was i wrong?

[crtssxc]

I have a buddy who does this all the time, we have called him on it numerous times and he continues to do it. In any instances when he does it during a "competitive" match, I call him on it every time. In a friendly match, I let it slide cause I could care less what he scores as there are numerous rules that are broken on the way to his "score". It is unfortunate, but thats how he plays. What is funny is how he tries to justify it, even if he has been called on it 3 holes earlier ("I didnt realize I marked it in front" etc etc).

So I say the OP was in the right, call him on it. And I have never had an eagle, and if I got mine that way I wouldnt want it anyway.

[gxDD]

Sounds like the feeeeblest attempt to cheat that I've ever heard of.....The fact that he blamed you for missing both putts I think embodies his ethics and code of conduct on the course. You good man, so long as you two shook hands afterwards. I take golf extremely seriously, but in the end I'm still able to identify the fact that it is just a game.

[stage1350]

[quote name='JasonZ' date='06 July 2010 - 03:52 PM' timestamp='1278449538' post='2558104']
[quote name='stage1350' date='06 July 2010 - 03:35 PM' timestamp='1278444917' post='2557940']
[quote name='JasonZ' date='06 July 2010 - 01:28 PM' timestamp='1278440917' post='2557793']
...I would encourage people to live and let live and get off the high horse. It is far from healthy to question anything a person does, yet very healthy to question the morals and ethics of corporations and institutions.
[/quote]

Nice double standard. So it's okay to have an individual rape and kill your family because they aren't a corporation or institution? You either obey rules or you don't. It applies to all, not just the evil, greedy corporations.

Would any of you be defending the guy that can't make a putt or remember how he marked the ball if it was a money game? There's no difference if there's a wager on the line. The clown was about to break the rules and was called on it, just like ANY golfer is supposed to do to protect the field.

Then again, I guess the field would be an institution so they need to be questioned and not the individual golfer that can't follow the rules.
[/quote]

Double standard? I speak from experience and revenge gets you no where fast. I have witnessed brawls on greens at private clubs, one was so terrible the cops came and a good friend was put in the hospital. It was over a guy saying nice shot that he thought was lucky in a tournament. I lost a good friend that decided it was his right to get in between a husband and wife at a bar that were in a fist fight. My friend was walking to his car when he was shot in the head. I have witnessed several other people stick their nose where it didn't belong and it got them into trouble. Fighting companies that do harm with grass roots politics is fine with me, just don't get violent. If your daughter gets rapped, which I hope never happens, don't take revenge. Let the cops handle it. If someone hurts you or your family you have every right to feel like taking revenge, but that makes you no better then the criminal.

We derailed a thread about a guy stealing a putt, at the end of the day, that guy went home and had a nice sleep. I am sure the only one thinking about it is the OP. If someone is struggling, give him a putt, if he is really your friend and there is no money on the game let him pick up. Who cares? I would never want to be that guy and walk up to the official and be the rat, what goes around comes around.......
[/quote]

The only one derailing this thread with alternate scenarios and the corruption of corporations and institutions is you. Everyone else is simply backing up the OP's decision to call the guy on a rules infraction.

Before you say that he's sticking his nose into a situation, (where apparently he's going to get shot ) he was in the group with the guy putting. It's not like he was some wayward marshall or spectator phoning it in from their home.

Asking a person to mark has not an issue, nor was the fact that the putter didn't mark his put in the "normal" manner. He called him on it as soon as the guy made his mistake and the other player is the one that both overreacted and didn't have the concentration to sink the putt after correcting his error.

The fact that guy flipped out is not the fault of the OP, who was simply following the Rules of Golf and expected his playing partner to do the same. The fact that you want to cut the guy a break and not call him on the rules infraction or let him have the gimmie doesn't do him justice either. Play the game right, sink the damned putt, and card your eagle.

While I don't know this for a fact, I'm inclined to believe that had the playing partner followed the rules and sunk the putt, the OP probably would have been the first to congratulate the other player because he would have EARNED the eagle.

