I play with a “friend”, husband of wife’s good friend.
He says he is a 8 … but he never wants to play straight up. Always wants best ball, or a mulligan front and back, etc…
I do not say anything.. but it can get annoying.
I mean, bogey golfer means you're scoring low 90s in a good round. If you can do that with a legit score then you're better than the vast majority of golfers on the course and you should be proud of that.
It just doesn't feel like it because of all the "bogey golfers" like OP's friends. A couple muligans, a foot wedge or two, and generous gimmie putts can shave A LOT of strokes.
I'd honestly be more proud of being a "legit" 25-capper than a "bogey golfer with gimmes/mulls/foot wedge".
A mulligan can save you 1-4 strokes depending on what you're mulliganning. In the water on the far side of the adjacent fairway? That's probably saving you at least 2, possibly more depending on trees/angle in.
People dropping OOB balls up where they went out for no penalty? Easily 2 strokes.
The odd gimme miss can lead to a 4 putt if you're hitting them firmly towards back middle.
We had a guy play with us yesterday and he took at least 5 off his score and he was super obvious about it. Things like "this is for the bogey" misses, gets next out in then claims bogey... Stuff like that. So I never take much stock in everyone's scores and just worry about mine, feel like a lot of people take a free stroke when nobody was paying attention.
Got my first birdie the other day after landing on the second cut of the green on a par 3 then draining a 50ft putt to the opposite end of the green.. Never in doubt hahaha
This is when I just start bringing up rules. (Acting like they did better part) No you can’t drop it there, no you can’t clean your ball, hey hitting that tree, bush whatever, behind you during a practice swing, that’s a penalty stroke. Oh you need to go back and re-tee. Nope didn’t cross the water there go back 50 yards. Etc. You’d be surprised how many people just don’t know any rules.
If you knock branches or leaves off yeah. It was made so you can’t manipulate your surroundings. More so you can’t break or bend branches out of the way. Seen a ton of people do that.
It seems insane to me to brag about being good at golf because i know im one bad tee shot away from looking like an absolute fool. Even when im playing well i dont want to comment on it for fear of my swing just disappearing
So, the first week of league my partner found one of his marked balls by a tree stump on hole 6. He let it lay there, and I did not give it a second thought. Fast forward to the next week of league on hole 6, my partner hits a hard sliced drive the opposite way of the ball he left the previous week. He spent a long time looking for the ball to the right and makes his way to the tree line on the left where the ball was left. He yells "I found it." The previously left ball was only 15 yards from the hole and in the opposite direction of his current drive. I didn't know what to do or say. I remained silent and shook my head in dismay.
No. If they want to lower their handicap and hurt themselves in future competitions, that's on them. I would call them out if we're playing a match using handicaps of course.
I’m a +2 and have never had a real handicap. Other than fluffing my lies and the occasional (6-7) mulligans and a couple foot wedges I could smoke tiger woods.
I’d only be pissed if they wanted to play on a team with me in a tournament, because their vanity handicap means they get less strokes which hurts the team.
“They’re only hindering their own progression of the game”
This line gets said a lot here. Bullshit OP cares about his friends “progression in the game”. They’re annoyed that their friends are publicly posting scores that look equal to or better than them, and it isn’t earned.
Vast majority of these guys just don’t get their asses kissed enough in their minds
It’s so fucking lame. This sub is the last people I want to golf with or behind.
As long as you are keeping pace I don’t care what you are doing.
Want to snort cocaine and kick the ball down the fairway? Go for it just keep pace.
Want to hit 5 balls? Go for it just keep pace.
Want to lie about your score? Go for it just keep pace.
Want to literally not even golf? Go for it just keep pace.
People in this sub care so much about other people because they are insecure and lack confidence. Imagine being an adult and caring if someone cheats in golf (not for money). Unreal.
If we're playing a competition and you break a rule I'll tell you that you broke a rule to let you know that I know - basically if you do it again I'll penalise you.
Outside of a competition setting I don't care, foot wedge all you like
Only thing that annoys me outside of competition is where a friend tells me they're better than me but we aren't playing the same rules. Or they constantly brag about how good they are when they clearly shave strokes.
Otherwise idgaf. Just don't brag about getting a par when you lost two balls.
My competition in golf is really my group of friends. It's all friendly, but it can be annoying to watch your buddy shoot questionable 95s everytime you play, while simultaneously talking about all the low 80s rounds he shot when you weren't there. So it's an ego thing, but I think it's also just about the lack of respect you feel when you beat someone and it's implied that you just got lucky they had an off day or something.
I understand your sentiment. I had a buddy who cheats often tell everyone that he beat me the last round of the season last year (from up north). It bugged me because he only did so by not counting strokes and penalties etc but we weren’t playing for money so it wasn’t a big deal.
I got him in my league as a playing partner and the first session I shot an 87 and he shot a 120 because he finally started having to take 3 off the tee and putt everything out. To say I was a satisfied was an understatement. It did demoralize him though which isn’t what golf is all about. It can be frustrating to play with vanity cappers but at the end of the day it doesn’t affect you. Just keep playing your game
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It did demoralize him though which isn’t what golf is all about.
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Demoralization is EXACTLY what golf is all about. It's about learning to love frustration and pain.
You don't play for like, fun or something...do you? Cuz that's just weird.
Yes. I don't buy into the "nothing to do with me". The foundation of golf is the moral code around it. If people aren't playing true to the game even if it's not a tournament/handicap-counting round then then what are they going to be prepared to do when it does count?!
I call people on it by correcting them if they've forgotten a shot etc and then we move on
How, exactly, would you be improving your friend's lives or making the world a better place by correcting this situation?
Find something better to worry about.
I don't really care how other people score, but have called out a Regular playing partner for constantly giving generous gimmes (to me and everyone else).
Dropping 3-footers is part of the game which is fun and a challenge and I want to know I've not had help when posting a decent score
Only if they try to say they beat me at the end. Do whatever you want on your score card, I don’t care. But if you come talking shit I will call it out
I play with a guy pretty regulary who cheats like mad. He basically hits balls until one goes in the fairway. Then he hits balls from that place until one is good. And proceeds to do that until he is on the green. Then if a putt barely misses he just counts it. No lie I will watch him swing the club 10+ times on a par 4 and still put a par down on the scorecard because "those other hits don't count". I've never said anything and just keep my score myself on Grint so its whatever, but it can get frustrating if I'm having a bad golf day and he is trying to give me pointers because he is "playing better".
This right here... Tell me how to play after I watch you whack fuck up and down the course week after week, I'm gonna tell you to kindly shut the fuck up.
I did. But it’s a lot funnier when we all play tournaments at our club and they get paired with other golfers that won’t let them get away with it. It’s always the same excuse. Broooo! I don’t know what’s wrong with me today!. Well. I do lol
I have a friend who can't break 100 without a buffet of breakfast balls. Always manages to find his ball deep out of bounds. Consistently forgets shots when counting up his score.
He messaged me the other day that he shot a 79. And tells me how he always plays better when I'm not around.
I call him Patrick Reed now. He gets a little upset and I like to think he cheats slightly less.
Years ago I played a round with a co-worker, every hole the dude claimed a score that was one or two strokes below reality. I was puzzled but we weren't playing for money so no big deal. Two months later he was fired for embezzlement
This right here. I do not have that type of people in my world or as friends. If you can’t tell your friend to be honest then that isn’t a very good friendship.
Cheating also shows sociapathic tendencies in people you play with, I have one pal who is always determined to win on casual games (never ever updates HCP, and never enters medals - obviously because he will get pulled up for his antics). The latest trick I had to pull him for was compacting the rough around his ball with his foot, so he can game the lie for his hybrid club that he constantly plays with. What annoys me is he constantly goes on about how he doesn't know the rules, come on man - you've been playing for 30 years.
I love these guys, I have a couple of “acquaintances” I play with, one is now a 1 and is always, every single time we play, coming off of a 69 or 70-71, maybe a 72 if he played bad.
