Golf Etiquette! During Match Play? Was I wrong?

During my Match Play "Down to Finale 4 Season Bracket Club Match Play" Hole # 4 Pin front right of green par 4. I play my Second shot to 1 foot off green front right on fringe. My opponent hits his shot 7 -8 yards short and 10 yards right of green to an area that is deep heavy rough and Muddy. The area in front of the Green is Roped off to keep carts out of area. I drive to the left side of the Green around the ropes while on my way I hear him Yell I taking relief from the area. I Grab my putter and walk towards the area my opponent is standing.  I see he has already taken a drop 10 yards left and 5-6 yards back to the left which puts him out of the deep rough with a easy clear bump and run to the front of the green. I questioned his drop pointing to where I thought his ball was and to where I thought relief was supposed to be. He Said I had NO Right to question his Drop. I should have done it while he was marking and taking relief and it was bad Etiquette and never should be done after the drop.. My issue was I was moving my cart closer to the hole and around the roped off area so I didn't have to walk back for it and didn't have a chance he did it too quick. AM I WRONG... He went on to chunk his chip and i won the hole. It's been bugging me, but I still believe he should have went the other way by where I thought his ball was. He says it was closer to where he marked pointed to a spot and I just said fine Play on the drop is fine. I would have probably Won the hole anyway and now feel bad for questioning his drop. At the time it was a gut reaction because he dropped to the perfect spot.

Of course now we are both tense because of what happened and I can hear him saying how dare I question him I have no right!

OK on to the next hole...

Remember this is Match Play Not Stroke.

Hole # 5 Par 4  Second shot I hit green.  He misses 20 yards short. Opponent Chips up to a little closer then I am on the Green. I have a Long down hill putt I put to about 5 Ft. past cup just missing hole but leaving nice 5 footer straight up hill putt. I Mark ball. He putts and leaves a side right to left breaking 3 1/2 footer. While he is walking over to his ball.  I Bend down to place my ball line up putt and Not noticing he putts out finishing his putt. I looked up and said you should have marked not Putted out it's match play and I wanted to putt first. He says he is on the green he has the right to putt out and I said not in match play. He yells at me again saying that is weekender Sh*t and I should have told him to mark. I told him I was looking down and didn't realize he was putting and he should have asked if it was OK to finish his putt. "We just happen to Play our league Match earlier in the week different hole... when I was like an inch off the Green and putted up to about the same distance  but a straight up hill not a breaking putt and I requested to putt out and He said NO Mark your ball".  Usually during the League it's more casual and to speed up play we usually play ready golf even though it's foursome match play.

Of course now he is really mad at me and saying how I'm wrong and being a jerk. I wasn't going to make him Putt it again but he was yelling at me and telling me how I'm wrong so of course I was getting mad and made him putt it again.

Match went on without issue. I win on the 18th hole 1 up after the match he comes up to me again and tells me I'm wrong about both situations and showed bad form and etiquette on the course. I know now he is going to be bitching about it to people and not sure how to handle it? Need advice Thanks...

PS I never have these kinds of issues and always get along with people...

This Guys last match to move up the brackets... 18th hole is even guy he is playing has 5 footer for a 4 he his 4 footer to an inch for a 5 on the hole. Guys says it was a good match looks like you won... He quickly bends down picks up his ball marker and reaches to shake guys hand... His opponent says no I wasn't conceding the hole I was just saying looks like you will win. He says to the guy NO you implied I won. Other guy says to him just make the putt make me feel better... He says No Way and walks away.

You didn't do anything wrong in my opinion.  The guy obviously seems like someone who is looking to cheat or take any advantage he can get.  From what you said you did nothing wrong in either situation.

I agree.  In the first scenario, it is 100% up to him to inform you of what he is doing BEFORE he starts to do it.  He should have waited until you parked and walked over to him, then he could show you where he was, and what he intended on doing.

The second scenario isn't really a big deal - if it was an isolated incident, I would have probably let it go - but having come right after the other sticky situation, I probably would have done exactly what you did.

Throw in that last gem, and it confirms that he is a cheat, or at least trying a shady character who is trying to gain an undeserved advantage.

