Why Do People Cheat?

[newtogolf]

I didn't want to hijack the "Who plays by the rules" thread, but I'm curious about this. Golf is known as the gentlemans game, yet it seems pretty common for golfers to cheat. What's the motivation behind cheating? Is it purely ego?

Doesn't it make more sense to just not keep score if you want to play a round for fun than to make the effort to record a fraudulent score?

Cheating also seems counter-productive unless someone never expects to play in a tournament. I'm a 36 handicap, if I go cheat during my next 20 rounds and lower my handicap to 18 doesn't that only works against me if I play in a tournament. I'm still a 36 handicap if you hold me to the rules, which I'd expect one is held to during a tournament so I lose strokes and virtually have no chance of winning.

[golfro]

not sure if you created this thread aimed at me...

but let me clarify for you once more. do i cheat? no. have my friends cheated before to a low extent that i dont care? yes.

if they take 3 drives off the tee and only count the one that lands on the fairway, of course i'll call them out on it. a particular situation where my friends sets address on a putt and the ball turns 1/2 cm...am i gonna make a big deal about it? no.

now I completely agree with you that cheating in golf is pointless for yourself. I play this game with friends for fun...but the score is for me. I keep score of my own game for my own self improvement so it would be pointless to golf.

i also agree with you that its counter productive for someone in tournament play to lie or cheat about their handicap...only works against them.

but again, if i'm playing with friends, i play by the rules and keep my score...but i'm playing for fun.

[newtogolf]

not sure if you created this thread aimed at me....

Not at all you made your position clear, sorry if you felt I was accusing you of cheating.

[Fourputt]

I didn't want to hijack the "Who plays by the rules" thread, but I'm curious about this. Golf is known as the gentlemans game, yet it seems pretty common for golfers to cheat. What's the motivation behind cheating? Is it purely ego?

I think it's the inability of many players to admit to themselves that they aren't as good as they tell everyone they are. So they find ways to shave strokes, not by practice and lessons, but by bumping a ball out of a bad lie, or giving themselves a 3 foot putt that they might actually make less than 50% of the time. Then they rationalize it to themselves that the bad lie was unfair because a tour pro would never have to deal with such primitive conditions. Or it was a simple putt and he makes those all the time so why waste an extra 10 seconds by actually playing the shot? And so on.

And by cheating I don't simply mean not playing by the rules. I mean doing something improperly, then gaining an advantage by doing so... even if the advantage is only stroking your own ego. In such cases you only cheat yourself out of the satisfaction of knowing that you played your best and recorded an honest score. And I can say from experience that there is still a lot of satisfaction in that, even if the score is a 90 something when your course handicap is 12. Some of my best golf bull sessions have been when my buddies and I discuss our greatest failures, rather than our successes.

[tulefog]

I think that there are several ways of looking at this.

Before a person may be deemed to "cheat" you have to assume that there is a set of rules, that the player knows and has agreed to play by the rules, and then has chosen to consciously disregard one or more rules. My experience is that a person has to take golf fairly seriously before they take the time an effort to learn the rules. The commitment to play by the rules is a personal choice.

Before I started playing golf on a regular basis, I would play casually with several friends. Some groups would allow a mulligan only on the first hole, some would allow one mulligan per nine holes. Almost always someone would improve their lie by rolling the ball a half turn forward and the like. OBs were treated as lateral water hazards. I think these forms of "cheating" are fairly common among non-serious golfers. As long as everyone is OK with it, who cares? The point is to have fun, and we did.

When I started taking the game more seriously, I was shocked to learn that there is no official mulligan rule. Moreover, I think that the rule which requires a person to play out of a fairway divot that some joker rudely chose not to replace is completely unfair, and finally, the last thing I want to do on a busy day on a busy course is to walk back to the tee box with the next group waiting after I discover that the ball which I thought to be on the course has in fact rolled 1 foot into someone's backyard.

That said, I now post scores for handicap purposes. Each and every round I post is played strictly by the rules. It makes no sense for me not to. Also it is a good way to chart your progress (or lack thereof).

[wrx_junki]

u cheat to win or to impress!

[breakout89]

If your not cheating, your not trying!

[tristanhilton85]

I think fourputt has it. People cheat because they aren't as good as they say they are and therefore need to find some way to take a few strokes off. If you want to have a round where you improve your lie, take multiple tee shots, or whatever, then call it what it is, PRACTICE and don't record a score because it's not accurate. As far as the ball moving while addressing the ball on the green or indadvertedly grounding your club in a bunker, I don't call them on people I play with but I would count it against myself. It's just part of the game and I want my score to be as accurate as possible.

[newtogolf]

I think that there are several ways of looking at this.