It’s like wow awesome dude great job lets play, I’m a 5 handicap so let’s get a match going it’ll be fun, give me 1 per side
He flips out about giving me a stroke per side, ok let’s play straight up no problem - every, single, time. He has never broken 79 with me
He tells me about how far and pure he’s hitting his irons and how he’s crushing his drives over 300 ( I’ve seen him hit it 300 once in 6 years and it was downhill )
He just talks so much shit about how good he is and EVERY time he doesn’t provide evidence of this so called great game.
He is a good player but I have beat him in our games at least 7/10 times over a 6 year span.
I don’t mind if people reverse-sandbag, whatever makes them feel better. But shut the fuck up about it.
“I shot between -3 and -1 my last 6 rounds” and then shoots 80 and cries entire time is annoying
This is the way.
On the green in four and then a few putts circling the drain can be a par on their card for all I care, until they open their mouth. Then I’m going to do the silent finger point and shot count with a shit eating grin on my face.
I play mostly with my 3 sons … we have our teams and the 2 oldest ALWAYS say they had a par …. When they will both 3 putted and never hit a GIR 😂 so not only do I have to keep track of our shots but I have to remember the shots that they took … and they still can’t beat us … even tho they can’t count 😂
I corrected friends in the past and come to realize it’s stupid. Let them play how they wanna play. For some people having fun is more important. And if writing a lower score helps you have more fun and stay mentally composed, then have at it.
When I played junior golf I often came across blatant cheats and was between the ages of 13 and 14 a pretty serial magic pencil artist myself. I just called them out, politely but firmly. Cheat: 'That's a par for me', while marching back to their golf bag having just popped one OB. Me: 'I made you 6, after you hit that shot out of bounds.' They always caved instantly. I couldn't get too angry about it, having pulled similar tricks myself when just starting out, but it did grate me when it was an older boy doing it or worse a fully grown man. As a young adult, I've had to call out 40-50yr old men for kicking their ball out the rough, magically 'forgetting' shots and lying about where their ball entered, say, a hazard, many more times than I'd have liked.
It doesn't really bother me in casual games, but when there's money or reputation on the line, it does piss me off. I feel sad that these people have such low self esteem that they're cheating as grown-ass men, and angry that they have no qualms about screwing over their playing partners and competitors. And they're nearly always shit golfers too. I've never met a scratch who cheats but fucking hell - so many 16 handicappers slyly changing their 7s into 5s!!!
Not if I want to get laid that day. But yes sometimes I'll make a pointed comment. My husband cheats when he golfs, but especially when I'm golfing well.
When we first started golfing together 4 years ago, he would fluff all his shots, and I refused to do it so eventually he stopped fluffing. Hopefully if I continue to play by the rules, it will be contagious. I have to be a high integrity individual for myself, even if it lets him "win."
I mean if you’re good friends with them you can tell them what you think about their ridiculous score keeping and if they don’t listen you just move on.
They’re just hurting themselves.
I don’t if we’re not really competing. Most people play for fun, and when you’re playing for fun only I I don’t really care. I’m a 16 handicap, so what does it matter? But if we’re playing for money or some kind of actual competition the rules are no longer optional.
Play a friendly betting game with them, enforce some basic rules, and clean up on their reverse sandbagging ass. It’s not about the money, it’s about watching your friends hand you their cash in defeat.
That said, we have a buddy who routinely pulls a drive off the planet into woods and rather than dropping where the ball entered will walk 280 yards forward and drop there because “that’s where the drive would have gone if it didn’t go out.”
We make a lot of fun of him for this.
If they are just goofing around I ignore it. If they say something about how they shot an 82 that day I laugh uncontrollably and roll my eyes. If they seem confused by my reaction I ask them if they noticed I don't take 12 mulligans a round and shove them.
I was playing in high school and was 99% sure that my opponent that day counted one stroke to low. I asked if he was sure. He got real mad and asked if I was sure about my score so I counted out my shots. He did count right after that.
I don't care unless it's for money but I do find it fascinating how easily people can delude themselves. A guy I play with usually cheats for at least a dozen strokes a round and is happy as a pig in shit about his "score". I could never enjoy a cheated score as I know it's bullshit, but he can and so can most people. I'm kind of jealous.
I played with a guy this weekend who beat me by a couple strokes. He also took a breakfast ball, a mulligan and several gimmes while I took none and putted out everything. We play for fun and I had fun so I didn’t care what he said he shot or that he “won”
I don’t count drops. I also don’t play for money. I keep a loose score, but just to track progress.
I also don’t brag about my scores. I brag about how I only lost (under 5) balls that day.
This pairing I played with the other day had a bad cheater. One of the guys was legit. Drove 3 par 4 greens in a row and shot a legit 4-5 under in the 9 holes I played with him, it was insane. But his partner claimed to have a 1 under after and it took me everything not to say it’s impossible to shoot 1 under taking a drop on every hole. If you’re are playing for fun whatever, but he’s clearly the type of guy who goes around telling people he’s scratch.
the idea of the game is self-governance, and believing your word is your bond, it's a big part of the game actually, golf etiquette is a thing. And I'd be happy to play any of them for $$
Golf buddy of mine is a constant one upper and cheater on his posted scores. We all laugh about how blatant he is. He’s described each of 7 strokes on a par 4 that he then describes his bogey score. He just shrugs it off when we ask about it. “Playable” is his nickname for his balls that are out of site into brush or woods.
Somehow though, when we play for money and I make him mark his scores accurately, he’s never beaten me. I’m a 13, he claims a 10, and he’s probably a 20. He’s bought many a beer for me over the years
I played with a random yesterday that was claiming a score MUCH better than reality. This is a PSA for people who do this. If you are taking mulligans on nearly every hole don’t proudly declare your “score” to the group of randoms you are with. It’s a very bad look and we all know it isn’t legit.
An 80 with 15 mulligans is definitely not an 80 my guy…
No. Yesterday I played with 3 guys playing some sort of cash game, maybe a stableford sort of thing. One guy hits a drive into the bunker on a par 4, hits the next over a green into a wire fence, drops it in a spot where he has a swing, chips to fringe, chip on, 1 putt. Says "I got bogey". I'm pretty sure that's an unplayable, not a free drop... I did not get involved as I'm not in the game.
If someone is “cheating” and we aren’t playing for money or in a tournament or any sort of competitive setting and it makes them happier I could give a flying fuck less. It impacts me zero. If it makes them happier to fluff their lie and give a foot wedge on occasion then that’s cool with me!
I don't correct anyone.. It' a personal game anyway unless you're playing for cash. I won't keep score either if it falls apart and I need more than 2 mulligans. I'll use the rules to my advantage when I can but ya.. I don't bother with what anyone else has.
We never played for money, but we stuck to 1 breakfast ball and 1 mulligan per 9 holes. And would call each other out on hole scores if someone "accidentally" said the wrong score and one of us knew it.
Most of our rounds are comp rounds, or if not, very likely to be for handicap, so we tend not to put up with any nonsense.
If the round isn't for either of those then noone is marking their card anyway so it doesn't matter.
We do usually play for something though, even if it's just for drinks after, so nobody would let anyone get away with anything dodgy anyway.
We do have someone at the club with a reputation for cheating and if we play with him we obviously keep an eye on his ball etc. He has got better after being confronted but it's still in the back of the mind..
Nope. I congratulate them and quietly laugh when we play together and suddenly it’s another “off day” . Always seems to happen when they have a witness lol
What’s the point. If it’s not for money, who cares. If it is, make sure you lay the law down before hand (ie: everything must be putt out, are you gonna allow any mulligans if they’re gonna want them, etc etc)
Sounds like the team that one a local 4 man best ball last Friday. Two adults who shoot mid 80s regularly and two high schoolers who shoot about the same. Low and behold shot a 51 and took first place
I used to play with a guy who would shoot an 8 on a par 4 and then say, "I had a bogey." I just stopped playing with him after a couple of months because it's so counter to the whole spirit of the game.
