The stigma of being caught cheating

[Ian_Bristol]

I was at my local today and heard a person doing a 36 hole medal was caught cheating yesterday, basically he was in a bunker and thought his pp's were not looking so picked the ball up and thew it onto the green, what he didn't know that a group playing on an adjacent green were watching him who got straight on the phone and rang the clubhouse.
Why on earth would someone want to do that risking friends and respect from fellow members, I am an honest person and would be devastated if somebody thought I cheated playing golf .
AFAIK he was suspended pending meetings, Now I think he should be banned from all future comps but should he be banned from the club.

At the end of the day is it worth cheating, that would be a no from me.

 

[Curls]

A high profile committee member was caught cheating at ours, having spent most of his life playing at the club he was banned for the rest of it.

Harsh? I think the thinking is "once a cheater...". I'm not sure if thats true or if people can learn a lesson from being caught, but one thing I do know if that I'd not want to play with that person in my group, nor in the field if it can be helped. If you think throwing a ball back into play is okay as long as no one sees then you have no place on a golf course on comp day. End of. It begs the question how often has he done that or similar before and got away with it?

Regards the ban, he has disrespected the club and every player in it by his actions. Perhaps the committee will rule or perhaps they'll call a vote, but if no one wants to see him round their track again I can't argue with them.

 

[Break90]

Based on the information provided, and having flouted the very essence of the game, he should be expelled from the club IMO, although having been caught he'd have to have a ridiculously thick skin to contemplate wanting to stay anyway.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm all for forgiveness and opportunity to seek redemption for mistakes. So I'd put it down to a moment of misty madness. No point in wondering if he'd ever done it in the past - though if there is a record, suspicions or previous warnings...

 

[chillicon]

I was under/behind a tree at the weekend and try to chop it out, clipped a branch and completely missed the ball. Playing partners were over the other side of the green and didnt see it, no one else in view. I would be lying if I said it didnt cross my mind, it did for a split second, but there is no way I would, so the air shot was duly mentioned and counted the same as all of the others. Would like to think that I would do the same in all circumstances.

Throwing a ball out of a bunker is just incredible though.

 

[londonlewis]

At the end of the day is it worth cheating, that would be a no from me.

Wow, that is a genuinely incredible story.

Is it worth cheating? IMHO, never!

 

[Tashyboy]

Blatant cheating, ohh that's naughty.

bottom line is that for every action there's a reaction. From a committees point of view. If they are lenient then what precedent does it set.

You gotta let us know the the outcome of this one.

Not goin off on tangents. If the game is run by the R an A rules why is there no rules on cheating.or is there?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Based on the information provided, and having flouted the very essence of the game, he should be expelled from the club IMO, although having been caught he'd have to have a ridiculously thick skin to contemplate wanting to stay anyway.

I think the problem is more widespread than wanting to stay at his current club. Wherever you go, people know members at other clubs and it would only be a matter of time before someone at his new club (if he chose to join one) found out what happened.

I think the guy is now tarnished for life.

 

[Break90]

I think the problem is more widespread than wanting to stay at his current club. Wherever you go, people know members at other clubs and it would only be a matter of time before someone at his new club (if he chose to join one) found out what happened.

I think the guy is now tarnished for life.

Was just editing my initial post to say precisely this. I'd be surprised if word doesn't make it's way around local clubs pretty quick anyway.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think the problem is more widespread than wanting to stay at his current club. Wherever you go, people know members at other clubs and it would only be a matter of time before someone at his new club (if he chose to join one) found out what happened.

I think the guy is now tarnished for life.

Agree with this. You would have to go to another county at least before you could regain anonymity again. There have been cases I have heard of of golfers being caught cheating and the word has got around all the other clubs in the area like wildfire.

 

[pbrown7582]

Was just editing my initial post to say precisely this. I'd be surprised if word doesn't make it's way around local clubs pretty quick anyway.

doesn't? would be surprised if the jungle drums haven't reached most of the local clubs already. The guy is now already probably persona non grata for quite a wide area of clubs

 

[Hobbit]

I guess its a tough stigma to carry, if you care. I know of a couple of guys at previous clubs that were caught, one of them many years ago. Although banned from comps, he was certainly still doing it a few years back and taking the money in roll up's/swindles.

The other guy left golf......................... until the comps Chairman who nailed him left. He's now back at that club, and back winning.

Many of those that cheat couldn't give a toss about what you and I think. I think that if they were barred from golf, they'd only find another sport and carry on cheating.

 

[drew83]

My only question would be, did he toss the ball out & hope to keep playing? Or had he been hacking at it, got to a point of not being able to score & therefore out of sheer frustration chucked the ball out with the intention of raking the sand, marking a blob & carrying on with the round...

From the OP ("thought his pp's were not looking so picked the ball up and thew it onto the green") it seems clear he intended to continue that hole & was caught cheating...but thought I would ask.

 

[Fyldewhite]

Can't understand it at all. I've been lucky enough to win a couple of board comps at our place over the years and I know that I won them fair and square. I cannot imagine how I'd feel about those victories if I knew I had cheated my way to them. Maybe if you are the type of person who cheats then it wouldn't bother you? But I'm pretty sure the satisfaction can't be the same.

The stigma lasts a very long time in my experience (there have been a few instances at our club). What bothers me on this subject is how as soon as there is a sniff of an issue the membership convenes a kangaroo court in the bar and usually labels the person concerned without actually knowing very much about what really happened.....especially if the player isn't "one of the lads". Even if after investigating, the committee feel there's no case to answer or it was a genuine mistake etc I've seen people branded cheats (usually behind their back) for years.

 

[Dan2501]

He threw it out of a bunker? Wow. What a story. :rofl:

 

[Tashyboy]

I think the problem is more widespread than wanting to stay at his current club. Wherever you go, people know members at other clubs and it would only be a matter of time before someone at his new club (if he chose to join one) found out what happened.

I think the guy is now tarnished for life.

Will go along with that 100%. There's an incident/ situation that has happened at a local club and the golf grapevine has gone into overdrive over the last couple of weeks.

and nope I won't be talking about the "tittle tattle" on here, just saying I agree with above statement.

 

[Tashyboy]

He threw it out of a bunker? Wow. What a story. :rofl:

Thing is with bunker shots they could go anywhere. His shot could of landed nearer the hole😳 than his throw

 

[garyinderry]

Maybe If we were not so tough on cheating we wouldn't have so many leaving golf to pursue cycling.


*ill get my coat ☺

 

[Slab]

In answer to the last part re being banned from the club, if this is a noted penalty for this type of deliberate breach as set by the club or the comp committee then it’s certainly a risk for the guy, otherwise the penalty will be whatever they’ve predefined (and well deserved it’ll be too)... although is it any worse than knowingly & deliberately tapping down a spike mark on your line? And would we think a lifetime comp/club ban appropriate in that case too

This will certainly get the jungle drums going locally and it seems incredible that anyone would think they’d get away with it

 

[bladeplayer]

I think the problem is more widespread than wanting to stay at his current club. Wherever you go, people know members at other clubs and it would only be a matter of time before someone at his new club (if he chose to join one) found out what happened.

I think the guy is now tarnished for life.

100 % correct
Guy joined our club that had been banned for cheating from another club not very far away , any time he won anything including a club major it was always mentioned ..

To me its all about achieving as low a handicap as i can , not one single prize that I play for is worth cheating to win