Cheating

[CoachB25]

  On 10/10/2016 at 1:48 AM, TripleEagle said:

Thats not a big deal because it doesn't really affect others. I will do that when I play casually with friends and such. Also thanks to UIL High School Golf Rules I do get to play OB as a lateral hazard- its great.

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When you are playing a round, you play by the rules the coaches agree to before the match begins.  We were playing in a match that was going to hold a regional tournament.  The comment was that all OBs would be played as laterals.  I asked why?  If the course is clearly marked, the rules of the game should be followed.  We allow teams to play the ball, "up" on our 9 the second half of the year but we had to after a flood.  Otherwise, play the course straight up. 

[TripleEagle]

  On 10/10/2016 at 2:50 AM, CoachB25 said:

When you are playing a round, you play by the rules the coaches agree to before the match begins.  We were playing in a match that was going to hold a regional tournament.  The comment was that all OBs would be played as laterals.  I asked why?  If the course is clearly marked, the rules of the game should be followed.  We allow teams to play the ball, "up" on our 9 the second half of the year but we had to after a flood.  Otherwise, play the course straight up. 

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yea that's probably the true, but even in the state tournament last year we played them as lateral hazard. But now that i think about it I  don't think Regionals was though, but luckily I played well at Regionals- I don't think I went OB once. I rarely go OB anyway because i'm pretty accurate with all my clubs and I play smart, I can't seem to lower my score a whole lot at the moment though because sadly I don't hit the ball very far (Driver is 225, 4 iron is 165, 7 is 135, 9 is 125). But again thanks to my home course ive gotten really accurate, we have some of the skinniest fairways I've ever seen, and there is no rough- just trees and more trees.

[Fourputt]

  On 10/9/2016 at 5:11 PM, StefanUrkel said:

Either we have a lot of liars, or just isn't representative of the American population

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If you think that then you hang with the wrong kind of people.  It almost sounds as if you condone it - as if, since you think that the majority cheats, it's okay for you to do so too.  The trouble is, I don't think that the majority of golfers would cheat in a competition, even if the opportunity presented itself.  Most players I've played competitions against have been nothing if not honest.  I think that the cheaters would be a tiny minority in any average group of players.  

So If I'm right, and my experience of nearly 25 years of tournaments would tell me that I am, then your contention is completely unfounded.

[TripleEagle]

  On 10/10/2016 at 4:55 AM, Fourputt said:

If you think that then you hang with the wrong kind of people.  It almost sounds as if you condone it - as if, since you think that the majority cheats, it's okay for you to do so too.  The trouble is, I don't think that the majority of golfers would cheat in a competition, even if the opportunity presented itself.  Most players I've played competitions against have been nothing if not honest.  I think that the cheaters would be a tiny minority in any average group of players.  

So If I'm right, and my experience of nearly 25 years of tournaments would tell me that I am, then your contention is completely unfounded.

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I think probably about 15% of players I've played with in tournament I've caught cheating, granted these are high school tournaments, but still. I would say most of the people in Amateur tournaments (like from your local PGA chapter) don't cheat because they have respect for the game and their competition. I'd say it's the same scenario on here, probably about everyone here respects golf to the point they know cheating is wrong and would never shame the game of golf that way. But as a whole, even in amateur tournaments through STPGA, TJGT, and Junior Golf Tours I've done I have played with a lot of cheaters, it's always the same guy too- your typical "golfer", he plays because he can smack the ball far (with a slice) and has little respect for rules and courtesy as a whole (steps in lines, moves while hitting).

[SG11118]

I didn't answer the poll as none of the answers seemed to fit my situation.  Looking back at the tournaments I've played in, there have been quite a few instances where I've been involved in something that may have broken the rules - usually in allowing one of the golfers I was playing with to violate the rules, but on a handful of occasions, I haven't played 100% by the rules. 

Most of my instances come from this:  at my current club, there is a bit of a "gimmie" culture on putts.  Most of our major tournaments are match play, but the gimmie culture works its way into the stroke play events and even the qualifiers for these match play events.  The pro likely knows it is happening, but nobody puts up a stink over it, so he kind of casts a blind eye towards it.  As I've improved over the past 7 or 8 years, I've made a conscious effort to not take any putts, but before that I may have taken a putt or two that the group gave me when everyone else in the group was taking them. 

[Gunther]

  On 10/10/2016 at 4:05 PM, SG11118 said:

I didn't answer the poll as none of the answers seemed to fit my situation.  Looking back at the tournaments I've played in, there have been quite a few instances where I've been involved in something that may have broken the rules - usually in allowing one of the golfers I was playing with to violate the rules, but on a handful of occasions, I haven't played 100% by the rules. 

Most of my instances come from this:  at my current club, there is a bit of a "gimmie" culture on putts.  Most of our major tournaments are match play, but the gimmie culture works its way into the stroke play events and even the qualifiers for these match play events.  The pro likely knows it is happening, but nobody puts up a stink over it, so he kind of casts a blind eye towards it.  As I've improved over the past 7 or 8 years, I've made a conscious effort to not take any putts, but before that I may have taken a putt or two that the group gave me when everyone else in the group was taking them. 

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We did that in our money game for a time.  Had to make birdie putts, par putts were in the leather, bogey and beyond there was a LOT of leeway.  I joined another group that putted everything out and my putting improved immensely.  Having to grind over 3 footers improves your putting from everywhere.  I learned that I was only hurting myself by taking those putts.  Very happy I don't anymore, for the most part, although one of my groups does still play in the leather...meh.

[newtogolf]

When I first started playing golf, i thought the guys that offered "gimmes" were nice guys until I had a old timer from my club set me straight.  

He explained that along with trying to speed up the game, they were artificially lowering my handicap because some of the putts they gave me I'd likely have missed.  He also explained that while a 2- 3 foot putt looks easy, when you're under pressure they aren't easy if you've never had to putt them out which would benefit others during club competitions and championships where gimmes aren't permitted.  

Now I putt everything out, though I've had a few people tell me I'm not following proper golf etiquette or rules by refusing their gimme but we never play match play so I'm pretty certain it's not violating any rules.   

[Strandly]

  On 10/7/2016 at 12:17 PM, Ernest Jones said:

Never played competitive golf, but if I did, I'd play by the rules. Winning isn't worth more to me than my integrity. 

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Depends on the amount of money, no?  I bet Aroid sleeps good at night.

[DaveP043]

  On 10/10/2016 at 7:04 PM, newtogolf said:

Now I putt everything out, though I've had a few people tell me I'm not following proper golf etiquette or rules by refusing their gimme but we never play match play so I'm pretty certain it's not violating any rules.   

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If you're playing match play, and your opponent concedes a putt, your play on that hole is over, whether you hit the putt or not.  However, the rules allow you to practice putting on a green where the play has been completed, so you're perfectly within your rights to go ahead and hit that putt.  Just wait until everyone else is done too.  If you're playing a casual stroke-play round, do what you want, as long as you're not holding up the group behind you.  I personally don't think its at all rude to want to putt everything out, as long we we're keeping the right pace of play.  In fact, my normal wording is "That last putt is good if you want it."  

[DrvFrShow]

I would say: not on purpose. I did something that I found out a couple weeks later was against the rules. No one called me on it at the time, so....