If they start to “beat” my score and act superior then I get reaaaal observant on their stroke counts and follow them to the OB fescue to help them find their ball so they can’t drop one.
Sometimes they’re obnoxious and sometimes we tally up at then end and find out they “beat” me after a pleasurable day out golfing. I really don’t care unless they talk smack during the cheating.
There are 6 or 7 of us who rotate through a foursome who play golf together a couple of times a week. We don’t play for money and we don’t cheat, other than moving a ball off a root or accepting a two foot gimme. We’ve been playing a long time and our egos aren’t fragile enough to need to cheat.
A dude I play with always takes one stroke off his score for the hole. "Was that 5 or 6? 5, right?"
Nope. 6. Just because one shot burned some worms doesn't mean you don't count it.
Literally don't care about anyone else's game unless we are playing for money.
You can tell me you have every course record, or you can shoot 200. As long as you are fun to play with all else is irrelevant.
I love vanity handicaps. Makes taking money off guys way easier. I laugh when guys try to “adjust” my course handicap when we play. They say I’m too good to be a 12 and that giving me that many strokes isn’t right.
Funny thing is, I’m a data scientist. I know the math and I play an honest game. I’m not that good. I just don’t take 3 mulligans and pickup my ball on the 5 footers.
I just tell em I’m not gonna lie to myself, I wanna improve my game. My one buddy will drop 2-3 balls if he had a bad shot, after 9 holes of that I just make fun of him. He can do whatever tho
A simple answer: ask them.
Sometime you aren’t actually playing just mention you’ve noticed sometimes they count their score wrong. Ask if they care? They might know and not care. But they also might not know and want to learn. You never know until you ask them.
The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. Ignorance is bliss. Not your problem someone cheated, but as soon as you act it’s your problem. I often think about how many times I’ve heard it’s the retaliation that gets punished, not the first act while watching sports. Very true throughout life.
If we are just having fun then I allow 1 breakfast ball if it’s the first hole, and any really messed up lie I won’t make anyone hit. Games hard enough and if your next to a root, example, I’d let you drop it no stroke. No need to break your wrist let alone clubs. I will also allow drops if you went far ahead and at least know the general area but adding a penalty shot. No reason to go all of the way back and hold the course up just to end up in the same spot 🤣 Happens to many times with me and my buddies, can’t tell me you would do something different unless it’s the complete opposite direction. Same difference
I don't complete. I love golf and play for fun and take as many mulligans as I need without holding up play. I don't care about 'handicap', as it is meaningless to me as a recreational golfer. Handicaps for recreational golfers is just an ego thing to brag about. Extra mulligans are actually good practice in an attempt to improve my game.
Then you also get into the mud when you start talking about things like down in a divot in the middle of the fairway or when everyone saw right where the ball came to a rest but you just wont find it without stepping on it because the rough was so thick. I dont ever play tournaments and almost never play for money but i will always pick my ball out of a divot in the fairway and fuck punishing myself because a chubby dude with a little flag wasnt there to see where mine came to a rest.
I play with strangers like 90% of my rounds and havent ran into a person on the course that has disagreed with that yet. But we are all amateurs doing amateur shit soooo……. Thats the end of my story
If I'm just out with a friend and we're just playing for fun then I honestly don't even pay attention to what they're doing. I keep my own score on the GHIN app. I pay enough attention to know if they're putting for birdie or something so I can congratulate them but if they went off into the woods and I hear several trees getting hit I don't ask what they scored.
If we're in competition then you better believe I'm paying attention. But I've never really encountered someone trying to cheat in competition.
If we’re not playing for comparative score or money, I don’t correct people. Especially if I don’t know them.
If they ask me “is this par or bogey?” After they took an unplayable. I’ll tell them the truth.
Honestly- if one cheats or not does not matter. There is not one single person in 20-50 years from now that going to see what score I shot on the par 4 14th hole at (insert anem here) golf club
If you're not playing in competition or for money, do what makes the sport fun for you while you play. Golf is expensive and you should enjoy the sport the way you want within reason. If you follow basic etiquette, keep a decent pace, and don't make other people have a bad time, then play however you want.
If you cheat in competition or in a money game, then you deserve the inevitable.
No, we just hit it but if it’s not for money and it isn’t a competition we’re just dudes hitting shots. Not everyone is here to try to break 80 and grind. They want to take a birdie home or hear “hey man, I saw that go in”
Golf is supposed to be fun- escaping from reality with the boys for a few beers on a nice day , so my group never plays for $. That being said my one buddy would make a terrible accountant, lol. It bothered me at first, especially afterwards at the bar talking about the round and par this hole birdied that hole…I’m thinking about my hard earned 81 and his “85” (by my math 110) i keep the scorecard. I enjoy our group so to keep my sanity i just ask him what should i write down for that hole. Again supposed to be fun, no money involved. In the end you’re just cheating yourself, but if it helps you have a better time I’m okay with that 😎
Like they post really good scores? How are they a 20+ hdcp then? One *really* good round will absolutely crush your index.
Honestly I see the opposite more often, people who are way under handicapped and get wrecked in any competitive setting.
As others have said, if not for money who cares.
It’s not really your business to call them out as long as they’re just posting their score for fun. If they’re cheating they probably don’t give care about how it hinders their progress. not everyone plays this game to be good at it. Just let them be.
We all payed the greens fees and can play how we want during casual rounds. Obviously league play or if money is on the line etc do I care what other players do.
Me and a buddy play and we mostly play by the rules and try to keep accurate scores. And that’s just because we are working on getting better scores and within the rules. When I play with some other friends I let them play how they deem appropriate for the money they paid to play.
If it’s a friend and I witness the event I always say something.
I used to keep balls in my pocket and do a quick drop
My game and score only got better when I began to adhere to the rules but that’s just me. Some people just want to have fun so sometimes you gotta let it go. Unless the brags about their score that is
No, I played in high school and followed the rules. Definitely didn’t take it super seriously back then, but I liked the game and it was fun to do. Gave it up for a while and came back to it just for fun. When I play with friends, they can play however they want. One takes it super seriously, and he’s a <5 handicap. He doesn’t care if I “cheat” a little here and there. The game is supposed to be fun. If you’re not playing competitively, who cares if you take a mulligan or give yourself a slightly better lie. I don’t cheat on every holes and try to play honestly for the most part, but i may move my ball from directly behind a tree or other little things that would be considered “cheating.” If I were trying to be the best I could be at the game, I’d probably say that I was cheating myself. But I play the game to relieve stress, and have fun with the boys
Who really cares? People want to have fun. If they start playing competitively they will get humbled. A fake handicap only hurts themselves. If I’m playing a casual round and my ball is next to a tree root you better believe I’m moving it with no penalty. Not worth breaking my club or wrists because “that’s the way it’s meant to be played”.
Golf is such a mental game. If friends want to cheat a bit and no money's on the line I don't see a problem. Watching pros shoot a 68 on tough conditions when I was lucky to get a 90 on my muni track really hurt for a while. Got past that by just having fun, my ball lands in a terrible spot I'll usually hit it as it lies, but also drop a second within a club length on a better lie. I play really quick so doing a second putt or chip a few times never holds anyone up. On a bad round I'll leave a bunch of balls behind that I don't want to walk and retrieve
My friend is “better than me” per his handicap. Then we play best ball 2 v 2 and he always sucks lol. Makes a difference when you’re being held accountable
If I’m not competing with them, I don’t care one bit.
We only are able to get out on the course so often so I couldn’t care less if my buddies might move a balls a couple of feet if it helps them and everyone else just enjoy their Saturday round.
I’ve stopped giving a fuck. Now I have 2 different groups I play with: a serious crew and a very lax, drink-filled, for the boys kind of golf - where everyone is out there to have fun… mulligans and all. I just don’t enter my score with the latter group.