[prestiege]

thanks for the reply's everyone, i didnt wait till he set up to take the put or anything, as soon as he placed his ball and picked up his marker i told him about it. he knew he did it with the intention to cheat the put, it was only 3 weeks ago he told me if i ever play with with another buddy of ours to keep an eye on him cause he does it all the time and was complaining about him cheating.

i didnt wish for him to miss the put at all, i told him great drive when we seen the ball on the green, as we got closer, i told him really great drive, go get that eagle

if he never brought up this little cheat i probably wouldnt even of bothered but he was complaining about this same such trick and then tried to do it himself. i called him out on it cause i thought it wasnt fair to the rest of the group nor himself, we all had roughly 18 dollars on the line, it wasnt really for cash per say, the 3 guys had to pitch in and get the winner a carton of cigarettes. he also had a side bet with another buddy for 10.00 that i didnt know about until the round was over.

i though i did right by giving him the oportunity to correct his ball posistion. if i did it afterward, he would still complain and get upset and probably duff a few shots on the back 9. if he won the game and i said something at the end of the round, he would say its just an excuse not to pay.

it was a friendly game, they always are. we still shook hands afterwards and allready have T times for this weekend, its just now i dont know how much more he has cheated through out the rounds we played the past year and a half. i now know not to make any bets with him further on.

[Angman]

Actually when I first started playing i marked the ball in front. Not cause I was cheating but because I didn't know any better. I do now and always mark the ball properly now.

I do agree in that you should have said something when he marked it wrong to begin with. Waiting until he was ready to putt was kind of a porr attitude as you know it would throw his game off.

[harold baines]

[quote name='prestiege' date='06 July 2010 - 06:33 PM' timestamp='1278455618' post='2558283']
, we all had roughly 18 dollars on the line, it wasnt really for cash per say, the 3 guys had to pitch in and get the winner a carton of cigarettes.



[/quote]

what a great guy, he's trying to save you all from the health risks of smoking by cheating

[remlapr]

Cheating implies competition is taking place. If there was no competition taking place and it's not a round being used for official handicap purposes, how can there be cheating? Who or what is being cheated?


I mean how many of you have dropped a ball to re-hit a shot around the greens when playing by yourself then picked up the 2nd shot and played out the original bad shot. Did you give yourself a penalty? Of course you didn't.

[Bobbers]

I've taken a friend to the side and privately offered an "observation" about a rule I thought was being broken; my goal being to communicate, give them the benefit of the doubt, and prevent any embarrassment.

I've told a "buddy" that he'd perfected a brand of baby-faced corruption to the point that he was now eligible to run for office in Illinois.

Many times it's how you say it more than what you say. You get to call them how you see 'em, you don't have to call them in a way designed, in many cases, to knock someone for a loop. Karma's a nasty wench in my experience, the rest is just an opinion.

[mission_scratch]

As long as you called him out right as he replaced his ball, then you are okay. Assuming you didnt watch him do it, then watch him set up, take his normal practice strokes, then address the ball.. I think its okay to call him out.. but as long as you did in a manner that was not deemed to call him out just to call him out.

[MtlJeff]

i just don't get some people, i mean i get the points that you're making, but i wouldn't want to play with half the people on this thread. If it is a fun round, i don't care if my friend picks up the ball and drops it in the hole and claims eagle, i can roll my eyes and rib him a bit. But it's not worth fighting about. We all have our problems and i don't expect my friends to be perfect, on or off the golf course. If they want to use a foot wedge every now and then when there is nothing on the line, go right ahead...who does it hurt? It's a sport that you are playing for fun. If my friend calls a bogus foul on me in a 3 on 3 basketball game i don't accuse him of being symbolic of a lost generation that believes cheating is right. Usually i let it slide

[Pepperturbo]

[quote name='prestiege' date='06 July 2010 - 05:35 AM' timestamp='1278416142' post='2557076']
so i caught my buddy cheating on what would of been the easiest eagle chance he has ever had. he has not got an eagle yet. ijust cant see why he would even think of cheating on a 3 1/2 footer he's never done this for birdies when he hits it that close on a par 3.

it was a short par 4, like 256 yards, and he gets a good bounce and ends up 3 1/2 feet from the hole. i missed short of the green and my chip would of been near his ball so i asked him to mark his ball. this time he puts his marker in front of the ball, i never seen him do this before, he always marks beind the ball. the rest of the group puts out, its now his turn for a chance at an eagle. he now places his ball in front of the marker. he didnt take his putting stance yet so its not like i yelled out while he was putting but i asked him "are you sure you marked the ball right"

he gets all upset say why you trying to get into my head on my eagle put, i explained to him how he brought up this type of cheating and that he has to watch another buddy of ours all the time because he loves to do it, and now you just did it, on a damn 3 1/2 footer. if you need to cheat that bad than what ever and i just put my head down.

