Who plays with a cheat??

[Hardballs]

I've played golf with the same buds for over 10 yrs, one of which who was always slightly better than the rest of us, and he liked to let us know! He had to have a break from golf but is now back, but no longer better than us! To protect his identity I'll call him Cheaty O' Mulligan! Only recently I saw him tee off on a par 5 and land straight in trees and Thick rough, there was no way he'd find that ball, yet within a minute, he was taking his next shot from the fairway, laid up, chipped on, 2 putted, and marked himself down as par! I asked if he'd found the ball and he said yes! Now I'm not calling him a liar,... But he's a ****in liar! And gave himself a free drop! Later he was in a bunker, he picked the ball up and sat it up nicely on top of the sand, I also witnessed him once land on the green, then drop 2 balls, had practise putts with both before taking his real putt! I now watch him a lot and often see him move his ball slightly with his club when he thinks no one is watching to get a better lie! all of a sudden he has started beating us again and so he's happy! But it's become a talking point with the rest of us, he's now a member and is submitting his cards for a handicap, not 3 consecutive cards, but 3 of his so called best rounds and is waiting for one more storming round before he submits! I think he wants to have a lower handicap than the rest of us so to suggest he's a better player! But who's he trying to kid? Awarding yourself free drops and mulligans could be taking upto 8 shots off a round, also if he bums a drive wayward, he refuses to take a provisional, but will take a drop where he thinks it should be! Luckily, we're not at the same club so I don't have to sign his cards, and were good friends so ain't falling out over this, he says im a stickler for the rules! but I just think what's the point in playing if ya don't stick to the rules? I'm a laid back golfer so it doesn't really bother me, but when he claims his victory it just sounds hollow! Does anybody else have to put up with this type of player???

[Chuckles76]

Yeah, I got a buddy, Gary, that drives me nuts! He claims to be a better golfer than most of us and may be, but his score is total BS. So, we're playing at Gray Plantation a while ago and he hits a soaring hook out of the tee box and into the houses. He wants a mulligan which is no big deal since we play 1 per 9. He hits 3 more out of the tee box and then cards a bogey! WTF!!! So, I call him out saying that he hit 3 extras out of the tee box, and he gets his feelings hurt. Now he's pissed off because he says he took a mulligan, so I explain that everyone else calls a mulligan 1 stroke, not as many strokes as you want from that position. I wouldn't engage him except that he tells us that he won the 18 hole round. He carded himself a 91 and had pulled similar stunts on several holes. Hell, I shot 102 (plus 2 mulligans= 104, wink, wink) but should have carded an 83 according to his scoring method. I don't mind 2 mulligans per 18 because it's just a little mind trick. I'll add the 2 strokes back for the real score. I told him we should count all of the strokes and stop taking mulligans, including those out-of-bounds shots that he forgets to take a penalty stroke on, conveniently. His best round to date is a 78, by his scoring method. It's hilarious. I shouldn't let it bother me but it does. My friends next door are aspiring golfers much like myself. She says that she'll "smoke my ass" on the course next time we play. I respond, "not if you play by the rules" because she like "do-overs" when the shot sucks. I, still, won by 10 strokes even with her imaginary score. More imaginary than mine, anyways. LMAO! I can lose with the best of them as long as it's legit. Years ago when I had a totally BS score, I would tell people that I didn't count all of the penalties and used as many mulligans as needed. I agree with enjoying the game, but be realistic.

[Slk1981]

Unless you are playing in a comp the only person you are cheating is yourself

Whats the point in saying you have shot  80 when you know its more like a 98, Its something I have never understood

I play in a 4 ball every Sat/Sun and one of the players is always cheating, He seems to find every ball no matter how deep the rough (He carrys a ball in his pocket at all times), If he has had a bad hole lets say 10-11 strokes he asks myself and the other 2 our score then adds one stroke to the worst one, He is forever lagging at the back so nobody sees him scuffing shots and the worst one for me is watching him kick the ball if its behind a tree or at a bad angle

Funny thing is he comes last every week

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by Chuckles76

Hell, I shot 102 (plus 2 mulligans= 104, wink, wink) but should have carded an 83 according to his scoring method. I don't mind 2 mulligans per 18 because it's just a little mind trick. I'll add the 2 strokes back for the real score.