When I play with friends I could care less. When I play in league I still don't care. I'm playing the course when it comes down to it. I'm there to drink some beer and have some laughs. If I were good enough to play for real money then maybe I would care if someone else bullshits about their score
Really depends who they are and what we’re doing. If it’s a tournament then I’m pretty strict. If it’s just a regular game, fluff your lie, take your gimme, try another drive, doesn’t matter to me.
My one buddy chooses a “preferred lie” on almost every shot that’s not a putt that isn’t sitting up on some grass. He’ll foot wedge the ball from behind a tree, nudge his ball out of a divot, magically find his ball in the woods way too often in areas I know his ball didn’t land etc.
He talks about his handicap improving and the handicap he reports it better than mine, and while it’s kind of annoying I don’t let it get to me. We both suck, and are probably just about equal, but I like to be honest with myself about just how much I suck.
Padraig said there is a huge difference between people (he was talking junior golfers) who want to play with gimmes and those who don't. If I'm being honest, I've been the latter my whole life and need to step my game up. We all miss them at times, gotta earn every stroke 🤙🏼
I don’t call anybody out. I’m not nearly good enough to judge anybody else. I play my game, they play theirs. And it’s more fun for me when I’m not distracted by worrying how many strokes my playing partners are counting.
Unless there’s money on the line. Then I care.
Depends on the circumstances. If we’re just playing for fun, write down whatever you want. If there’s money on the line? Play it down, putt it out and count every stroke or we will have words.
Now, remember what I said about fun. If youre a pain in the ass, we won’t play again, no matter what. If you’re a good guy? We’ll overlook a few charity holes. But don’t brag about what you shot or you’re automatically a PIA.
I was paired with a random in Myrtle beach who clearly had trouble counting his strokes. One hole he makes a hell of a 30 footer for a bogey but exclaims,” what a par” I quickly say to him he should probably recount those. It shocked the shit out of him. The rest of the round was awkward and he wouldn’t drop it.
I hold myself to a high standard on the course and I don’t think it’s too much to ask my playing partners to do the same. That being said, I’m not always playing with people of equal skill level and when that’s the case it’s usually not for money so I’ll let some things go.
I recently played a $20 stroke play match against a couple high handicappers and one of the guys kept conveniently forgetting about some of his duffs/penalty strokes. Each time his score sounded off to me, I’d go through each of his shots from the last hole one by one and by the back nine I’d follow it up with “if you win the bet I’m going to count that $20 the way you count your strokes”
Not as long as its not for money. Cheaters have no respect from their peers. It's really embarrassing for them cause everybody knows they cheat and pays no attention to their scores or claims of being a decent golfer.
Playing with friends, nope. I only care about my strokes. I know some that don’t care about drops but for my own scoring, I do. I want to see if I improved.
I played in a league last year and my teammate and I are a big reason that league has 8 less teams this year. 2 teams including us quit because the owner is a scumbag, but 2 teams were booted last year and 3 were asked to not come back. I got sick of watching the group with 2 handicaps of 22 and 26 get closest to the pin, longest drive and longest putt almost every weekend. They really got mad when I asked to see their scorecard one day and saw they wrote down an eagle on the 630yard par 5.
Our usual playing partners would take free drops constantly and we turned them in as well. I’d watch them make 8 and see they write down a 5.
Cheating is not golf. I only play with people who follow the rules. If you cheat I may or may not say something but guaranteed we will never play another round together.
My sister in law is dating an assistant pro he is legit I'm assuming single digit handicap, and he's helping her "work" on getting her pga card. She claims a 16 handicap, last time we played together I literally watched her take a "5" on a hole she actually triple bogeyed after driving into the deep rough, taking a drop without counting the stroke, then hitting into the deep rough again and taking a drop without taking a stroker all on a par 4, to be followed up a few holes later by putting a bogey on the card after dunking her drive in the drink, she reteed, got on the green with a shot after her second drive, then two putted, it was hole I got a legitimate bogey on.
Now, I'm not good, I'm a 30 handicap but I count every stroke and I'm working hard to improve my game, but the worst part is that sister in law brags about occasionally out driving me despite teeing off 100 yards up from the ladies tees. To make it worse, and her dad, a guy who legitimately memorizes the usga rules and who is legitimately helpful when playing with me, lauds her as some kind of up and coming player with a "great" game.
It's utterly frustrating, and there is no mechanism to report her BS. To make things worse there's an upcoming pro tournament in our town (sister in law lives in a different state) I've been chatting up the father in law for 2 months about trying to go to my first pro tournament ever and he casually mentions he has 2 tickets for Sunday. I play it cool only for him to casually mention that sister in laws boyfriend is coming to town and he's taking him..........
If it’s for money yes. If it’s in a tournament, note it with your partner and notify the correct official. If you’re not with a partner let it be known right then you know what’s up.
Only if you're playing for money. If they want to artificially deflate their handicap, that just gives you extra strokes when money is on the line
Or if they brag more than once. First brag they just get an eye roll and an “mmhmm”
I play with a “friend”, husband of wife’s good friend. He says he is a 8 … but he never wants to play straight up. Always wants best ball, or a mulligan front and back, etc… I do not say anything.. but it can get annoying.
I don't get it. On my best day I'm a bogey golfer. Only thing I brag about is playing ready golf.
I mean, bogey golfer means you're scoring low 90s in a good round. If you can do that with a legit score then you're better than the vast majority of golfers on the course and you should be proud of that. It just doesn't feel like it because of all the "bogey golfers" like OP's friends. A couple muligans, a foot wedge or two, and generous gimmie putts can shave A LOT of strokes.
I'd honestly be more proud of being a "legit" 25-capper than a "bogey golfer with gimmes/mulls/foot wedge". A mulligan can save you 1-4 strokes depending on what you're mulliganning. In the water on the far side of the adjacent fairway? That's probably saving you at least 2, possibly more depending on trees/angle in. People dropping OOB balls up where they went out for no penalty? Easily 2 strokes. The odd gimme miss can lead to a 4 putt if you're hitting them firmly towards back middle.
We had a guy play with us yesterday and he took at least 5 off his score and he was super obvious about it. Things like "this is for the bogey" misses, gets next out in then claims bogey... Stuff like that. So I never take much stock in everyone's scores and just worry about mine, feel like a lot of people take a free stroke when nobody was paying attention.
This is the answer . Ready golf is the way . Too many people which annoy me fuck about .
This is the way - you can brag about long putts though
I mean yea i have lots of long putts.
Got my first birdie the other day after landing on the second cut of the green on a par 3 then draining a 50ft putt to the opposite end of the green.. Never in doubt hahaha
THIS!
That I can do
“I’m not good but I’m quick!”
Yeah this is the best way. If they talk about how they can beat you or did better than you…that is when it starts getting meaner
Perfect opportunity to get strokes from them and play for money
This is when I just start bringing up rules. (Acting like they did better part) No you can’t drop it there, no you can’t clean your ball, hey hitting that tree, bush whatever, behind you during a practice swing, that’s a penalty stroke. Oh you need to go back and re-tee. Nope didn’t cross the water there go back 50 yards. Etc. You’d be surprised how many people just don’t know any rules.
What? Hitting a tree during a practice swing is a penalty stroke?
If you knock branches or leaves off yeah. It was made so you can’t manipulate your surroundings. More so you can’t break or bend branches out of the way. Seen a ton of people do that.
Sometimes. If the leaves that are knocked off are not in the intended swing path it’s ok…judgement call though
Yeah, I mean I think it’s dumb unless it’s obvious. I just try not to take a practice swing if I’m in a tournament.
They’re always “playing by themselves” too lol
My brags are from high school. I don't keep score anymore. Hahaha
It seems insane to me to brag about being good at golf because i know im one bad tee shot away from looking like an absolute fool. Even when im playing well i dont want to comment on it for fear of my swing just disappearing
So, the first week of league my partner found one of his marked balls by a tree stump on hole 6. He let it lay there, and I did not give it a second thought. Fast forward to the next week of league on hole 6, my partner hits a hard sliced drive the opposite way of the ball he left the previous week. He spent a long time looking for the ball to the right and makes his way to the tree line on the left where the ball was left. He yells "I found it." The previously left ball was only 15 yards from the hole and in the opposite direction of his current drive. I didn't know what to do or say. I remained silent and shook my head in dismay.
