What is the most sporting gesture you have witnessed in golf?

[Deleted Member 1156]

Played a club match once and was 1 down playing 16. This green had a real disease problem. I put my approach stone inside six inches to be conceded and he followed up to within three feet but had a huge fusarium mark between his ball and the hole. I conceded his putt as I thought it unfair to make him play through such a mark. I lost the match 1 down.

I'm all in favour of good sportsmanship but I think this is over the top. If you were winning or all square then fair enough but 1 down I wouldn't even consider it and if I was one of your team mates and the team lost by a single point then I wouldn't have been happy.

 

[MartynB]

I'm all in favour of good sportsmanship but I think this is over the top. If you were winning or all square then fair enough but 1 down I wouldn't even consider it and if I was one of your team mates and the team lost by a single point then I wouldn't have been happy.

I think giving this putt shows real class and a great attitude to competitive, amateur golf, well done PS. The fact you think it over the top is a bit sad I think.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I think giving this putt shows real class and a great attitude to competitive, amateur golf, well done PS. The fact you think it over the top is a bit sad I think.

Fair enough, everyone is entitled to an opinion but what if his team lost by a single point and all his teammates had played their hearts out?

 

[MartynB]

Fair enough, everyone is entitled to an opinion but what if his team lost by a single point and all his teammates had played their hearts out?

So what! Its only a game, assume nobody on here makes their living playing golf. Conceding the putt was the move of a sporting gentleman, this for me trumps a team losing a comp by a single point whether they played their hearts or not, but as you say, just my opinion.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

So what! Its only a game, assume nobody on here makes their living playing golf. Conceding the putt was the move of a sporting gentleman, this for me trumps a team losing a comp by a single point whether they played their hearts or not, but as you say, just my opinion.

Yeah it's only a game but what if it was a scratch team inter club knockout or even a county match with something resting on the outcome? It may only be a game but it is also a competitive sport as well.

 

[garyinderry]

I think in this case there is a fine line between being fair to your opponent and also to your team mates.


Doing this in singles would be seen as a good gesture. Doing it in a team game could jeopardize the work in by team mates and most likely would not be appreciated.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I think in this case there is a fine line between being fair to your opponent and also to your team mates.


Doing this in singles would be seen as a good gesture. Doing it in a team game could jeopardize the work in by team mates and most likely would not be appreciated.

I agree Gaz, doing it in a singles match is fine if the individual feels it is the right thing to do but completely different in a team match.

 

[ManinBlack]

I think in this case there is a fine line between being fair to your opponent and also to your team mates.


Doing this in singles would be seen as a good gesture. Doing it in a team game could jeopardize the work in by team mates and most likely would not be appreciated.

I don't believe Jack came into any criticism for giving Tony Jacklin that putt, & that was the Ryder Cup!

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I don't believe Jack came into any criticism for giving Tony Jacklin that putt, & that was the Ryder Cup!

But Jack’s team retained the Cup. Would he of done it if it meant the USA losing, my heart says hopefully, my head says no chance.

 

[garyinderry]

I don't believe Jack came into any criticism for giving Tony Jacklin that putt, & that was the Ryder Cup!

Afaik many Americans in his team were upset that they didn't get to win, only retain.

 

[Crazyface]

I go away with a couple of mates, who although love playing golf, aren't great. This year I won the first two days meaning a loss of four shots. On the last day I was still in with a shout of winning the main trophy. (It's old and about 10cm in height bought for 50p from a charity shop) Anyhoo two of us still in with a shout going down 18. My mate sticks his second on the green for two, probably his best shot all weekend. I hit my second to within a meter of the pin. Probably my best shot of the weekend. He gets down for a four. I've got two putts to win. For the first time in my entire life I deliberately sailed the ball well past the hole and down the slope after the hole. I'm now 2 meters away. I got a five. My mate won. His smile in the bar afterwards made it worth it !

 

[Slab]

I go away with a couple of mates, who although love playing golf, aren't great. This year I won the first two days meaning a loss of four shots. On the last day I was still in with a shout of winning the main trophy. (It's old and about 10cm in height bought for 50p from a charity shop) Anyhoo two of us still in with a shout going down 18. My mate sticks his second on the green for two, probably his best shot all weekend. I hit my second to within a meter of the pin. Probably my best shot of the weekend. He gets down for a four. I've got two putts to win. For the first time in my entire life I deliberately sailed the ball well past the hole and down the slope after the hole. I'm now 2 meters away. I got a five. My mate won. His smile in the bar afterwards made it worth it !

^^This one may divide opinion

I can see myself doing this if I was playing a game/sport with my daughter when she was younger (the way dads do) but not sure I'd consider throwing the result of a game with a mate (even if the intention was honourable I don't think the method is, so for me it doesn't count as a sporting gesture)

 

[Curls]

^^This one may divide opinion

I can see myself doing this if I was playing a game/sport with my daughter when she was younger (the way dads do) but not sure I'd consider throwing the result of a game with a mate (even if the intention was honourable I don't think the method is, so for me it doesn't count as a sporting gesture)

Na its just mates and he's clearly miles better than the lads he's playing against so what harm? I played my usual PP (off 24) on his 50th at Woodall and it was a fantastic match, all down to the last where he had a slippery sliding 15 footer and I was dead straight up the hill about 4 feet away. I made my mind up that as it was his birthday when he missed I'd leave mine a roll or two short so we'd half the match.

He holed it. Still lords it over me. :lol:

 

[londonlewis]

I played against a mate recently.
£5 for the front 9, back 9 and overall.
I was 4 up at the turn, so that's £5 banked. Won it 3&2 but he still has a chance to beat me on the back 9. He duffed his tee shot on the last so I let him hit a mulligan.

 

[Deleted member 18645]

Don't worry he'd never have given it to me. Chances are he'd have walked over my line inspecting the diseased patch first

Like you would have even gotten to the 16th against me? I'd have given you a dog license.

 

[Deleted member 18645]

I'm all in favour of good sportsmanship but I think this is over the top. If you were winning or all square then fair enough but 1 down I wouldn't even consider it and if I was one of your team mates and the team lost by a single point then I wouldn't have been happy.

When I explained the situation, the other four members of the team were totally supportive of it. Mine was the deciding final match with the score 2-2 as it turned out. I was the team captain but if in a similar situation another player had done the same, I would have supported them 100%.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

When I explained the situation, the other four members of the team were totally supportive of it. Mine was the deciding final match with the score 2-2 as it turned out. I was the team captain but if in a similar situation another player had done the same, I would have supported them 100%.

So are you saying that basically you gave the match away?

 

[Deleted member 18645]

So are you saying that basically you gave the match away?

Heh heh - I had 18 holes to win and the other guy was 1 up at the end so he deserved it. To mirror what Jack Nicklaus said to Tony Jacklin, "I didn't want to give you the chance to miss it" especially over a fusarium mark like he had. Some of the other guys on the team had noticed it when they played the hole but it had not affected their play on the hole. Poor hole location by the green-keeping staff to be honest.

 

[turkish]

A lot of self back patters on this thread :lol:

 

[ManinBlack]

I'm all in favour of good sportsmanship but I think this is over the top. If you were winning or all square then fair enough but 1 down I wouldn't even consider it and if I was one of your team mates and the team lost by a single point then I wouldn't have been happy.

That's taking it too seriously. It's a game.