What to do when you catch a "friend" cheating......

[Smiffy]

Tricky situation here, and don't really know what to do about it.
As some of you know, I've just come back from a week-end away at Forest Pines with some friends I've known for years and years. Leftie, James and Vig joined us for the week-end too. A great time was had by all, but the guy that "won" our four round competition is a cheat. An out and out cheat. He beat Leftie by 1 point over the 4 rounds. But Leftie was the true winner of the competition. I know in my heart of hearts that the other guy cheated his way around that week-end. But we cannot prove it. My best mate Norman (who played with this guy in the 2nd and 3rd rounds) is absolutely certain that he cheated whilst his ball was in the woods but cannot prove it. 3 or 4 times they had to correct this guys score because he was claiming less than he actually scored on a hole. I saw him blatantly cheat last year in Lanhydrock but was told not to say anything for fear of causing bad feeling. But I know what I saw and I didn't imagine it. In the first round over the Forest Pines week-end, this guy was in a threeball with two new lads to our group. They were friends of one of the other guys there and had never met any of us before so were a little nervous. They played in a 3 ball with this guy because Vig couldn't make the first round. On talking to them afterwards they admitted that this guy was marking his ball on the green in an "unusual" way but hadn't said anything because they didn't know him and that they were fairly new to the game and didn't know all the rules. How many times did this guy claim a lower score on a hole than he actually got, and these two new guys wouldn't have questioned it? They were high handicappers and when I played with them both over the week-end they had enough trouble remembering their own scores sometimes. They wouldn't have been able to tell you what I scored, I could (if I had been that way inclined) have got away with murder!
It is annoying me that Leftie should have won that week-end. It is annoying me that I saw this guy cheat in Lanhydrock but couldn't say anything for fear of upsetting the week-end. The lads are feeling that they don't want to invite this bloke anymore, but of course he's going to wonder why. I feel like phoning him up and having it out with him. I don't know how some people can cheat and take money off of their friends. I couldn't.

And no.....he's not coming to Cooden next week.

 

[Parmo]

Your going to burn in hell...

 

[Smiffy]

Your going to burn in hell...

Why?
He's not a member on here.....

 

[Timberbonce]

Ah.. Very tricky.
He is a cheat and he knows it, but if you say anything to him he will certainly deny it it strongly and claim to be deeply hurt by what you are saying.

I think you should stop playing with him but don't bother to say anything.

Even if you tell him would he be able to change?

Even he questions why, maybe tell him then.

 

[Parmo]

Sack him off and if he kicks up a fuss about the reason why tell him straight, nothing worse than someone beating the bush or is that beating around the bush?

 

[Smiffy]

Ah.. Very tricky.
He is a cheat and he knows it, but if you say anything to him he will certainly deny it

He cannot deny what I saw him do in Cornwall last year.
Third hole, long par 4. He didn't think anyone was watching, but I was.
His ball was on the green, lying about 30 feet or so from the cup. He walked onto the green, pulled his ballmarker out of his pocket and as he was walking towards his ball threw (yes THREW ) it so that it landed at least 3 or 4 feet closer to the hole. He then picked his ball up, put it in his pocket and when it was his turn to putt replaced it where the ballmarker was. I couldn't believe I had seen him do it. I mentioned it to another mate of mine who hadn't seen this guy do it and he said not to say anything because it would cause a ruck.
This week-end just gone, one of then new guys said he had seen this bloke walk onto the green, pick his ball up without marking it, clean it and put it in his pocket and then walk up and put a marker down nearer the hole!!

 

[Tommo21]

I think if you have to correct someone 3 or 4 times they need to be told in the strongest way. Bad job when you're told not to say anything as last year could have sorted this out.

In a medal I seen a guy pick his ball from the trees walk out about nine or ten steps sideways and drop it where he could get a shot up the fairway. I told him when we crossed fairways a few holes later. He was not a happy person, but I dont give two flying .....

The next time, if there is a next time, get him told. Better still, get picked with this guy and nail him.

 

[Smiffy]

Better still, get picked with this guy and nail him.