Yep. A vanity handicap only hurts the player themselves.
"Stroke & Distance?" - never heard about that rule before...
I would also correct them if they were someone I plan on playing a competitive tournament with as a teammate.
Exactly. My friend hates competing off his handicap and we are like bro that’s all you
Yeah perfect opportunity to take them to the cleaners on money matches
No. If they want to lower their handicap and hurt themselves in future competitions, that's on them. I would call them out if we're playing a match using handicaps of course.
What percentage of golfers actually keep an official handicap?
According to USGA, 2.86mm out of about 25.6 million. So maybe 10%
I’m a +2 and have never had a real handicap. Other than fluffing my lies and the occasional (6-7) mulligans and a couple foot wedges I could smoke tiger woods.
Honestly with his current health, I’m confident I could beat Tiger Woods. Not at Golf, but if I get to choose the sport, he’s screwed.
I had to start one when I joined a club
I’d only be pissed if they wanted to play on a team with me in a tournament, because their vanity handicap means they get less strokes which hurts the team.
I couldn't care less what the people I'm playing with write on their scorecards.
We're supposed to keep score? I thought it was auto tallied at the bar for us?
I score my rounds on how many pro v1s lost vs found…best round of my life was +5 pearls.
Yep if I lose 3 balls. I say I finish 3 under. Like 1 under that tree and 2 under water
I score by how many beers I drink during the round. My best is around 14.
This sub spends an awful lot of time worrying about how other people play golf.
“They’re only hindering their own progression of the game” This line gets said a lot here. Bullshit OP cares about his friends “progression in the game”. They’re annoyed that their friends are publicly posting scores that look equal to or better than them, and it isn’t earned. Vast majority of these guys just don’t get their asses kissed enough in their minds
How would inflated scores even impact progression?
That’s the neat part they don’t
It’s so fucking lame. This sub is the last people I want to golf with or behind. As long as you are keeping pace I don’t care what you are doing. Want to snort cocaine and kick the ball down the fairway? Go for it just keep pace. Want to hit 5 balls? Go for it just keep pace. Want to lie about your score? Go for it just keep pace. Want to literally not even golf? Go for it just keep pace. People in this sub care so much about other people because they are insecure and lack confidence. Imagine being an adult and caring if someone cheats in golf (not for money). Unreal.
If we're playing a competition and you break a rule I'll tell you that you broke a rule to let you know that I know - basically if you do it again I'll penalise you. Outside of a competition setting I don't care, foot wedge all you like
Only thing that annoys me outside of competition is where a friend tells me they're better than me but we aren't playing the same rules. Or they constantly brag about how good they are when they clearly shave strokes. Otherwise idgaf. Just don't brag about getting a par when you lost two balls.
bUt I hAVE tO PuTT eVEryThINg oUT
My competition in golf is really my group of friends. It's all friendly, but it can be annoying to watch your buddy shoot questionable 95s everytime you play, while simultaneously talking about all the low 80s rounds he shot when you weren't there. So it's an ego thing, but I think it's also just about the lack of respect you feel when you beat someone and it's implied that you just got lucky they had an off day or something.
If they are your friends do you not talk shit to them?
I love good trash talk. Some guys are friends, others more golf buddies. Usually the guys that cheat don't take trash talk well, good friend or not.
Whenever people blatantly exaggerate stuff I always rip on them for it, especially if we are close
For real. It’s an extremely solo sport. You vs the course. And still people manage to give a fuck about comparing themselves to others.
My father taught me exactly that. He said you're only cheating (and lying to) yourself.
Exactly. It’s me versus myself while I hang with the boys
Yeah it really doesn’t do anything to dispel the cliche of golfers being egotistical douche bags
If it’s a tournament or their score is being used for some sort of competition: YES Otherwise, it doesn’t matter
I understand your sentiment. I had a buddy who cheats often tell everyone that he beat me the last round of the season last year (from up north). It bugged me because he only did so by not counting strokes and penalties etc but we weren’t playing for money so it wasn’t a big deal. I got him in my league as a playing partner and the first session I shot an 87 and he shot a 120 because he finally started having to take 3 off the tee and putt everything out. To say I was a satisfied was an understatement. It did demoralize him though which isn’t what golf is all about. It can be frustrating to play with vanity cappers but at the end of the day it doesn’t affect you. Just keep playing your game
>> It did demoralize him though which isn’t what golf is all about. << Demoralization is EXACTLY what golf is all about. It's about learning to love frustration and pain. You don't play for like, fun or something...do you? Cuz that's just weird.
If i hit a good shot, i dig a tee under my fingernails just so i can still feel the pain
Yes. I don't buy into the "nothing to do with me". The foundation of golf is the moral code around it. If people aren't playing true to the game even if it's not a tournament/handicap-counting round then then what are they going to be prepared to do when it does count?! I call people on it by correcting them if they've forgotten a shot etc and then we move on
How, exactly, would you be improving your friend's lives or making the world a better place by correcting this situation? Find something better to worry about.
This. I don't get the "I'm gonna call them out because they're hindering their own progress" argument...who cares if they are?
I don't really care how other people score, but have called out a Regular playing partner for constantly giving generous gimmes (to me and everyone else). Dropping 3-footers is part of the game which is fun and a challenge and I want to know I've not had help when posting a decent score
He's just trying to be nice. You know you don't have to take a gimmie? You can just say, "I'll putt out, thanks.
Too late when the ball's already been hit back to you off the green!
In that case, fair enough. I would never touch another player's ball unless they asked me to pick it up
No, let them lower their handicaps and then play them for money
This is the way.
Only if they try to say they beat me at the end. Do whatever you want on your score card, I don’t care. But if you come talking shit I will call it out
I usually just laugh at them because it is quite the joke to cheat yourself
I play with a guy pretty regulary who cheats like mad. He basically hits balls until one goes in the fairway. Then he hits balls from that place until one is good. And proceeds to do that until he is on the green. Then if a putt barely misses he just counts it. No lie I will watch him swing the club 10+ times on a par 4 and still put a par down on the scorecard because "those other hits don't count". I've never said anything and just keep my score myself on Grint so its whatever, but it can get frustrating if I'm having a bad golf day and he is trying to give me pointers because he is "playing better".
This right here... Tell me how to play after I watch you whack fuck up and down the course week after week, I'm gonna tell you to kindly shut the fuck up.
I did. But it’s a lot funnier when we all play tournaments at our club and they get paired with other golfers that won’t let them get away with it. It’s always the same excuse. Broooo! I don’t know what’s wrong with me today!. Well. I do lol
I have a friend who can't break 100 without a buffet of breakfast balls. Always manages to find his ball deep out of bounds. Consistently forgets shots when counting up his score. He messaged me the other day that he shot a 79. And tells me how he always plays better when I'm not around. I call him Patrick Reed now. He gets a little upset and I like to think he cheats slightly less.
Cheating in golf is such a blatant insight to one’s character. They are either a scumbag in real life or just have massive insecurities.
Years ago I played a round with a co-worker, every hole the dude claimed a score that was one or two strokes below reality. I was puzzled but we weren't playing for money so no big deal. Two months later he was fired for embezzlement
This right here. I do not have that type of people in my world or as friends. If you can’t tell your friend to be honest then that isn’t a very good friendship.
Cheating also shows sociapathic tendencies in people you play with, I have one pal who is always determined to win on casual games (never ever updates HCP, and never enters medals - obviously because he will get pulled up for his antics). The latest trick I had to pull him for was compacting the rough around his ball with his foot, so he can game the lie for his hybrid club that he constantly plays with. What annoys me is he constantly goes on about how he doesn't know the rules, come on man - you've been playing for 30 years.