The area was not marked but because of all the Heavy rain in the past few days there are a few large areas that got flooded and wet and soft and tore up and muddy by tires from the mowers and you could make a case for being able to bring up water and asking for relief. I do think he took a liberal drop to better his position... He was in a tire track that was muddy and soft and if he dropped any where near where he was it was 6 inch rough. I was just asking him a question and he could have just said I was here and dropped here and said why not go off on a rant of HOW DARE I Question him.  Thanks for your response ... I feel better now. It's been bothering me all day thinking I might have been out of place.

You opponent needs to learn how to play match play.  You did nothing wrong.  You could have made him cancel his stroke and replace his ball on hat 5th hole, as he had no right to putt out when you were away.

In the first situation, if he wanted to avoid being questioned, he should have waited for you come over and see his lie.  The fact that he didn't makes me suspicious that he was trying to put one over on you.  If you had truly had a problem with the results of the hole (if for instance, his action had allowed him to win the hole), you could have registered a claim before either of you played from the next tee.  Then at some point after the round, but before the results are posted, the claim would have to be presented to the committee for resolution.

When I'm taking relief in match play, whether or not there is a penalty involved, I will get my opponent involved if at all feasible.  If what I need to do is fairly obvious, I just let him know what I'm doing, but if there is a chance for contention, then I'll get his input, and if necessary, I'll show him in the rule book (I always have one in my bag) why I'm doing what I'm doing.

If I understand fourputt correctly (and as I have always played), in the first situation the responsibility for a legal and proper drop is on the player dropping. I don't think he needed to wait for you to observe, but if he took a relief when he should not have, or if he then played a ball from an improper drop, doesn't he loose the hole in matchplay?

If he took a bad drop but had not yet hit the ball, I think he can re-drop where he is allowed. But if he picked up his ball when he was not entitled to relief, he looses the hole, right? There is no,"Oh, I thought this was GUR." defense. Ask before lifting the ball.

On the 18th hole it's a Medium par 4 dog leg right up hill and he pulled his drive and he had 240 -250 up hill and had to keep it under a Big Oak tree in front of him. I Hit my Drive right cutting the corner leaving 180 up hill to the back Blue pin. He tried a low Draw to try and run it up and pulled the shot hit the cart path and rolled into the tall Heather Left of the Green about 80 yards away. I see him looking for his ball I notice him pushing weeds away from and reaches down to identify it and says he found it. Heather is up to his waist. I was going to say something to him about how he was pushing the weeds away while identifying his ball but decided not to... Of course he hits a 70 yard shot to just in front of the green out of waist high heather. I got lucky and he hit a bad chip to 15 ft. I had hit my second shot  20 ft and did a nice lag putt to 1 ft. and won the hole... I could only imagine what would have happened if I would have said something about the way he was moving the heather while looking for his ball.... In the End all worked out...

Tonight is our league night can't wait to hear what he has said to others... Most will run back to me and tell me how he is running his mouth... I will just have to tell my side of it to them. I know that most will congratulate me on my win and whisper in my ear that they are glad I won...

In this case I have more sympathy for they guy who picked up his marker. Being clear about conceding is simply good form. To be otherwise can be, and let's admit that it sometimes is, gamesmanship.

I play a very casual matchplay "event" with an extended group of guys. When I have been "rules chairman," I made a big deal out of the fact that concessions need to be very clear. There are several guys with hearing loss and, "That was a good putt." is often heard and misunderstood as, "That's good." Sure, the actual responsibility is on the one getting the concession, but clear concessions are good form. Hit an awful approach shot out of bounds and say, "Boy I stink today. I surrender." and who would blame your opponent for picking up his ball?

Cheaters cheat. Hard to police everything while playing your own game.

I won't play with a guy in the extended group because he cheats. Seems to find his ball just in bounds when you are on the other side of the fairway. Does stuff like you described above. Drops always seem at or just over the edge of legal.

Everyone i play with plays ready golf including my two leagues.  I like that because it keeps things moving. The one thing i hate is when i go to stand over my putt and, when i look back up at the hole, the other guy is putting out.  Just wait...you'll have a better chance to make it without rushing anyway.  Or ask if its ok to putt out and i will say yes and wait a second to go and putt.

