Playing partner falsifying scores

BiMGuy

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Is it a surprise though.

Even with dedicated, trained qualified referees most (all) sports have a variable and inconsistent quality of the decisions referees make
With a couple of hundred unqualified, untrained players refereeing their own game in a medal there is undoubtedly going to be a different quality of decision making, even without considering those players deliberately breaking rules

I doubt we could find even a single golf comp where all entrants would agree with every rules decision made that day without consulting the book (& not even then)

I get your point. There can be some very complicated situations with golf rules. But I'm talking about some pretty basic things.

As someone above said. Nicest point of relief
 

SteveW86

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Mistakes can happen, i marked down a 5 on my last hole the other week, then realised in the car on the way home I had a 4, or Atleast I was sure I did.
 

Rlburnside

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I played a doubles knockout last week and there were 2 incidents that I should have handled differently.

We were having a good friendly match and I know both of our opponents one of them said he could get relief from standing water I was only 10 yards away on the first instance I looked and all though it was damp I could see no water where he stood, the second instance he called over and asked I said ok then moved his ball 10 yards.

My overriding thought was to not to cause friction as we were enjoying the match but not the right attitude, we won both the holes but I thought later if we lost the match( we won on 2nd extra hole) how annoyed I would have been on not being more assertive.
 

IslaG

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We have a lovely 86 yr old we have to count for She used to play off 14 and I am absolutely sure no malice is involved The old dear simply has no idea of her actual score and thinks ‘ah the 4th I usually take 5 there’ (or did 20 yes ago) Golf and mind have slipped a bit - but we gently keep her accurate and she keeps playing- hey hope I can do the same and that my fellow players are compassionate
 

DeanoMK

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I once had a psychologist explain why lower handicap players tend to know every shot of every hole that was played and he said it's cognitive ease. They need to think less about their shots etc so can focus on what everyone else is doing where as higher handicappers have so many things going on in their heads they are more insular when playing. I know that won't fit everyone but it seems to be the way for most people I know.

Funny you should say that as someone I used to work with, and I've said about him before on here, ran our monthly social golf comps. He plays off 9 (but is more realistically a 12-14) and everyone knows that he cheats and year on year he wins the order of merit, but no one ever calls him out on it.

The reason, he generally puts himself with high handicappers because he knows they won't keep an eye on his score.

Whenever I have played with him, I always keep his score and have corrected him a few times....

Funnily enough though, numbers attending have dwindled and he barely gets a 4 ball each month anymore.
 

davidy233

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Never attribute to malice that which can be easily explained by stupidity.
I have a mate who frequently miscounts his shots. He'll say, 'I got a 5 there' and I'll ask, 'did you?'. He counts his shots and he'll apologise as he got a 6.
He doesn't mean it it's just he's thinking too much about his game he forgets some shots.

I once had a psychologist explain why lower handicap players tend to know every shot of every hole that was played and he said it's cognitive ease. They need to think less about their shots etc so can focus on what everyone else is doing where as higher handicappers have so many things going on in their heads they are more insular when playing. I know that won't fit everyone but it seems to be the way for most people I know.
I'm nowhere near being a low handicapper but I'll be able to tell you every shot I play and probably all of my playing partners too - I find it odd when people add up their score at the turn and are surprised by their score - I generally know mine without consciously counting it and although I've no interest in how the people I'm playing with are doing I could add up their score too if I had to.
 

BiMGuy

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I'm nowhere near being a low handicapper but I'll be able to tell you every shot I play and probably all of my playing partners too - I find it odd when people add up their score at the turn and are surprised by their score - I generally know mine without consciously counting it and although I've no interest in how the people I'm playing with are doing I could add up their score too if I had to.

I've said it before on here. I don't add up my score until the end of the round. Nor do I count my score as I go along. I also don't confer about scores at the turn. Its pointless. I'm not interested. If a player wants to know their score after 9 they can add it up themselves.
I know if I'm playing well or not, but my score is irrelevant until I've holed out on the last.

If I'm marking a card for someone, I will pay attention to what they are doing. But I'm not going to worry about counting and remembering every shot they hit. And if I'm not marking a card for someone, then I couldn't care less how many shots they've had. Its up to them and their marker to worry about.
 

Swango1980

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Doesn't really matter if they were playing with me in a friendly. I tend to mark all players scores on my card anyway, so hopefully I have the true scores at hand if anyone is interested.