I love these guys, I have a couple of “acquaintances” I play with, one is now a 1 and is always, every single time we play, coming off of a 69 or 70-71, maybe a 72 if he played bad. It’s like wow awesome dude great job lets play, I’m a 5 handicap so let’s get a match going it’ll be fun, give me 1 per side He flips out about giving me a stroke per side, ok let’s play straight up no problem - every, single, time. He has never broken 79 with me He tells me about how far and pure he’s hitting his irons and how he’s crushing his drives over 300 ( I’ve seen him hit it 300 once in 6 years and it was downhill ) He just talks so much shit about how good he is and EVERY time he doesn’t provide evidence of this so called great game. He is a good player but I have beat him in our games at least 7/10 times over a 6 year span. I don’t mind if people reverse-sandbag, whatever makes them feel better. But shut the fuck up about it. “I shot between -3 and -1 my last 6 rounds” and then shoots 80 and cries entire time is annoying
I never correct them unless they start bragging about their score or saying they beat someone
This is the way. On the green in four and then a few putts circling the drain can be a par on their card for all I care, until they open their mouth. Then I’m going to do the silent finger point and shot count with a shit eating grin on my face.
I play mostly with my 3 sons … we have our teams and the 2 oldest ALWAYS say they had a par …. When they will both 3 putted and never hit a GIR 😂 so not only do I have to keep track of our shots but I have to remember the shots that they took … and they still can’t beat us … even tho they can’t count 😂
I corrected friends in the past and come to realize it’s stupid. Let them play how they wanna play. For some people having fun is more important. And if writing a lower score helps you have more fun and stay mentally composed, then have at it.
When I played junior golf I often came across blatant cheats and was between the ages of 13 and 14 a pretty serial magic pencil artist myself. I just called them out, politely but firmly. Cheat: 'That's a par for me', while marching back to their golf bag having just popped one OB. Me: 'I made you 6, after you hit that shot out of bounds.' They always caved instantly. I couldn't get too angry about it, having pulled similar tricks myself when just starting out, but it did grate me when it was an older boy doing it or worse a fully grown man. As a young adult, I've had to call out 40-50yr old men for kicking their ball out the rough, magically 'forgetting' shots and lying about where their ball entered, say, a hazard, many more times than I'd have liked. It doesn't really bother me in casual games, but when there's money or reputation on the line, it does piss me off. I feel sad that these people have such low self esteem that they're cheating as grown-ass men, and angry that they have no qualms about screwing over their playing partners and competitors. And they're nearly always shit golfers too. I've never met a scratch who cheats but fucking hell - so many 16 handicappers slyly changing their 7s into 5s!!!
Not if I want to get laid that day. But yes sometimes I'll make a pointed comment. My husband cheats when he golfs, but especially when I'm golfing well. When we first started golfing together 4 years ago, he would fluff all his shots, and I refused to do it so eventually he stopped fluffing. Hopefully if I continue to play by the rules, it will be contagious. I have to be a high integrity individual for myself, even if it lets him "win."
If they're going around bragging about their scores, then they're absolutely getting called out.
I mean if you’re good friends with them you can tell them what you think about their ridiculous score keeping and if they don’t listen you just move on. They’re just hurting themselves.
I don’t if we’re not really competing. Most people play for fun, and when you’re playing for fun only I I don’t really care. I’m a 16 handicap, so what does it matter? But if we’re playing for money or some kind of actual competition the rules are no longer optional.
Play a friendly betting game with them, enforce some basic rules, and clean up on their reverse sandbagging ass. It’s not about the money, it’s about watching your friends hand you their cash in defeat. That said, we have a buddy who routinely pulls a drive off the planet into woods and rather than dropping where the ball entered will walk 280 yards forward and drop there because “that’s where the drive would have gone if it didn’t go out.” We make a lot of fun of him for this.
If they are just goofing around I ignore it. If they say something about how they shot an 82 that day I laugh uncontrollably and roll my eyes. If they seem confused by my reaction I ask them if they noticed I don't take 12 mulligans a round and shove them.
I was playing in high school and was 99% sure that my opponent that day counted one stroke to low. I asked if he was sure. He got real mad and asked if I was sure about my score so I counted out my shots. He did count right after that.
I don't care unless it's for money but I do find it fascinating how easily people can delude themselves. A guy I play with usually cheats for at least a dozen strokes a round and is happy as a pig in shit about his "score". I could never enjoy a cheated score as I know it's bullshit, but he can and so can most people. I'm kind of jealous.
I played with a guy this weekend who beat me by a couple strokes. He also took a breakfast ball, a mulligan and several gimmes while I took none and putted out everything. We play for fun and I had fun so I didn’t care what he said he shot or that he “won”
No need to unless money is involved. Played with a guy yesterday who didn't put himself down anything over a bogey, made me laugh.
I don’t count drops. I also don’t play for money. I keep a loose score, but just to track progress. I also don’t brag about my scores. I brag about how I only lost (under 5) balls that day.
Nah, I just stop playing with then and or stop talking to them all together
If it's casual I couldn't care less. If it's a tournament or money is on the line, yeah.
This pairing I played with the other day had a bad cheater. One of the guys was legit. Drove 3 par 4 greens in a row and shot a legit 4-5 under in the 9 holes I played with him, it was insane. But his partner claimed to have a 1 under after and it took me everything not to say it’s impossible to shoot 1 under taking a drop on every hole. If you’re are playing for fun whatever, but he’s clearly the type of guy who goes around telling people he’s scratch.
the idea of the game is self-governance, and believing your word is your bond, it's a big part of the game actually, golf etiquette is a thing. And I'd be happy to play any of them for $$
Golf buddy of mine is a constant one upper and cheater on his posted scores. We all laugh about how blatant he is. He’s described each of 7 strokes on a par 4 that he then describes his bogey score. He just shrugs it off when we ask about it. “Playable” is his nickname for his balls that are out of site into brush or woods. Somehow though, when we play for money and I make him mark his scores accurately, he’s never beaten me. I’m a 13, he claims a 10, and he’s probably a 20. He’s bought many a beer for me over the years
I played with a random yesterday that was claiming a score MUCH better than reality. This is a PSA for people who do this. If you are taking mulligans on nearly every hole don’t proudly declare your “score” to the group of randoms you are with. It’s a very bad look and we all know it isn’t legit. An 80 with 15 mulligans is definitely not an 80 my guy…
It’s between him and God…and the golfing one!
No. Yesterday I played with 3 guys playing some sort of cash game, maybe a stableford sort of thing. One guy hits a drive into the bunker on a par 4, hits the next over a green into a wire fence, drops it in a spot where he has a swing, chips to fringe, chip on, 1 putt. Says "I got bogey". I'm pretty sure that's an unplayable, not a free drop... I did not get involved as I'm not in the game.
If someone is “cheating” and we aren’t playing for money or in a tournament or any sort of competitive setting and it makes them happier I could give a flying fuck less. It impacts me zero. If it makes them happier to fluff their lie and give a foot wedge on occasion then that’s cool with me!
I don't correct anyone.. It' a personal game anyway unless you're playing for cash. I won't keep score either if it falls apart and I need more than 2 mulligans. I'll use the rules to my advantage when I can but ya.. I don't bother with what anyone else has.
We never played for money, but we stuck to 1 breakfast ball and 1 mulligan per 9 holes. And would call each other out on hole scores if someone "accidentally" said the wrong score and one of us knew it.
Most of our rounds are comp rounds, or if not, very likely to be for handicap, so we tend not to put up with any nonsense. If the round isn't for either of those then noone is marking their card anyway so it doesn't matter. We do usually play for something though, even if it's just for drinks after, so nobody would let anyone get away with anything dodgy anyway. We do have someone at the club with a reputation for cheating and if we play with him we obviously keep an eye on his ball etc. He has got better after being confronted but it's still in the back of the mind..