That isn't the real score.  If you want to adjust to a real score for taking a mulligan it is, effectively 2 strokes, so your 2 mulligans are really 4 strokes.  Rule 27-1 says that a player may replay a stroke at a penalty of stroke and distance.  So if you take your mulligan after a tee shot, the rules would say that your mulligan is your third shot.

Do what you want.  But it sounded as if you wanted to adjust your score to a legitimate one, which is a good thing.  You were just doing it wrong.

[Lash]

My dad cheats. Same as has been mentioned mostly...doesn't add penalty shots, takes several tee shots, etc.

The worse was this past weekend. He hit into a fairway bunker early on, and I watched him pick his ball up and set it on the grass next to the bunker and hit from there. He had already hit one extra shot he didn't count. So I counted and he should have been at 4 after that shot. He took about 3 more strokes...and counted a 5 haha.

I will say, he doesn't try to cheat anyone else...he just wants to enjoy it more. Early on I had a bad lie and he tried to get me to move it and I told him I enjoyed hitting it as it lied, to try different shots.

But when we finish and I tell him my score and his score is just a stroke lower, it's hard to bite my tounge and not mention the 8-10 strokes(at least, probably more) that he didn't count.

[Effington]

In your situation, I'd probably remind your friend that he didn't really have a better round than you.  However, it's not really important and nothing to lose friends over.

Golf is a hard game, and every body lies about their score.  If you are betting on the winner, though, you both need to be scored in the same manner.

[TJBam]

Originally Posted by Lash

My dad cheats. Same as has been mentioned mostly...doesn't add penalty shots, takes several tee shots, etc.

The worse was this past weekend. He hit into a fairway bunker early on, and I watched him pick his ball up and set it on the grass next to the bunker and hit from there. He had already hit one extra shot he didn't count. So I counted and he should have been at 4 after that shot. He took about 3 more strokes...and counted a 5 haha.

I will say, he doesn't try to cheat anyone else...he just wants to enjoy it more. Early on I had a bad lie and he tried to get me to move it and I told him I enjoyed hitting it as it lied, to try different shots.

But when we finish and I tell him my score and his score is just a stroke lower, it's hard to bite my tounge and not mention the 8-10 strokes(at least, probably more) that he didn't count.

Sometimes best to let sleeping dogs lie.. especially if you came from its nut sack.

[Travis12]

I have a friend that I play with that is like this unless we are playing for money. About a month ago we were playing on a par 4, both of our drives ended up about 90 yds from the pin, and there was water infront of the green. I hit mine on the green and ended up 3 putting for a bogey, and he wrote down a par for himself.. after I was sitting in our cart watching him drill 4 wedge shots into the water before finally getting on the green and 2 putting. I guess it doesnt really bother me that much as long as he enjoys himself and I keep the correct score

[TJBam]

Originally Posted by Travis12

I have a friend that I play with that is like this unless we are playing for money. About a month ago we were playing on a par 4, both of our drives ended up about 90 yds from the pin, and there was water infront of the green. I hit mine on the green and ended up 3 putting for a bogey, and he wrote down a par for himself.. after I was sitting in our cart watching him drill 4 wedge shots into the water before finally getting on the green and 2 putting. I guess it doesnt really bother me that much as long as he enjoys himself and I keep the correct score

Playing for a small amount of $ will give a golfer good reason to call out another in strict adherence to the rules, that would otherwise seem anal.

Calling someone out over "bragging rights" or "keeping him honest" sometimes seems "douchey" to some.   But one can justify quoting the rule book, because "I don't gamble with someone who won't play by the same rules as me." Etc.