he misses the put the other side of the hole for now a 3 1/2 footer for birdie, he starts screaming at me why couldnt you wait till after the hole to say something. i simply said i was giving you a chance to correct your mistake so that you can call it a true eagle. he decides to put while i was saying this and now missed his birdie put and was even more furious.

his mental game is complete garbage and now he plays some pretty bad golf on the back 9.


was i wrong to call him out for cheating or should i of kept my mouth shut and said something after the hole. i just wanted him to correct himself but i guess the other 2 guys didnt see him do it so he try'd to play it off like i was the one lying. maybe he would of took the penalty after the hole played but he would still go prancing around that he got an eagle even with a 4 on the hole.
[/quote]

If your friend is anything like the people I know that have done that his error in judgment was tied to being nervous. I have seen that in inter-club team match play and a few friends have done it. One friend didn't even know he was doing it, and more then once in one game. Not once have I though anyone was purposely cheating however. Nerves got to them, it happens to people in various ways. Measure the guy by his character not one or two events. When I've seen it I've brought it to the persons attention before they are finished marking so it's not a problem later.

[Guest]

[quote name='MtlJeff' date='06 July 2010 - 07:38 PM' timestamp='1278463086' post='2558511']
i just don't get some people, i mean i get the points that you're making, but i wouldn't want to play with half the people on this thread. If it is a fun round, i don't care if my friend picks up the ball and drops it in the hole and claims eagle, i can roll my eyes and rib him a bit. But it's not worth fighting about. We all have our problems and i don't expect my friends to be perfect, on or off the golf course. If they want to use a foot wedge every now and then when there is nothing on the line, go right ahead...who does it hurt? It's a sport that you are playing for fun. If my friend calls a bogus foul on me in a 3 on 3 basketball game i don't accuse him of being symbolic of a lost generation that believes cheating is right. Usually i let it slide
[/quote]

You must be Western Canadian, not an up-tight French Canadian ... but you could play a round with me anytime[i].

[/i]I simply couldn't care less what somebody else does with [i]their [/i]scorecard. And quite frankly it's none of anybody elses business in a friendly game. If I start bragging about my score then I make it everybody elses business, or if we're in a tournament or playing for a pot, then of course it's their business and I should play by the rules. But just guys chasing the ball around for fun, I'll play my game however I want and will let you do the same.

In this case I personally find it somewhat shocking that you'd wait until your friend just got done hitting a lifetime shot, had his first ever legitimate Eagle at arms length in front of him, and then at that moment decide that your delicate sensibilities are more important than letting your buddy focus and drain the putt. Is him placing the ball 2 coins closer to the hole really worth the negative tone it apparently put on the rest of the match?

[Ghost_Orchid]

Funny story. If you're playing by the rules, they you're playing by the rules.

A friend I usually play with has not beaten me in over a year. We play by the rules. I've taken 2 strokes and distance for teeing from the wrong tees (white instead of blue), I was told after the infraction. I wasn't upset, guess what?, I've never take that penalty again.

A couple weeks ago, he finally beats me...but all the while, he kept saying 'I can't win today'. After the round, he tells me he started the round with a Titleist 3, on the final hole, he had a Titleist 2. Him and the other guy in our group (stranger) had inadvertently switched ball (they hit eachother's ball by accident, and never corrected for the whole round). I ended up buying drinks at the end of the round.

Karma is a b****. REAL MEN DON'T CHEAT!!! Ignorance of the rules is no excuse either, especially when someone points out your mistake.

[BuckyBadger]

It wasn't a casual round. They were playing for a carton of cigarettes for crying out loud! Cigarettes aren't cheap these days. The OP had to call him on it. Plus the cheater had ten bucks bet with somone else! All you guys would have done the same thing.

[MBA-J]

[quote name='harold baines' date='06 July 2010 - 06:41 PM' timestamp='1278456089' post='2558303']
[quote name='prestiege' date='06 July 2010 - 06:33 PM' timestamp='1278455618' post='2558283']
, we all had roughly 18 dollars on the line, it wasnt really for cash per say, the 3 guys had to pitch in and get the winner a carton of cigarettes.



