The right thing to do ? Or not?

[backwoodsman]

Yesterday was just an ordinary Saturday - with a Pro-shop comp (stableford) in the absence of anthing more formal as regards club comps. It will be a qualifier. It's also the final weekend for playing matches in the current round of knockouts.

In the post round banter l heard " ... he beat me good & proper, 5&3. I tried to hang in there but he played really well. He scored 38 in the pro-shop. Obviously l didn’t ..."

Now, l know both guys reasonably ok, so asked them if they knew they couldn't play a match and be in a strokeplay comp at the same time. They genuinely didn’t. They asked what rule; l told them. They said they played properly, putted out everything etc; l said that doesn't really come into it, the formats have different penalties & procedures etc. One said nothing arose where a rule was broken that needed a penalty adding; l just said that may be so. They asked what the consequence was; l said strictly speaking, dq in the comp & match null & void.

The guy with who won with the good score was concerned (in the right way). That he might win the comp or at least deprive someone of prize money. That he'd get Order of Merit points to which he wasn't entitled, and a h/c cut & so on. So what do we do he asked. Nothing, just leave it, suggested the other. I just said, "I suppose you could try asking to withdraw from the comp - saying you didn’t realise you couldn't enter? But I'm saying nothing to anyone else. It's up to you."

I now feel like a git for mentioning it at all. Put a downer on their morning, & probably deprived him of a cut.

But surely it was the right thing to do? Wasn't it? What would you have done?

 

[TheJezster]

Why did you say anything? Nothing wrong with having an informal 'match' against someone else whether it be for money or not, during your round. As long as it's not actually a knock out match but just a side bet there's no harm done. Them having a side bet wouldn't have affected you so I'm not sure why you'd say anything to them to be honest?

 

[TheJezster]

I might have misread that tho, did they enter an official knock out too?

 

[glynntaylor]

I might have misread that tho, did they enter an official knock out too?

I read this as they played the Offical Knockout and a stableford.

I think you did the right thing.

 

[patricks148]

TBH i wouldn't have said anything if they putted out on every hole.

I know rules are rules, but its not like they cheated or had an unfair advantage.

 

[Maninblack4612]

I don't think this was a breach of the rules. An informal match during a competition, as long as the rules of strokeplay are followed, is fine. In fact, if you wanted to, you could ignore the match until you got into the clubhouse then wok out , using the cards, who had won. You couldn't say that is breaking he rules.

What the rule is there for is to stop, for example, a club knockout tie being decided by two players playing together in the monthly medal. Provided none of the rules of strokeplay are broken, e.g. sharing information on club choice, there's nothing wrong with playing an informal match. We do it a lot at our club, so do lots of others.

 

[bladeplayer]

For me you did the right thing telling them , i had to do it once with a guy who went back played a provo but continued with 1st ball as it was found within 5min..

id leave it to them after that tho (awaits lynching) let them take it from there .. (difference is one above affected score so it had to be enforced & unfortunately was a DQ)

AND before the "what other rule breaks would you allow" brigade lynch me , to me they played the open comp by proper rules , how they wana decide the match between themselves personally i dont care if they rock paper scissors for it ,...

He should still get his h/cap cut tho

 

[backwoodsman]

I might have misread that tho, did they enter an official knock out too?

It was official knock-outs and a "proper" comp.

 

[backwoodsman]

I don't think this was a breach of the rules. An informal match during a competition, as long as the rules of strokeplay are followed, is fine. In fact, if you wanted to, you could ignore the match until you got into the clubhouse then wok out , using the cards, who had won. You couldn't say that is breaking he rules.

What the rule is there for is to stop, for example, a club knockout tie being decided by two players playing together in the monthly medal. Provided none of the rules of strokeplay are broken, e.g. sharing information on club choice, there's nothing wrong with playing an informal match. We do it a lot at our club, so do lots of others.

It was this that they did - except it was the pro-shop stableford (which is a qualifier) rather than the monthly medal.

 

[louise_a]

Sounds to me like you were in the right, they clearly were in breach of the rules.

 

[Three]

.

What the rule is there for is to stop, for example, a club knockout tie being decided by two players playing together in the monthly medal.

Rule 33-1, ie not allowed to combine the 2.
They must either play the strokeplay or the matchplay, can't do both at the same time.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Kick the two of them out the club, there is no place in golf for such despicable toerags :thup:

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Fundamentally, although I know the rule and wouldn't breach it myself, I wouldn't be bothered if someone else did.

Can't see how it would disadvantage the rest of the stableford field so long as the rules of stableford were followed, and that's all i would be bothered about.

 

[guest100718]

Fundamentally, although I know the rule and wouldn't breach it myself, I wouldn't be bothered if someone else did.

Can't see how it would disadvantage the rest of the stableford field so long as the rules of stableford were followed, and that's all i would be bothered about.

the penalties are different for some things
e.g you tee off from the yellow rather than the whites. what's the correct way.forward?

 

[HampshireHog]

You are absolutely right to mention it. It's now down to them how to handle it.

Presumably, a DQ would apply to the knockout rather than the Stableford?

 

[moogie]

Fundamentally, although I know the rule and wouldn't breach it myself, I wouldn't be bothered if someone else did.

Can't see how it would disadvantage the rest of the stableford field so long as the rules of stableford were followed, and that's all i would be bothered about.

Wouldn't have bothered me 1 iota either
No harm done
Nobody died
It's a game

Golfs too complicated for the average human being to comprehend

 

[Three]

You are absolutely right to mention it. It's now down to them how to handle it.

Presumably, a DQ would apply to the knockout rather than the Stableford?

Opposite, DQ from the strokeplay, the matchplay is cancelled and they must replay.

 

[Dasit]

It's a game

Too many stupid rules

Hope it modernises or it will probably die before I reach retirement

If you said this to some of the younger people I know who play they would tell you to mind your own business

 

[Three]

It's a game

Too many stupid rules

Hope it modernises or it will probably die before I reach retirement

If you said this to some of the younger people I know who play they would tell you to mind your own business

They need educating then.

 

[HampshireHog]

View attachment 22642
Opposite, DQ from the strokeplay, the matchplay is cancelled and they must replay.

Ouch, hope they managed to play today!