[whatwoodtigerdo]

Yeah I know someone who does and we gamble. I watched him push slice a ball into some deep crap on a links-ish course. Then look for his ball for like 5 minutes while we were hitting up. Then 5 more minutes while we stood and watched him. It was uphill to the green so can't see everything. Then all of all sudden after 10 minutes he is hitting a ball that is fluffed up, that I can see, 10 yards away from the stuff saying he found his ball. We all just look at each other and bust out laughing but don't say anything. He is family after all.

[Wally]

Playing for a small amount of $ will give a golfer good reason to call out another in strict adherence to the rules, that would otherwise seem anal. Calling someone out over "bragging rights" or "keeping him honest" sometimes seems "douchey" to some.   But one can justify quoting the rule book, because "I don't gamble with someone who won't play by the same rules as me." Etc.

I never slice, and gambling is illegal at Bushwood sir!

[truzz22]

Nothing makes me more angry than a lying/cheating/who*e!! Friend of a friend plays usually once a week. They're all in the 25+ handicap but this one guy always somehow ends up for 1 stroke better or worse than everyone. When I'm there playing with them (19 cap) I call him out on some stuff to make sure he remembers he lost a ball or dribbled one up. BUT he just went the other day with out his friends n says he shot an 86!!!!! I've never seen him break a 115 before! AHHHHH it drives me nuts!!

[WUTiger]

I don't play with sleazy cheaters that often. Mostly, it's people who don't know the finer points of the rules.

The worst actual cheater situation involved a city-military "community goodwill" scramble at an Army base, with a number of decent prizes for the field. I was a Marine reservist who signed up solo to fill out any groups. I got paired with a couple of civilian contractors who played fast and loose with the basic rules of golf, much less scrambles. At the turn, I told a starter why our score shouldn't be counted, and told the others I had to leave. The fourth guy quit when he learned I was leaving, and the two contractors did likewise. "I didn't really want to play today," one contractor said.

I ate some lunch, and walked to the far end of the parking lot with my bag. At my car, the starter rolled up in a cart and asked me if I wanted to fill in with a new group that was teeing off. I said yes. My new group didn't win, but at least we played by the rules.

[MS256]

I know a guy that always rolls his ball a few inches toward the hole on the green when others are putting. He also hits his tee shots from a foot or two in front of the tee markers every single time.

He's a nice guy and everybody likes him (including me) and I honestly don't know exactly why he does it because it's not that much of an advantage.

(But it's still cheating).

[boil3rmak3r]

My club has an, "Oh, let me lift this ball in the rough so I can positively identify my ball" guy. He always sets it up into a fluffy lie. He's a single digit, too... As all previous posters could guess, he's not very well respected at the club...

[greasemonkey88]

My father in law does a few of these but I don't really care cause I am going home to his daughter. :-P

[Hardballs]

My club has an, "Oh, let me lift this ball in the rough so I can positively identify my ball" guy. He always sets it up into a fluffy lie. He's a single digit, too... As all previous posters could guess, he's not very well respected at the club...

Oh dear, I too was "this" guy a few yrs ago, I confess, although I wasn't a single digit and we don't play for money, and it was purely to increase my enjoyment of the game, which it did! i think preferred lie is a good way to go for the highest handicappers, you dont reall lesrn to hit a ball well from the rough! however back to my original post, when he gets his HC through, we'll start playing stableford! He'll soon get found out!

[rkim291968]

I don't play in tournament or league.  So, I don't really care if my playing partner cheats.   And I must stay, a lot of them cheat but I figure that they are not serious golfers or are not keeping their score.

When I started to play golf, my brother always encouraged me to take mulligan.  But once I got serious, I quit taking mulligans and try to keep an honest score.   The only time that I would "cheat" is when my ball is sitting on a rock.   I won't hesitate to move the ball to a softer spot.   At my age, getting hurt is a death sentence to my golf career.  I'd rather keep playing golf than risking losing my hand and be out of golf for 3 months.