rule benders sorry cheats

[John_Findlay]

MVP,

the ball rolled a few feet. The issue here is whether he was deliberately testing the surface of the green (a big no no under the rules). It could have been construed as such. Be warned.

I would have given my opponent the benefit of the doubt on the 1st green but if he did it all the time I would have mentioned it. I just think immediately claiming the hole was, as you say, an arsey thing to do.

 

[MVP]

If he made a habit of it for sure, but like you say on the first green etc give the benefit..!

 

[theeaglehunter]

I have to admit that when I first started playing the game I was guilty of cheating without knowing quite a few times. However I think the fact that one particular bloke who had played for a long time and who I played with a fair bit back then kindly pointed out my mistakes is what helped me be able to play to the rules today. I therfore try and do the same and advise any people new to the game as to where they are going wrong, and the response usually is positive as it is rare that people want to cheat. As for people who do deliberately cheat and know full well that they are doing it (que the sneaky glance round to see if anybody notices you nudging your ball forward to a better lie) they annoy me too much to be able to politely describe on here. When it happened though I was 4 up against the guy in matchplay, so found it quite funny that I was winning and he was cheating!

 

[Junior]

I was playing a club match 2 years ago when wbout 6 holes in my opponent got relief from a staked tree, he duly took out his driver and marked 1 club length and dropped the ball with his club still on the ground. The ball hit the club and i told him that it was a one shot penalty. . .

To this day its one of the worst rounds i have ever played, the anger on this guy's face unsettled me. The guy hardly uttered a word for the rest of the round and when he beat be 2 and 1, we shook hands and he told me "that's what you get for being a kn*b".

I just said the rules are the rules mate, and he wouldn't even share a beer with me after the match.

I can therefore understand and sympathise with people who are afraid to pull people up on the rules.

 

[John_Findlay]

No offence, Junior, but in the current edition of the rules, there's no penalty for that. Rule 20-2a. It's a re-drop without penalty. Willing to be corrected, though. Have to say I didn't know the exact rule before looking it up.

 

[medwayjon]

cannot abide cheating of any kind, punishment should be cruel & unusual!

 

[HTL]

You could have told him before he took his shot/drop Junior, Golf is suppose to be a fun gentleman's sport after all.

 

[Basher]

I playeda friendly with a guy last year. He was hitting his ball all over the place. Hit it into very deep rough amongst the trees. Hacked away at the ball until he cleared out onto the fairway. I was marking his card and when we both holed out asked him how many shots. Considering his number of wild swings (not to mention his leather wedge on a few occasions) he replied 7 !!! Good job it was a friendly, nevertheless. I haven't played a "friendly" round with him since.

 

[MVP]

...., punishment should be cruel & unusual!

]

that was funny.. well the unusual bit!

 

[shanker]

I was playing a club match 2 years ago when wbout 6 holes in my opponent got relief from a staked tree, he duly took out his driver and marked 1 club length and dropped the ball with his club still on the ground. The ball hit the club and i told him that it was a one shot penalty. . .

To this day its one of the worst rounds i have ever played, the anger on this guy's face unsettled me. The guy hardly uttered a word for the rest of the round and when he beat be 2 and 1, we shook hands and he told me "that's what you get for being a kn*b".

I just said the rules are the rules mate, and he wouldn't even share a beer with me after the match.

I can therefore understand and sympathise with people who are afraid to pull people up on the rules.

I think your opponent was quite justified in feeling the way he did.

 

[viscount17]

To my knowledge, though admittedly based on limited experience, I have seen only one cheating incident and that in a match in which I was not a participant.
A Seniors match was playing on the adjacent hole, both fairways are crossed by a road bounded by ditches on both sides and bordered on the far side by a hedge (since removed). One Senior drove into the rough adjoining both fairways. I drove, happily clearing the hedge. He played his second which I saw dump into the ditch immediately in front of the hedge.
On reaching the hedge, there he was playing a ball from the far side and mine was never found . .
What do you do when this happens? You're not involved in the match, you never had a close enough view to know that he truly played your ball as his, and you are the veriest beginner.

 

[Gasp]

Viscount the only thing to do is always make sure your ball is clearly marked. I know this is a bit cheeky but if my opponant hasn't marked his ball I always offer him the use of my marker pen when I'm done with it. He then feels duty bound to use it. No offence is taken and no chances of "confusion" in the match.

 

[viscount17]

It was marked and there is no guarantee that it was of the same type. I thought then, and do now, that he lost his ball and played mine with the intention of not taking a penalty; closing out the hole without his ball being seen by his opponents would not have been difficult. I have no idea of the result of his match.

 

[Junior]

No offence taken John,

I may have been wrong and neither of us had a rule book on the day (lesson learnt!). The reason I called it was that it happened to me when putting my three cards in many years ago. I had to take a drop and the committe member I was playing with told me to pick the club up after I had marked it other wise it was a penalty.

I did actually try and tell the guy before he dropped the ball but it was too late.

 

[John_Findlay]

Easy mistake to make, Junior. I would have been scrabbling around for the rule book in the bag in the circumstances. Normally, in these situations I'll say;-
"Hold on a minute, mate, don't want you being penalised, I'll check it out for you before we do anything"
If they object to that then they're fair game for an icy stare!