When is a shot not a shot?

[Ethan]

That sounds like a Hale Irwin, and it also sounds like your partner was telling a porky. I think the Committee would also find his account suspicious. If you need to resolve a dispute, you should refer to the Committee. If it is a dispute about how to proceed during playing of a hole (say whether a drop is allowed), you can play 2 balls - one from the place you think is correct, and the other from where the other guy thinks, then resolve with Committee.

 

[muttleee]

Once while playing our par 3 12th hole, my mate went to tap in a putt of no more than a couple of inches...and missed the ball entirely. At least that's how it looked to me. However, he insisted that he hadn't been trying to hit the ball at all but was merely 'practising'. Why he needed to practice for a two inch putt wasn't immediately clear.

Anyway I said that it looked like an attempted shot to me so it should count in his score but in the end I had to take his word for it. It was only a friendly game anyway so no real harm done, but what if it had been a competition? How do you decide a situation like this when it's basically one person's interpretation against another?

 

[Fyldewhite]

You have to take their word for it. Only the player can know what his intention was and like so many rules at golf it would be up to him to own up.

 

[Region3]

I wouldn't take it against a mate in a friendly game anyway, the same as accidentally touching a ball with your shirt at snooker or touching a piece to move at chess then changing your mind.

In a competition, like Fyldewhite said, you have to take their word for it and believe that they will get theirs in the end.

 

[Fyldewhite]

I wouldn't take it against a mate in a friendly game anyway

I would, just for the crack and especially if we were playing for a pint

 

[Herbie]

Did he address the ball?

 

[DavidPotts]

The title of the post says it all really.

 

[clubchamp07]

Did he address the ball?

For a 2inch putt, addressing the ball dosent come into it. I think it would be the action of the player in question, I think people know when someone is making an attempt to hit a ball or not. If it happened to me I'd call it. If it happened to someone who I was marking their card, I'd pull them, then if they argued, I wouldn't sign the card.
If they want to cheat, they wont do it in my 4ball, 3ball or with me