questionable behavior (cheating)

[Siolag]

You asked if someone making an honest mistake is a cheat.
Of course they are not.

Indeed, its pretty irrelevant to the discussion. If someone doesn't know they shouldn't mark a 3 or more down as a 2, or is complicit in such behaviour, they shouldn't be playing competitive golf. You'd need to be very naive to assume that's 'ok'. Likewise, kicking a ball in the rough, replacing a lost ball with one from your pocket and so on. Not knowing the rules and breaking one is totally different.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

A club near me had a guy on the last hole of the club championship claimed he made a 6 down the last and hence went into a playoff. He won it, was presented with the trophy and then one of the other guys in the final group realised what he had done and proved he had actually made a 7. The other guy in the playoff of course won but missed out on the presentation etc.

Anyone who has ever been anywhere close in a club champs knows exactly what the score situation is ……. the overwhelming assumption is that he was cheating to get into the playoff.

But he was the Vice-Captain. And four months later, became the Captain.

 

[Biggleswade Blue]

...If you were playing with a newbie who broke a rule in a competition but is nowhere near the buffer, what do you do? Educate them but penalise them, ignore the error and educate them or ignore it all together. I know golfers that would take any of those options

I will be in this position later this year. Played only social golf so far, generally with other social nomad golfers so we take a generous approach to play to keep the pace up.

Just joined a club and so now am playing with more experienced players and I’m making an effort to make sure I learn the rules properly - including checking things that happened when I get home.

I’ll get a handicap later in the year and enter my first comps. I hope that my fellow competitors (see, I’m learning!) will stop me from doing something that breaks a rule, and help teach me what I should be doing.

I hope they will be patient with me, but also I don’t want them to turn a blind eye. Part of the fun of this game is learning the intricacies. It’s not just about hitting a ball.

 

[howbow88]

Just make sure that if you're ever in a situation where you're unsure, just ask one if your playing partners for help/clarification of rules. If they're losing patience with this, it probably means they're a bit of a ......

 

[howbow88]

A club near me had a guy on the last hole of the club championship claimed he made a 6 down the last and hence went into a playoff. He won it, was presented with the trophy and then one of the other guys in the final group realised what he had done and proved he had actually made a 7. The other guy in the playoff of course won but missed out on the presentation etc.

Anyone who has ever been anywhere close in a club champs knows exactly what the score situation is ……. the overwhelming assumption is that he was cheating to get into the playoff.

But he was the Vice-Captain. And four months later, became the Captain.

That is shocking

How did the other guy prove he made a 7? And how come it took so long to come to light?

 

[Biggleswade Blue]

Just make sure that if you're ever in a situation where you're unsure, just ask one if your playing partners for help/clarification of rules. If they're losing patience with this, it probably means they're a bit of a ......

Yes. So long as I do actually learn and don’t ask the same question every single hole. “Where should I tee up from”, “can I just move my ball a bit to avoid the tree?” and “can we just call it a 4?”

 

[Crazyface]

Tomorrow is our medal and it got me thinking about something a couple people told me when I joined 5 years ago. Evidently our medals weren't drawn in the past so that people could just sign up and play with friends etc. At some point someone noticed that a particular group always got a 2 (and money) and that it rotated between them each time. Turns out they took turns giving one in their group a 2 and the next time it would be someone else. Evidently their justification was that they really weren't cheating since they would add that shot on the next hole so their scores would represent what they "really" shot. Another guy I play with said he saw someone on a hole over from him kick the ball out from behind a tree so he had a clear shot....he didn't know who it was. Something I always think about are the people who can't help but give gimmies to people....which if you aren't playing a comp I could care less about. But I'm willing to bet there are plenty of people who give a putt in a comp as well. Any problems at your courses?

WOW.....just....WOW

 

[Crazyface]

I stoppped putting money into the "two" years ago. I never EVER got them. I used to see other that regularly did, so I realised I was just handing money to them. I now put £2 in a pot at home when I play in any comps. I also disagree with paying money to play in comps unless they are drawn out comps.

 

[virtuocity]

I now put £2 in a pot at home when I play in any comps.