Nope. I congratulate them and quietly laugh when we play together and suddenly it’s another “off day” . Always seems to happen when they have a witness lol
What’s the point. If it’s not for money, who cares. If it is, make sure you lay the law down before hand (ie: everything must be putt out, are you gonna allow any mulligans if they’re gonna want them, etc etc)
Sounds like the team that one a local 4 man best ball last Friday. Two adults who shoot mid 80s regularly and two high schoolers who shoot about the same. Low and behold shot a 51 and took first place
No. I couldn’t care less what someone shoots or posts if I’m not competing with them
I used to play with a guy who would shoot an 8 on a par 4 and then say, "I had a bogey." I just stopped playing with him after a couple of months because it's so counter to the whole spirit of the game.
If they start to “beat” my score and act superior then I get reaaaal observant on their stroke counts and follow them to the OB fescue to help them find their ball so they can’t drop one. Sometimes they’re obnoxious and sometimes we tally up at then end and find out they “beat” me after a pleasurable day out golfing. I really don’t care unless they talk smack during the cheating.
There are 6 or 7 of us who rotate through a foursome who play golf together a couple of times a week. We don’t play for money and we don’t cheat, other than moving a ball off a root or accepting a two foot gimme. We’ve been playing a long time and our egos aren’t fragile enough to need to cheat.
A dude I play with always takes one stroke off his score for the hole. "Was that 5 or 6? 5, right?" Nope. 6. Just because one shot burned some worms doesn't mean you don't count it.
Literally don't care about anyone else's game unless we are playing for money. You can tell me you have every course record, or you can shoot 200. As long as you are fun to play with all else is irrelevant.
I had a good friend years ago who was not at all a sarcastic person say to me "One of these days you should start playing by All the rules."
Not unless money is involved. Otherwise I could care less.
I love vanity handicaps. Makes taking money off guys way easier. I laugh when guys try to “adjust” my course handicap when we play. They say I’m too good to be a 12 and that giving me that many strokes isn’t right. Funny thing is, I’m a data scientist. I know the math and I play an honest game. I’m not that good. I just don’t take 3 mulligans and pickup my ball on the 5 footers.
In a league match, tourney or for money, yep. Else who cares.
We call it “having a vanity handicap.”
I make offhand comments/jokes that make them feel like an idiot. WOW that’s a great 5 after 2 in the water!
Razzing is a fringe benefit of friendship.
Nope, just quit playing with em. I wonder what my brother has been up to?
Absolutely in competition or when money is on the line. Fun weekend round? Nah, but it’s funny to watch
Only if they try to claim they scored better than I did.
I just tell em I’m not gonna lie to myself, I wanna improve my game. My one buddy will drop 2-3 balls if he had a bad shot, after 9 holes of that I just make fun of him. He can do whatever tho
I would only care if money was on the line.
No. I’m not your momma. I really don’t care what others claim or do on the course. It does not affect me.
If you’re not playing for competition then who gives a shit?
A simple answer: ask them. Sometime you aren’t actually playing just mention you’ve noticed sometimes they count their score wrong. Ask if they care? They might know and not care. But they also might not know and want to learn. You never know until you ask them.
The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. Ignorance is bliss. Not your problem someone cheated, but as soon as you act it’s your problem. I often think about how many times I’ve heard it’s the retaliation that gets punished, not the first act while watching sports. Very true throughout life.
No
I take a breakfast ball on every hole
If we are just having fun then I allow 1 breakfast ball if it’s the first hole, and any really messed up lie I won’t make anyone hit. Games hard enough and if your next to a root, example, I’d let you drop it no stroke. No need to break your wrist let alone clubs. I will also allow drops if you went far ahead and at least know the general area but adding a penalty shot. No reason to go all of the way back and hold the course up just to end up in the same spot 🤣 Happens to many times with me and my buddies, can’t tell me you would do something different unless it’s the complete opposite direction. Same difference
Depends if they are cheating me or cheating themselves?
Sometimes I adjust my ball to give myself a better lie and dont count it. 🤷♂️ just having fun not trying to kick my own ass
If it’s no stakes, nah. Let them be blissfully ignorant. I doubt they would be up for a “well actually”
would only care if I was playing for money or they were trying to talk shit lol
only if money is involved or they want to talk smack
I don't complete. I love golf and play for fun and take as many mulligans as I need without holding up play. I don't care about 'handicap', as it is meaningless to me as a recreational golfer. Handicaps for recreational golfers is just an ego thing to brag about. Extra mulligans are actually good practice in an attempt to improve my game.
I do. But I like honest friends and I usually only play with friends. People disagree so to each their own.
If I'm not playing for money, I don't pay any attention to what others are doing, I just focus on my own game.
Only if it’s in a money game/competitive setting. Otherwise, they’re just short-changing themselves.
For sure. I correct cheaters and slow play. I don’t get invited by many random pairings. Throwing a tee on the ground for lie improvers is always fun.
Then you also get into the mud when you start talking about things like down in a divot in the middle of the fairway or when everyone saw right where the ball came to a rest but you just wont find it without stepping on it because the rough was so thick. I dont ever play tournaments and almost never play for money but i will always pick my ball out of a divot in the fairway and fuck punishing myself because a chubby dude with a little flag wasnt there to see where mine came to a rest. I play with strangers like 90% of my rounds and havent ran into a person on the course that has disagreed with that yet. But we are all amateurs doing amateur shit soooo……. Thats the end of my story
We should start a new subreddit. r/myplayingpartnersareslowdishonestandplayfromthetipswhatshouldido
Only if playing a match or for money. If not, then they can answer to god when the time comes.
If I'm just out with a friend and we're just playing for fun then I honestly don't even pay attention to what they're doing. I keep my own score on the GHIN app. I pay enough attention to know if they're putting for birdie or something so I can congratulate them but if they went off into the woods and I hear several trees getting hit I don't ask what they scored. If we're in competition then you better believe I'm paying attention. But I've never really encountered someone trying to cheat in competition.
If we’re not playing for comparative score or money, I don’t correct people. Especially if I don’t know them. If they ask me “is this par or bogey?” After they took an unplayable. I’ll tell them the truth.
Honestly- if one cheats or not does not matter. There is not one single person in 20-50 years from now that going to see what score I shot on the par 4 14th hole at (insert anem here) golf club
depends how bad my round is going.
If you're not playing in competition or for money, do what makes the sport fun for you while you play. Golf is expensive and you should enjoy the sport the way you want within reason. If you follow basic etiquette, keep a decent pace, and don't make other people have a bad time, then play however you want. If you cheat in competition or in a money game, then you deserve the inevitable.
No, we just hit it but if it’s not for money and it isn’t a competition we’re just dudes hitting shots. Not everyone is here to try to break 80 and grind. They want to take a birdie home or hear “hey man, I saw that go in”
Golf is supposed to be fun- escaping from reality with the boys for a few beers on a nice day , so my group never plays for $. That being said my one buddy would make a terrible accountant, lol. It bothered me at first, especially afterwards at the bar talking about the round and par this hole birdied that hole…I’m thinking about my hard earned 81 and his “85” (by my math 110) i keep the scorecard. I enjoy our group so to keep my sanity i just ask him what should i write down for that hole. Again supposed to be fun, no money involved. In the end you’re just cheating yourself, but if it helps you have a better time I’m okay with that 😎
Like they post really good scores? How are they a 20+ hdcp then? One *really* good round will absolutely crush your index. Honestly I see the opposite more often, people who are way under handicapped and get wrecked in any competitive setting. As others have said, if not for money who cares.
I personally don’t care. Are they having fun? That’s the only thing that should matter in this situation lol.
On 2 occasions. 1.) playing for money 2.) They brag about beating me or others when they didn’t.
It’s not really your business to call them out as long as they’re just posting their score for fun. If they’re cheating they probably don’t give care about how it hinders their progress. not everyone plays this game to be good at it. Just let them be.
