Tricking a Competitor

[HonestyPolicy]

Let's face it, there are many that do not know much of what is in the rule book. I can certainly understand why. The rule book is big, with lots of rules, and in the end it all relies on ones ability to be aware and honest. I'll say that most I've played with are honest, but they are not necessarily aware. Still there are those who believe in winning no matter what and they use all the tricks in their bags to win including misleading their opponents.

So what are the tricks (cheating or not) you've seen others use on their competitors in order to gain themselves an advantage. I'll go first:

1 - Telling an opponent to go ahead and chip or putt first when that opponent he is clearly not away, in order to get a reading on the speed or the break of the green

2 - Opponent1 telling opponent2 that he is going to identify his ball in the rough, and then improving his lie when opponent2 is not watching closely

3 - Picking up his ball when it's clear he's going to card a number larger than ESC will allow him to enter into his handicap tracking system, and carding the lower number in order to artificially reduce his carded score

4 - Taking more than the allowed distance in making a drop

5 - In match play, a competitor1 is losing, so on the 14th hole he calls competitor2r for grounding his putter just in front of the ball which is clearly his normal routine as he is not pressing down or doing anything that could be interpreted as improving his line. But because competitor2 is not fully aware of the rules, he becomes nervous that he will be penalized on every hole and subsequently loses the next 3 holes making the match close. In the end competitor2 wins the match and competitor1 does not approach the committee. Later competitor1 admits he felt he had to do "something" to get competitor2 off his game and that he knew it was not a penalty but he is proud that it almost worked!

What else have some of you seen?

 

 

 

 

[Patch]

The only trickery I have ever used on another player during a competitive round was patience. That, and keeping the pressure on them, by playing my own, consistent game. 

There was a time years ago when matches were arrange by word of mouth between different, unknown to each other, players. We didn't play for money. Maybe for food/beverages at the 19th. Just personal bragging rights, and the competitive value these serious matches would deliver. 

As for actual trickery, there were a few exploding powder golf balls that had replaced the real ball. Maybe hiding a player's favorite wedge from him. However these were all among good golfing friends just out goofing off. 

[imsys0042]

1 -  I witnessed someone know that a competitor was hitting the wrong ball, watched him swing and before the ball hit the ground informed him of a 2 shot penalty.   

2 -  I am not making this up.  In a caddy match someone hit a white ball into the woods, claimed he found it and hit an orange ball out.

 

[bkuehn1952]

I did not witness this but it occurred in a 2-person best ball.  A player from each team was in the fairway and a player from each team was further up but in the rough. Team A drove up and parked next to one of the balls in the fairway which was a bit ahead of the other ball laying in the fairway and waited. Team B drove up and one of their members prepared to play.  The only problem was the shorter ball was NOT his.  It was the other team's.  Accident or an attempt to lure the other team into hitting the wrong ball?

During a scramble with a limit to how low a team's combined handicap could be, a 20 handicapper never teed off.  They said there was no point once they had a good drive.  Eventually, the team's other 3 members hit lousy tees shots on a 215 yard par 3.  The 20 capper got up and hit a 6 iron to 5 feet.  The team was trying to hide their ringer by only using him on approaches & putting.  Busted.

 

 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, HonestyPolicy said:

1 - Telling an opponent to go ahead and chip or putt first when that opponent he is clearly not away, in order to get a reading on the speed or the break of the green

In stroke play that's fine, and the other guy can refuse, but this is the only thing in your list that really even stays within the boundaries of the Rules of Golf and thus would satisfy what I feel like the topic is: "trickery" but staying inside the rules.

In match play it's fine too, because the opponent can also say "no, you're away." And should, if they know the rules. If you ask them to go, too, you give up the right to force them to cancel and replay their stroke.

You use the word "opponent" which implies match play, btw.

1 hour ago, HonestyPolicy said:

2 - Opponent1 telling opponent2 that he is going to identify his ball in the rough, and then improving his lie when opponent2 is not watching closely

That's not trickery. That's breaking the Rules of Golf.

1 hour ago, HonestyPolicy said:

3 - Picking up his ball when it's clear he's going to card a number larger than ESC will allow him to enter into his handicap tracking system, and carding the lower number in order to artificially reduce his carded score

Also not trickery, and has nothing to do with the match at hand, but helps the guy… what… get a lower vanity handicap? Why?

1 hour ago, HonestyPolicy said:

4 - Taking more than the allowed distance in making a drop

Against the Rules of Golf. Not "trickery."