I don't agree that ignorance isn't a valid defense. If you're going to keep score and submit your score for handicap shouldn't you make an effort to learn the rules? If you're just playing for fun, then I agree, throw the rules out and don't keep score, since to me it's no different than a range or green session.

[sean_miller]

I don't agree that ignorance isn't a valid defense. If you're going to keep score and submit your score for handicap shouldn't you make an effort to learn the rules?

You hit the nail on the head. When I play golf with my brother who's a better athlete but couldn't care less about the rules because he only plays once or twice a year, we don't keep score.

When I play with a friend who bumps the ball on every shot, I don't tell him my scores because I don't want my valid par or bogey next to his cheaty one. Does he turn in his scorecard like I plan on doing with mine? Who cares?

[srjorion]

People who cheat don't care to be able to truly measure themselves against the course or par. I could care less if they do as long as it's not in a tournament. I don't cheat because I want to know my true performance and be proud that when I improve it is honest improvement.

[opie]

I won't play a shot that might damage my club. Don't care what the rules are in that situation

On busy days I'll play a lost ball where I didn't hit a provisional like a lateral hazard. I've lost a few in the rough at some courses around here

When I go OB and didn't hit a provisional I don't go back to the tee. I drop next to the OB stake and hit 4. I just assume I went back to the tee and hit my next drive the same way except it didn't go OB :D

[case31]

It's only cheating if there is a negative effect on someone else. For example, my regular playing partner occasionally rolls the ball to improve his lie. When we play, we don't play for money or even really bragging rights. We play simply because we enjoy playing. He doesn't keep a handicap (officially or unofficially). So in that case, I don't consider it cheating, because it doesn't affect me in any way.
What does stink is that I have avoided inviting him to play in some 2-man team tournaments that are regularly held in our area because I fear either a slip-up (i.e. he improves his lie out of habit) or he gets in a situation where he struggles because he's not used to hitting from less than ideal lies.

[sean_miller]

It's only cheating if there is a negative effect on someone else. For example, my regular playing partner occasionally rolls the ball to improve his lie. When we play, we don't play for money or even really bragging rights. We play simply because we enjoy playing. He doesn't keep a handicap (officially or unofficially). So in that case, I don't consider it cheating, because it doesn't affect me in any way.

Are we playing with the same guy?

[Fourputt]

It's only cheating if there is a negative effect on someone else. For example, my regular playing partner occasionally rolls the ball to improve his lie. When we play, we don't play for money or even really bragging rights. We play simply because we enjoy playing. He doesn't keep a handicap (officially or unofficially). So in that case, I don't consider it cheating, because it doesn't affect me in any way.

But wouldn't you say that he's cheating himself. He's certainly cheating himself out the opportunity to be a better golfer. He's cheating himself out the opportunity to join you in those tournaments you refer to. There is more to the definition of cheating than just taking advantage of your fellow competitor. The second part of your post is a good lesson for anyone who plays this way. When you ingrain a bad habit, it can come back bite you in the butt at the least opportune moment. It's hard to turn that sort of playing habit on and off at will. Playing the ball down (or playing by the rules in general) all of the time will do two things. It will make you a better player overall, better able to deal with any situation that you face, and it eliminates the probability of improving your lie out of habit during a competition.

[sean_miller]

But wouldn't you say that he's cheating himself. He's certainly cheating himself out the opportunity to be a better golfer. He's cheating himself out the opportunity to join you in those tournaments you refer to. There is more to the definition of cheating than just taking advantage of your fellow competitor.

Even if the guy never wants to play for money or in a competition during his whole golf career, I do agree with you that he's cheating himself. Once a player is not considered a beginner and his buddies insist he plays the ball down on every shot, then he sees how hard the game really is. It feels good to grind out a par from an old divot. Or to get up and down from a footprint in a greenside bunker. It's very satisfying.

[tulefog]

I don't agree that ignorance isn't a valid defense. If you're going to keep score and submit your score for handicap shouldn't you make an effort to learn the rules? If you're just playing for fun, then I agree, throw the rules out and don't keep score, since to me it's no different than a range or green session.

I think we are saying the same thing, and I agree with you. Personally, I would recommend that a person play by the rules. I think it will make you a much better golfer and certainly better prepared for competitive golf. That said, I am not troubled at all if people in my group choose to play differently - as long as we are not competing.

[Tomboys]

Even if the guy never wants to play for money or in a competition during his whole golf career, I do agree with you that he's cheating himself. Once a player is not considered a beginner and his buddies insist he plays the ball down on every shot, then he sees how hard the game really is.

Too true. A buddy of mine would cheat every round and then boast about how well he did. Even after other players would "remind" him of the rules, he persisted to cheat albeit not quite as much. After a while, nobody called him anymore to play because they got tired of his antics.