Not a bad idea that! I always pay sweep money but rarely the 2s pot as we don’t have the easiest par 3s in the world and I’m rubbish. Might stick a quick a week into a pot and pay myself out when I get a 2. Should be able to pay the mortgage off when the pot is opened.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

That is shocking

How did the other guy prove he made a 7? And how come it took so long to come to light?

I only heard about it a few days later but I knew the two players involved. One had shall we say "form". From what I understand, the third member of the group didn't know the guy had claimed a 6 and only heard about it in the bar afterwards. He then raised the issue and the "error" was found.

 

[NearHull]

Played in a seniors comp open last year .
The pair with us “offered” us this option.
We declined .
I had never heard of this before , but they seemed quite surprised we were shocked.
Blatant cheating.

That pair had some nerve or perhaps extremely naive.

 

[Steviefella]

Prize money or cash always attracts greedy or suspicious characters. Good when they get found out though as some of these posts show, brilliant. ?

 

[BigEasyERGC]

Many years back, when I was a young member at my first club. Played one of my first medals with a random member. Ball on the fairway, I clocked him move his ball back and to the side.

I was walking up behind him and shouted "seeded divot?" which he turned round and gave me the thumbs up.

He hit his shot (onto the green) and as I walked past noticed that the huge divot he was claiming to be seeded was not.

I was fairly new and young at the time so didn't say anything, which looking back I massively regret. He was an older man taking advantage of a young boy, pretty pathetic stuff as he was cuffing me at the time!

 

[Imurg]

Only example I've personally come across was at my first club.
In the singles matchplay I was up against one of the "hierarchy" of the club.
On the 17th I was 2 up and on the green in 2 looking at an easy par.
Mr X had driven into bushes and was struggling to find his ball
With the 5 minutes approaching he suddenly found it a few yards away from the bushes.
He played it and knocked it OB to hand the hole and the match to me.
I knew it wasnt his ball because as soon as he played his shot I stood on it.....20 yards from where he "found" it....
I didn't make a fuss but I kept it in hand for use in future years....also kept a close eye on him from then on.

 

[clubchamp98]

Worst example I have had .
Matchplay hole 7 th guy tees off in to big rough says he has found it and plays a worldie on to the green.
When I got to the green I said “ are you sure that’s your ball”
He looked at me and said“ yes “
I said “well it’s changed colour as it was yellow when you hit it off the tee.”
He knew I knew , he decided to conceed the match at 9th .

 

[clubchamp98]

Many years back, when I was a young member at my first club. Played one of my first medals with a random member. Ball on the fairway, I clocked him move his ball back and to the side.

I was walking up behind him and shouted "seeded divot?" which he turned round and gave me the thumbs up.

He hit his shot (onto the green) and as I walked past noticed that the huge divot he was claiming to be seeded was not.

I was fairly new and young at the time so didn't say anything, which looking back I massively regret. He was an older man taking advantage of a young boy, pretty pathetic stuff as he was cuffing me at the time!

The good old days when you got relief from a seeded divot.
Still don’t understand why they changed this ,it just made sense.
There is nothing left to put back in the hole.
He should have asked you first anyway!

 

[trevor]

I’ve seen someone cheat but was fairly new to the game at the time and not totally up to speed with all the rules and this person was the type that always had an answer and was good at “bullying” someone if he thought he could get away with it. The trouble is if you are going to call someone out for cheating you need to do it straight away and be 100% right, not start thinking about it for a couple of holes then elements of doubt start creeping in and the moment has gone. I’ve always regretted not calling him out on it but at least I’ve never had to play with him since.

 

[rosecott]

The good old days when you got relief from a seeded divot.
Still don’t understand why they changed this ,it just made sense.
There is nothing left to put back in the hole.
He should have asked you first anyway!

I'm happy to be corrected but I can't remember relief from a seeded divot.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

I'm happy to be corrected but I can't remember relief from a seeded divot.

I thought it was perhaps only me as I alao have no recollection of that rule.

Could it have been a Local Rule or an interpretation of GUR?

 

[Foxholer]

I'm happy to be corrected but I can't remember relief from a seeded divot.

I thought it was perhaps only me as I alao have no recollection of that rule.

Could it have been a Local Rule or an interpretation of GUR?

Clubs used to be able to have a Local Rule to provide relief.
R&A removed the option for clubs to have this in 2010.