[/quote]

what a great guy, he's trying to save you all from the health risks of smoking by cheating
[/quote]

WIN

[elunoputter]

[quote name='R_Scott7' date='06 July 2010 - 09:14 PM' timestamp='1278465249' post='2558602']
[quote name='MtlJeff' date='06 July 2010 - 07:38 PM' timestamp='1278463086' post='2558511']
i just don't get some people, i mean i get the points that you're making, but i wouldn't want to play with half the people on this thread. If it is a fun round, i don't care if my friend picks up the ball and drops it in the hole and claims eagle, i can roll my eyes and rib him a bit. But it's not worth fighting about. We all have our problems and i don't expect my friends to be perfect, on or off the golf course. If they want to use a foot wedge every now and then when there is nothing on the line, go right ahead...who does it hurt? It's a sport that you are playing for fun. If my friend calls a bogus foul on me in a 3 on 3 basketball game i don't accuse him of being symbolic of a lost generation that believes cheating is right. Usually i let it slide
[/quote]

You must be Western Canadian, not an up-tight French Canadian ... but you could play a round with me anytime[i].

[/i]I simply couldn't care less what somebody else does with [i]their [/i]scorecard. And quite frankly it's none of anybody elses business in a friendly game. If I start bragging about my score then I make it everybody elses business, or if we're in a tournament or playing for a pot, then of course it's their business and I should play by the rules. But just guys chasing the ball around for fun, I'll play my game however I want and will let you do the same.

In this case I personally find it somewhat shocking that you'd wait until your friend just got done hitting a lifetime shot, had his first ever legitimate Eagle at arms length in front of him, and then at that moment decide that your delicate sensibilities are more important than letting your buddy focus and drain the putt. Is him placing the ball 2 coins closer to the hole really worth the negative tone it apparently put on the rest of the match?
[/quote]


there are two things you would have to know to judge....is this just a game between two guys for laughs or are you going to be posting this score later? if it is the latter, you have a duty to every other member of that club to make sure it is a real score.....if it is just goofing around, let it go but tell him afterwards 'you know if that was a tournament, that would have been a penalty'.

i have a guy who always hits the sand on his backswing but he doesn't get out anyway...I did tell him once that he was doing that for his own education.

[8602081]

He didn't bend the rules, he flat out cheated.
I don't think anyone would be happy to know that they got an eagle by cheating.

I thought golf builds integrity, honesty, etc..
I think the OP did the right thing by letting him know before he putted.
They can bend the rule about the penalty of marking front of the ball, if it was a friendly game. I don't think most will be satisfied with that eagle, knowing that you cheated to get it.

[golfing7861]

, we all had roughly 18 dollars on the line, it wasnt really for cash per say, the 3 guys had to pitch in and get the winner a carton of cigarettes.

 

 

 

 

what a great guy, he's trying to save you all from the health risks of smoking by cheating :drinks:

 

HAHA!!! Great comment, he was just trying to help yall out in the end!

[Tylanthus]

I think you're in the wrong unless this is a competitive match/event. Since you were playing for something, I'd say it's fair game. I'd have jumped in when he marked it "differently" personally.

One of the great things about golf is that it is on you as the player to be honorable. If I'm just playing a casual round with some friends, I don't say anything at all. It's on their conscious and none of my business.

[RJRJRJ]

Okay, so you tell him before he hits it and he gets mad. If you wait and tell him after the hole or match that his eagle was no good, he gets mad because you should have told him before he did it..."It was only a 2" difference and I would have made it anyway...why didnt you tell me??" Damned if you do, damned if you dont.

Nevertheless, I think you did it the right way. Its not like it was some stranger that you just got paired up with.

[playmuch]

It was totally wrong of him to mark the ball wrong, but i would not have cared. Different story if it was the club championship. I just make sure i have fun playing golf. I really dont care what other players shoot or score.

[DieHard519]

[quote name='BuckyBadger' date='06 July 2010 - 09:31 PM' timestamp='1278466293' post='2558642']
It wasn't a casual round. They were playing for a carton of cigarettes for crying out loud! Cigarettes aren't cheap these days. The OP had to call him on it. Plus the cheater had ten bucks bet with somone else! All you guys would have done the same thing.
[/quote]

Exactly! I don't know what your relationships are like with all of your friends, but I know that if I call my friend out, it might make him a little upset, but I'm not going to lose him over that. Some of you people are making it sound like, either, your friend will fight you, he'll hate you forever, or he didn't deserve what was said. To all of you who are saying that............are you serious? I don't know about you, but when my friends cheat, I'll call them straight out and say somehting like, "are you f*cking serious? you cheating son of a b!tch. Why don't you try marking your ball the way you always do, and not cheat yourself for that fake eagle!??"