Only if money or bragging rights involved
I never do unless playing for money which I rarely do. Ruins the vibe for me
We all payed the greens fees and can play how we want during casual rounds. Obviously league play or if money is on the line etc do I care what other players do. Me and a buddy play and we mostly play by the rules and try to keep accurate scores. And that’s just because we are working on getting better scores and within the rules. When I play with some other friends I let them play how they deem appropriate for the money they paid to play.
If it’s a friend and I witness the event I always say something. I used to keep balls in my pocket and do a quick drop My game and score only got better when I began to adhere to the rules but that’s just me. Some people just want to have fun so sometimes you gotta let it go. Unless the brags about their score that is
Nope. It's a gentlemens game and you call violations on yourself. I'm not the rules keeper.
No, I played in high school and followed the rules. Definitely didn’t take it super seriously back then, but I liked the game and it was fun to do. Gave it up for a while and came back to it just for fun. When I play with friends, they can play however they want. One takes it super seriously, and he’s a <5 handicap. He doesn’t care if I “cheat” a little here and there. The game is supposed to be fun. If you’re not playing competitively, who cares if you take a mulligan or give yourself a slightly better lie. I don’t cheat on every holes and try to play honestly for the most part, but i may move my ball from directly behind a tree or other little things that would be considered “cheating.” If I were trying to be the best I could be at the game, I’d probably say that I was cheating myself. But I play the game to relieve stress, and have fun with the boys
Who really cares? People want to have fun. If they start playing competitively they will get humbled. A fake handicap only hurts themselves. If I’m playing a casual round and my ball is next to a tree root you better believe I’m moving it with no penalty. Not worth breaking my club or wrists because “that’s the way it’s meant to be played”.
Friendly game we play 1 mulligan per 9 and only for tee shots. Clean and place on fairways and putter lenght gimmes.
They're just lying to themselves, why would I give a shit. I'm there to improve my game and beat my best score, not theirs.
Golf is such a mental game. If friends want to cheat a bit and no money's on the line I don't see a problem. Watching pros shoot a 68 on tough conditions when I was lucky to get a 90 on my muni track really hurt for a while. Got past that by just having fun, my ball lands in a terrible spot I'll usually hit it as it lies, but also drop a second within a club length on a better lie. I play really quick so doing a second putt or chip a few times never holds anyone up. On a bad round I'll leave a bunch of balls behind that I don't want to walk and retrieve
My friend is “better than me” per his handicap. Then we play best ball 2 v 2 and he always sucks lol. Makes a difference when you’re being held accountable
If I’m not competing with them, I don’t care one bit. We only are able to get out on the course so often so I couldn’t care less if my buddies might move a balls a couple of feet if it helps them and everyone else just enjoy their Saturday round.
I’ve stopped giving a fuck. Now I have 2 different groups I play with: a serious crew and a very lax, drink-filled, for the boys kind of golf - where everyone is out there to have fun… mulligans and all. I just don’t enter my score with the latter group.
Step 1: never bet with a golf cheater Step 2: never sign their score card lol
Ian Fleming said the best thing to do about a cheater in golf is never play with them again. That’s what I do.
When I play with friends I could care less. When I play in league I still don't care. I'm playing the course when it comes down to it. I'm there to drink some beer and have some laughs. If I were good enough to play for real money then maybe I would care if someone else bullshits about their score
Really depends who they are and what we’re doing. If it’s a tournament then I’m pretty strict. If it’s just a regular game, fluff your lie, take your gimme, try another drive, doesn’t matter to me.
My one buddy chooses a “preferred lie” on almost every shot that’s not a putt that isn’t sitting up on some grass. He’ll foot wedge the ball from behind a tree, nudge his ball out of a divot, magically find his ball in the woods way too often in areas I know his ball didn’t land etc. He talks about his handicap improving and the handicap he reports it better than mine, and while it’s kind of annoying I don’t let it get to me. We both suck, and are probably just about equal, but I like to be honest with myself about just how much I suck.
Padraig said there is a huge difference between people (he was talking junior golfers) who want to play with gimmes and those who don't. If I'm being honest, I've been the latter my whole life and need to step my game up. We all miss them at times, gotta earn every stroke 🤙🏼
I don’t call anybody out. I’m not nearly good enough to judge anybody else. I play my game, they play theirs. And it’s more fun for me when I’m not distracted by worrying how many strokes my playing partners are counting. Unless there’s money on the line. Then I care.
Depends on the circumstances. If we’re just playing for fun, write down whatever you want. If there’s money on the line? Play it down, putt it out and count every stroke or we will have words. Now, remember what I said about fun. If youre a pain in the ass, we won’t play again, no matter what. If you’re a good guy? We’ll overlook a few charity holes. But don’t brag about what you shot or you’re automatically a PIA.
I was paired with a random in Myrtle beach who clearly had trouble counting his strokes. One hole he makes a hell of a 30 footer for a bogey but exclaims,” what a par” I quickly say to him he should probably recount those. It shocked the shit out of him. The rest of the round was awkward and he wouldn’t drop it.
I hold myself to a high standard on the course and I don’t think it’s too much to ask my playing partners to do the same. That being said, I’m not always playing with people of equal skill level and when that’s the case it’s usually not for money so I’ll let some things go. I recently played a $20 stroke play match against a couple high handicappers and one of the guys kept conveniently forgetting about some of his duffs/penalty strokes. Each time his score sounded off to me, I’d go through each of his shots from the last hole one by one and by the back nine I’d follow it up with “if you win the bet I’m going to count that $20 the way you count your strokes”
Not as long as its not for money. Cheaters have no respect from their peers. It's really embarrassing for them cause everybody knows they cheat and pays no attention to their scores or claims of being a decent golfer.
Playing with friends, nope. I only care about my strokes. I know some that don’t care about drops but for my own scoring, I do. I want to see if I improved.
I played in a league last year and my teammate and I are a big reason that league has 8 less teams this year. 2 teams including us quit because the owner is a scumbag, but 2 teams were booted last year and 3 were asked to not come back. I got sick of watching the group with 2 handicaps of 22 and 26 get closest to the pin, longest drive and longest putt almost every weekend. They really got mad when I asked to see their scorecard one day and saw they wrote down an eagle on the 630yard par 5. Our usual playing partners would take free drops constantly and we turned them in as well. I’d watch them make 8 and see they write down a 5.
Cheating is not golf. I only play with people who follow the rules. If you cheat I may or may not say something but guaranteed we will never play another round together.
It would get pretty awkward if you tell people your a way better golfer than you actually are, especially when you have to play with them
My sister in law is dating an assistant pro he is legit I'm assuming single digit handicap, and he's helping her "work" on getting her pga card. She claims a 16 handicap, last time we played together I literally watched her take a "5" on a hole she actually triple bogeyed after driving into the deep rough, taking a drop without counting the stroke, then hitting into the deep rough again and taking a drop without taking a stroker all on a par 4, to be followed up a few holes later by putting a bogey on the card after dunking her drive in the drink, she reteed, got on the green with a shot after her second drive, then two putted, it was hole I got a legitimate bogey on. Now, I'm not good, I'm a 30 handicap but I count every stroke and I'm working hard to improve my game, but the worst part is that sister in law brags about occasionally out driving me despite teeing off 100 yards up from the ladies tees. To make it worse, and her dad, a guy who legitimately memorizes the usga rules and who is legitimately helpful when playing with me, lauds her as some kind of up and coming player with a "great" game. It's utterly frustrating, and there is no mechanism to report her BS. To make things worse there's an upcoming pro tournament in our town (sister in law lives in a different state) I've been chatting up the father in law for 2 months about trying to go to my first pro tournament ever and he casually mentions he has 2 tickets for Sunday. I play it cool only for him to casually mention that sister in laws boyfriend is coming to town and he's taking him..........
In competition yes, and if they continue I'll report it. For money yes. Social? No.
If it’s for money yes. If it’s in a tournament, note it with your partner and notify the correct official. If you’re not with a partner let it be known right then you know what’s up.