Because of what happened last year Tommo, I was hoping this was going to be the case during the week-end just gone. I was ready for him and was also prepared to let fly.
Unfortunately things didn't pan out that way.
Leftie got a bigger round of applause for his 23 points on the back 9 on the final day than this guy did for actually winning the competition. As I say, everybody "knows" that this guy cheats, but are afraid to say anything.
I'm not but unfortunately didn't get the opportunity this time.

 

[Twire]

I think your chance to say say anything has now passed. You should have stood up to him on your golf weekend after you were told about his cheating. Personally I wouldn't invite the bloke to any more of your golf breaks, and if he asks why, tell him straight.

 

[bobmac]

I Personally I wouldn't invite the bloke to any more of your golf breaks, and if he asks why, tell him straight.

I agree.

 

[clubchamp07]

I find it's awefull that we cant tell anyone who is cheating, in case we upset other people. If the guy is cheating, nail him. I hate having to watch other people just in case they cheat...............
Good luck with this one because I'm lead to beleive it takes 2 to catch them!

 

[Smiffy]

Personally I wouldn't invite the bloke to any more of your golf breaks, and if he asks why, tell him straight.

I think that this is the way I've got to play it.
I should have nailed him at Lanhydrock last year when I saw him do what he did. I missed my chance.
In fact, two holes later he played a par 3 where he was shotting and putted in for a 5 with the flag still in. He claimed " 5 for 1" but I marked him down for a blob and he didn't query his score at the end.

 

[USER1999]

I think you will have to cross him off your invite list. I can't see how you can bring it up now.

Well played Leftie though.

I don't remember FP being a particulalry short track?

 

[Smiffy]

I don't remember FP being a particulalry short track?

Apparantly it was his deadly short game that did it again Murph. I saw him on the 18th. Didn't get home for 2 but stiffed his 3rd and tapped in for another 3 pointer.
He's got the short game of a single digit golfer and the long game of a darts player

 

[medwayjon]

I have encountered this with a mate and it ended up in a falling out.

We would play a 3-ball skins game with another mate of ours at a couple of quid a skin.

Anyway, this fella Alex was in the deepish rough on the right hand side of the 5th and his ball was well buried in it. I saw him, with the blade of his iron, doing a bit of gardening and pressing the grass down to pop his ball up.

I let it go that time as I didnt want to ruin the game.

We got to the 10th and he was plugged in a greenside bunker. I then saw him doctoring the sand with his wedge to get a better shot.

The final straw came on the 13th, he was obstructed by a tree in the r/h rough. He then used his club as a hook to pull the ball towards him and remove the tree from the line of the shot.

I pulled him up on it, he didnt deny the 3 examples I spotted, I then said "cheating is cheating" and he said "its only a friendly game with mates"

I then went off on one about him being a cheat for doing it, I said rules and rules and there is money on offer so you are cheating your mates out of money. I also asked him how many times he had cheated in the society days of ours where he had won prizes.

The 3rd fella totally sided with me on this, Alex got the hump and basically said "if you've got a problem with the way I play you can stuff it" and stropped off, loaded his motor up and did one.

Safe to say we arent friends anymore.

 

[Spartacus]

Send him a link to this or the other GM site.

He'll know then!

Throwing his ball marker, the cheating tw*t. That's bad, real bad!

 

[Sam]

Next time you are playing him lift your ball on the green and place your marker near the hole

 

[Macster]

Perhaps an 'anonymous' letter highlighting everything that has been seen, could be sent to him.

He'll know then why he hasnt anyone to play with anymore.

 

[birdieman]

Let him pay his sweep money and at the end just DQ him from winning - if he asks why reel off the reasons and embarrass him in front of everyone.
You don't need friends like that on a golf course.

 

[znuffzz]

is this an episode of Friends?

seriously man up and tell this guy to his face.

I encountered a lot of cheats playing tennis for many years as a junior and have never been able to stomach it at all. end of. if you cheat you should be given one strike (everyone makes mistakes through ignorance), do it again and you're out.