Sorry, but that's what I'd say. I'm not sugar coating anything for my friend of 12 years. He can deal with it.

[quote name='RJRJRJ' date='07 July 2010 - 01:08 AM' timestamp='1278479323' post='2559082']
Okay, so you tell him before he hits it and he gets mad. If you wait and tell him after the hole or match that his eagle was no good, he gets mad because you should have told him before he did it..."It was only a 2" difference and I would have made it anyway...why didnt you tell me??" Damned if you do, damned if you dont.

Nevertheless, I think you did it the right way. Its not like it was some stranger that you just got paired up with.
[/quote]

Well said. He wasn't a stranger, he was his buddy.

[larrybud]

It must be because of the way my buddies and I play golf, but the way you handled it sounded like you were doing him a favor, kinda like reminding someone to move their ball mark back to it's original position. If someone does that by accident, they should be GRATEFUL that you reminded them about the bad mark job.

But clearly the situation escalated because the guy was purposely cheating, and got caught.

[Sawgrass]

I'm fascinated and impressed that some people continue to define people who intentionally cheat them at a game a "friend."

If that's a friend, I don't need one. Hell, even strangers are frequently nicer to me than that.

[sekrah]

[quote name='R_Scott7' date='06 July 2010 - 09:33 AM' timestamp='1278426805' post='2557272']

high fives all around, and then talk about it more over beers back at the clubhouse. Instead you took a dump on the whole day. Sorry to be harsh, but in a casual game if somebody did that to me I'd tell you where to go ... I'll score my card however I want, you just worry about your own.

[/quote]


Score your card however you want but I don't want to hear a single f'in word about it back in the clubhouse about how great you shot.

[stoic]

I couldn't be friends with someone who'd think to mention this. Let alone to a buddy (who's obviously not that good if he's about to make his first eagle) in a friendly round. In all likelihood, the rest of the people in the types of groups i golf with would give [i]you [/i]$h/t about being a squirrelly rule runt and screwing up the crummy guy's first shot at an eagle. Golf your own game and get good enough to where you don't need to take pleasure in your friends' failures.

[stoic]

[quote name='teamyonex' date='06 July 2010 - 12:10 PM' timestamp='1278432652' post='2557484']
This is a great example of the two sides to golf: playing by the rules and not playing by the rules. It astounds me when I see people get upset for being notified of a rules violation. The anger comes from embarrassment and pride. So the offender redirects their emotions on the messanger. Mis-marking on a 3.5 footer... come on, that's as bad as if he would have seen it lippng out and jabbed it in the hole like people do on gimmes.

Too bad you had to be the messanger.
[/quote]

Heere's a party guy. Can we please golf a round together so I can watch you plumb bob and line up putts from 4 angles?

[HeadonaStick]

[quote name='varsityhacker' date='06 July 2010 - 12:07 PM' timestamp='1278432476' post='2557473']
[quote name='bryanr' date='06 July 2010 - 11:55 AM' timestamp='1278431741' post='2557439']
[quote name='prestiege' date='06 July 2010 - 07:35 AM' timestamp='1278416142' post='2557076']
so i caught my buddy cheating on what would of been the easiest eagle chance he has ever had. he has not got an eagle yet. ijust cant see why he would even think of cheating on a 3 1/2 footer he's never done this for birdies when he hits it that close on a par 3.

it was a short par 4, like 256 yards, and he gets a good bounce and ends up 3 1/2 feet from the hole. i missed short of the green and my chip would of been near his ball so i asked him to mark his ball. this time he puts his marker in front of the ball, i never seen him do this before, he always marks beind the ball. the rest of the group puts out, its now his turn for a chance at an eagle. he now places his ball in front of the marker. [b]he didnt take his putting stance yet so its not like i yelled out while he was putting but i asked him "are you sure you marked the ball right" [/b]

he gets all upset say why you trying to get into my head on my eagle put, i explained to him how he brought up this type of cheating and that he has to watch another buddy of ours all the time because he loves to do it, and now you just did it, on a damn 3 1/2 footer. if you need to cheat that bad than what ever and i just put my head down.

