB and moving around during your swing

Then pretending his putter is his knob while you're trying to putt.

 

[r0wly86]

Interesting and somewhat divergent views on what constitutes ‘gamesmanship’ and how acceptable it is, and related things such as help in looking for lost balls etc

1) Consider pace of play: is deliberately putting pressure (even unspoken pressure) on an opponent to get the opponent to play slower or faster than they would wish, ‘gamesmanship’? (if it were done because it’s known that the opponent favours normally playing slower/faster than you)

Caveat: their speed was within what is acceptable for a two-ball matchplay

2) How could you react if eg. you knew your opponent was deliberating trying to speed you up? Or take far too many practice swings or too many looks at the green to slow down your rhythm?

the art of winning games by using various ploys and tactics to gain a psychological advantage.
"the negotiations were primarily exercises in propaganda and gamesmanship"


I would say that is absolutely gamesmanship, gamesmanship being anything legal that gives you an advantage over an opponent.

If you try and change someone's pace of play, because you think it'll give you an advantage then by the definition that is gamesmanship