In our Mens club Golf League it's four man Match Play format, but it's played more casual and to keep up pace of play . On approach shots or even on the green usually  the person say's Do you mind if I take my shot or putt out. Most of the time we do.. Once in a while someone will say No mark or I will hit first. No one get's angry. LOL acutally I just remembered in my lats League Match I was paying the same Guy I was an inch off the green on the light fringe and had them pull the pin and putted to about 3 feet and said I'll finish and he requested I mark and I did so.

When you are playing in a competition match, it just isn't proper to play ready golf.  Order of play can be critical to one's strategy for playing the hole, or for playing a certain shot.  If you've never played a serious match, then you won't know what I mean, but it can make the difference between winning and losing a hole, and in match play you only have 18 chances.  I've played matches where both of us were in trouble off the tee, but my opponent was away.  By letting him play first, I have the advantage of seeing if he hits a decent recovery or not, and that may well dictate what I have to do.

The same thing is true of a putt.  If we are both putting for 3, and he's away and misses by 5 feet, I'm going to try and just cozy the ball up near the hole and force him to make that 5 footer.  However, if he leaves a short gimme, then I have more pressure on me to try and be sure I do no worse than halve the hole.

I personally find match play both more challenging and more fun than stroke play.  You always have to be thinking about more than just what the course puts in front of you.

I agree I LOVE match play.

I too really like Match Play and play it whenever I have a chance.  No you were not wrong in either case.  I likely would have canceled the Putt and made him go in turn,  somewhat because of the unseen drop and to give a lesson in match play rules.  I like and usually do play ready golf but not in match play without first asking my opponent's permission to hit out of turn.

Instances like what the OP mentioned and players sandbagging in dogfights, etc. is why I rarely play in tournaments, etc. anymore.  I just get tired of paying the overinflated fees when I know some cheat will eventually win.  I only pay a few times a year just for the experience.  I would rather play with the hack that inflates his score by 10 strokes to make himself feel better than play with folks who think they are great players and find small ways to cheat.  I do not expect everyone to know all of the rules but some of things I have seen people do are unbelievable.

Case in point, played in a tournament a month ago. Play with a few guys I have played with before.  Its our home course Championship.  One guy never repairs a divot on any green. The other guy I am friends with and he was playing in a higher flight than me.  On the 18th hole he goes up to his putt and you could see that he hit the ball twice when he putted.  I did not say anything because I did not want to cause a stir with him along with him being in a flight higher than me.  I should have said something, but did not.  There is no way he did not realize what he had done and did not take the penalty, and ends up winning his flight by 1 stroke.

I do my best to play by the rules the best I can and it just gets discouraging when I am using my correct HC, penalizing myself when need be, etc. only to see others always trying to get an advantage by breaking the rules or simply bad golf etiquette on the course.  Anyone who has played as long as this one gentleman has should know to fix a divot especially when it is close to the line of another player's putting line.

People just don't understand Match Play... It's Like Golf Poker... When you make people wait on Putts... or  a shot from the fairway...not letting them play ready golf it's not being a Jerk. It's part of the game... You are playing strategy Hitting a great shot before them ... Putting pressure to try a shot they wouldn't normally do so they can win a hole... and when it reverses on you... can you handle it when they hit an 8 iron to within 20 ft>>> can you put it closer knowing if you don't they might win that hole... There is nothing like the RUSH from Match Play... People should play  it more and get to understand it ... It's so much better then Stoke play. On my home course when we play... even if you are a couple down like I was in my last match I know if I could just push him and hang on till the last 4 or 5 holes which I play better... I had a chance and I did and won the match. : )

PS: Just a note the guy I was playing in my match above wasn't Newbie or Hacker he was a 2 hadicap a few years ago and a 6 now... Even Won the club championship 1 year. He's just they type who uses the rules when it's good for him and pushes the boundries when he needs to to get out of trouble.

Are you kidding me! 1. In match play you have to wait until your opponent comes over to you watch the drop or gives you consent to do so, 2. You are not allowed to play out of turn, regardless how closer to the hole ball is, if you play out of turn the opponent can ask you to replay the shot. You should take this up with the course pro or your club rule committee. i am glad you won the match! You did nothing wrong!