The only issue comes is if the player is going to hand in their card as a general play round. Their score needs to be verified, so if you are their marker, it is perfectly acceptable (and necessary) for you to confirm their score. And, there is no issue in flagging any errors if you spot them (even after they have submitted them electronically)
 

Steve Wilkes

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Doesn't really matter if they were playing with me in a friendly. I tend to mark all players scores on my card anyway, so hopefully I have the true scores at hand if anyone is interested.

The only issue comes is if the player is going to hand in their card as a general play round. Their score needs to be verified, so if you are their marker, it is perfectly acceptable (and necessary) for you to confirm their score. And, there is no issue in flagging any errors if you spot them (even after they have submitted them electronically)
From a personal view verifying a score for a hole can only be done when leaving that green, as later it becomes a "yes you did" against "no I didn't" sort of thing in which both parties believe they are right
 

Swango1980

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From a personal view verifying a score for a hole can only be done when leaving that green, as later it becomes a "yes you did" against "no I didn't" sort of thing in which both parties believe they are right
True, especially if you feel the player frequently gets things wrong. It also highlights the benefit of having the player and marker verify and sign off the score immediately after the round, rather than the marker getting a notification on an app to verify score later in day. If done immediately after rounds, at least both players can discuss any issues face to face and resolve them
 

Canary Kid

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It should be possible to challenge a player’s score in a non-confrontational way if it is done properly … I think tone of voice and inflection is key. I would tend to consider that, if asked very politely, any player getting stroppy about being challenged has probably knowingly cheated. A couple of months ago in a senior doubles match against another club, I said when we were all on the green ready to putt “that’s four for me“ and one of our opponents said in a polite way “are you sure?” or similar. I did a recap and he was right … I was mortified and said “you are right, I am so sorry”. He said “no problem … it’s easily done” and we moved on.
 

Swango1980

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It should be possible to challenge a player’s score in a non-confrontational way if it is done properly … I think tone of voice and inflection is key. I would tend to consider that, if asked very politely, any player getting stroppy about being challenged has probably knowingly cheated. A couple of months ago in a senior doubles match against another club, I said when we were all on the green ready to putt “that’s four for me“ and one of our opponents said in a polite way “are you sure?” or similar. I did a recap and he was right … I was mortified and said “you are right, I am so sorry”. He said “no problem … it’s easily done” and we moved on.
What was your real score? A 9?
 

eddie_1878

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Was on a casual round a few weeks ago as a 3 ball, we keep tabs on round winners to add a slight bit of competition but all in fun.

Marker missed marking the 5th and didn’t realise until after the 9th so had to mark it retrospectively. I told them mine was a 5 to which they replied that they’d got 5’s too, when in reality they got 6 and 7. I didn’t say anything because it’s just a friendly game etc. But come the 18th and I lose by a stroke and out come the bragging rights, it leaves a bitter taste.

Especially when you’re playing properly, taking your medicine and your playing partners are moving their ball away from tree trunks without penalty.
 

Rlburnside

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True, especially if you feel the player frequently gets things wrong. It also highlights the benefit of having the player and marker verify and sign off the score immediately after the round, rather than the marker getting a notification on an app to verify score later in day. If done immediately after rounds, at least both players can discuss any issues face to face and resolve them

Another anomaly with whs ,in Scotland we have to verify scores on the app at the clubhouse, bad idea to let a marker verify scores later in the day away from clubhouse.
 

SurreyGolfer

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I just don't 'get' some of the behaviour described thread. Ok I'm fairly new to this (well, a returner after a 20yr break) and I shoot ~105-110 at the minute but surely part of the satisfaction of if/when I break 100, 90, etc is knowing I earnt it and all those lessons/£'s/practice were worth it? It's just meaningless if you intentionally cheat and if it's with mates that's even worse as you could potentially piss off a mate??!

If you genuinely miscount on occasion, fine, no one is perfect and occasionally you think its a 5 when it's a 6 or vice versa.....but intentionally dropping balls, chipping shots off? Not for me. Might as well stay home and do something cheaper that requires less effort. Maybe football, easier to keep score.
 

HeftyHacker

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When I first started playing golf very casually about 8 years ago I'll admit I very rarely used to score properly. I was playing with my boss at the time who, although he didn't set the world alight golfing-wise, was much much better than me. So to keep it fairly even he'd give me mulligans and let me drop another for free in the vicinity of any lost balls etc.

The problem with this was that I then didn't play for about 4 years, other than occasional range visits etc, until the bug bit properly last year. I'd always assumed I was around a 20 handicapper when playing with mates and we were scoring but the reality is that when I started scoring properly was that I was probably more in the 30s.

In many ways this was probably the reality check I needed first time round as it made me really work on my game and I'm now down at an official 14.7 handicap and falling.
 
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