1 hour ago, HonestyPolicy said:

5 - In match play, a competitor1 is losing, so on the 14th hole he calls competitor2r for grounding his putter just in front of the ball which is clearly his normal routine as he is not pressing down or doing anything that could be interpreted as improving his line. But because competitor2 is not fully aware of the rules, he becomes nervous that he will be penalized on every hole and subsequently loses the next 3 holes making the match close. In the end competitor2 wins the match and competitor1 does not approach the committee. Later competitor1 admits he felt he had to do "something" to get competitor2 off his game and that he knew it was not a penalty but he is proud that it almost worked!

That's also against the Rules of Golf and not really "tricking" anyone. "competitor1" is a sleaze ball.

[jsgolfer]

We have a few people who don't do trickery (not sure I've ever heard of anyone using trickery during a match), but cheat frequently:

We have a player at our course who is known for identifying his ball and coming up with a much better lie.  Until this year he was banned from playing in our group because of this.  He might finally have gotten the message, as he is playing at times again.

And then there is also another guy who is famous for marking his ball on the green closer to the hole then he is if no one is around to see him.  He's been caught a few times, but I'm sure he still does it when the opportunity presents itself.   He's a high handicapper and he's always in different flights, but I wouldn't play with him ever. 

 

[imsys0042]

9 minutes ago, iacas said:

1 hour ago, HonestyPolicy said:

3 - Picking up his ball when it's clear he's going to card a number larger than ESC will allow him to enter into his handicap tracking system, and carding the lower number in order to artificially reduce his carded score

Also not trickery, and has nothing to do with the match at hand, but helps the guy… what… get a lower vanity handicap? Why?

Actually I don't quite understand the situation here.  Unless it's a stroke play match or tournament that doesn't restrict to ESC, then why does this matter?  The weekly Saturday game at my place caps the money game to ESC, so if someone is going to make a 10 and their ESC is  7 then they can pick up after the 7 and it affects nothing.   They post the 7 in the handicap system.  If you are playing match play and you are at this point it doesn't affect the match.

By saying carded score, is the assumption that it's either bragging rights "I shot a 85 today!", when the extra shots would have made it a 90 or something?  Or that the non-ESC score is used for some type of winnings?   The former is that person being boorish, the latter should have never allowed him to take ESC to begin with and the rules for what you are playing in should make that clear.

Also the most common one I have seen at my place is people grounding their club in a hazard of bunker, but only if you aren't near them.  I've played with them enough to not see them do it, but if you walk closer while they are addressing, or look through a range finder from 100 yards away, it's pretty obvious.

[Papa Steve 55]

Say "Ever since you put that little hitch in your top swing your really killing the ball."

[Patch]

36 minutes ago, Papa Steve 55 said:

Say "Ever since you put that little hitch in your top swing your really killing the ball."

And I would reply "yeah I know. Been saving me 2 strokes a side"......

[Shindig]

On 8/18/2016 at 7:03 AM, imsys0042 said:

1 -  I witnessed someone know that a competitor was hitting the wrong ball, watched him swing and before the ball hit the ground informed him of a 2 shot penalty.   

 

James Bond waited a little longer than that to tell Goldfinger that he hit the wrong ball.

Bond also cheated, so... 

[Lihu]

15 minutes ago, Shindig said:

James Bond waited a little longer than that to tell Goldfinger that he hit the wrong ball.

Bond also cheated, so... 

Like when Bond dropped a Nazi gold bar on the green and Goldfinger missed his 1 foot putt on the 16th?

[Shindig]

Just now, Lihu said:

Like when Bond dropped a Nazi gold bar on the green and Goldfinger missed his 1 foot putt?

My first thought was when Bond found Goldfinger's ball, stood on it, and didn't inform him.  

[Lihu]

3 minutes ago, Shindig said:

My first thought was when Bond found Goldfinger's ball, stood on it, and didn't inform him.  

"You were playing a Slazenger 1 were you not?. . .I'm afraid you lose the hole and the match. . ." THUNK.

[Gator Hazard]

28 minutes ago, Shindig said:

James Bond waited a little longer than that to tell Goldfinger that he hit the wrong ball.

Bond also cheated, so... 

That is because he had already caught Goldfinger using his caddy to cheat when they found Goldfingers real ball. The caddy dropped one out his pants and pretended to find it. "You play a Slazenger 1 don't you?"

[Shindig]

10 hours ago, Gator Hazard said:

That is because he had already caught Goldfinger using his caddy to cheat when they found Goldfingers real ball. The caddy dropped one out his pants and pretended to find it. "You play a Slazenger 1 don't you?"

Oh, Auric was a cheat too, yes.  And I was wrong about where Bond cheated;  he did so by changing the ball Auric was playing.  Maybe later I should look up both what Palmer says about this (he talks about the incident in one of his books) and watch that scene again in the movie (and/or read it).