he misses the put the other side of the hole for now a 3 1/2 footer for birdie, he starts screaming at me why couldnt you wait till after the hole to say something. i simply said i was giving you a chance to correct your mistake so that you can call it a true eagle. he decides to put while i was saying this and now missed his birdie put and was even more furious.

his mental game is complete garbage and now he plays some pretty bad golf on the back 9.


was i wrong to call him out for cheating or should i of kept my mouth shut and said something after the hole. i just wanted him to correct himself but i guess the other 2 guys didnt see him do it so he try'd to play it off like i was the one lying. maybe he would of took the penalty after the hole played but he would still go prancing around that he got an eagle even with a 4 on the hole.
[/quote]

[quote name='varsityhacker' date='06 July 2010 - 11:50 AM' timestamp='1278431449' post='2557430']
I don't have sympathy for the guy that marked his ball closer to the hole, but at the same time [b]I think the OP is not much of a friend for not pointing out the rules violation as it happened and allowed the friend to correct his mistake and still keep the integrity of the game by following the rules. [/b]
[b]
I think if the OP had said to his friend[/b][b] "hey you just marked the ball the wrong way and that is a 2 stroke penalty don't want to see you get a par". Then his friend would have a chance to save face and at the same time know that cheating or bending the rules is not going to fly when playing with the OP. [/b]

Most people don't know the rules of golf anyway, I see people all the time break a rule and not count the penalty. I am willing to bet if we had a rules of golf test posted on here that less then half of the people taking it would pass. The USGA has a class on the rules of golf and lot of people fail taking the test at the end.

Golf with your buddies should be fun in the end, it sounds like both the OP and his friend didn't have much fun after that hole.
[/quote]

Isn't that just what the OP did?
[/quote]

[b]so i asked him to mark his ball. this time he puts his marker in front of the ball[/b], i never seen him do this before, he always marks beind the ball. [b]the rest of the group puts out, its now his turn for a chance at an eagle[/b]. he now places his ball in front of the marker

When the ball was marked before everyone putted out he should have said something IMOP.
[/quote]
What should he have said? His friend hadn't done anything but mark his ball legally at that point.

[quote name='JasonZ' date='06 July 2010 - 12:24 PM' timestamp='1278433451' post='2557512']
[quote name='bryanr' date='06 July 2010 - 12:16 PM' timestamp='1278432976' post='2557492']
[quote name='JasonZ' date='06 July 2010 - 12:10 PM' timestamp='1278432615' post='2557479']
talk about sour grapes, who cares? I would have let him rake it, but that's me. If he is really a friend, then friends don't let friends three putt.

If it was for 50 bucks or 50K, then I would have contested the mark and asked him after the putt with a witness that saw the same thing. To do so before the putt is poor gamesmenship.
[/quote]

To do so [b]after[/b] the putt is poor form ([url="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamesmanship"]gamesmanship[/url] is slightly different) as it does not allow for the player to correct a potentially honest mistake and is simply a call for a penalty stroke.
[/quote]

But no one cares? I just wouldn't play with him again. I see guys rake 5 footers while I putt out 2 footers. Obviously, the eagle meant something to him, so let him have it. No such thing as an honest mistake, everything is done with intent.
[/quote]
I guess the question is: is it an eagle if you cheated to get it?

By the way, it is considered a courtesy to inform you partner if he mismarks his ball before he commits the error. I see pros do it all the time.

[JasonZ]

[quote name='HeadonaStick' date='08 July 2010 - 01:30 AM' timestamp='1278567056' post='2561945']
[quote name='varsityhacker' date='06 July 2010 - 12:07 PM' timestamp='1278432476' post='2557473']
[quote name='bryanr' date='06 July 2010 - 11:55 AM' timestamp='1278431741' post='2557439']
[quote name='prestiege' date='06 July 2010 - 07:35 AM' timestamp='1278416142' post='2557076']
so i caught my buddy cheating on what would of been the easiest eagle chance he has ever had. he has not got an eagle yet. ijust cant see why he would even think of cheating on a 3 1/2 footer he's never done this for birdies when he hits it that close on a par 3.

it was a short par 4, like 256 yards, and he gets a good bounce and ends up 3 1/2 feet from the hole. i missed short of the green and my chip would of been near his ball so i asked him to mark his ball. this time he puts his marker in front of the ball, i never seen him do this before, he always marks beind the ball. the rest of the group puts out, its now his turn for a chance at an eagle. he now places his ball in front of the marker. [b]he didnt take his putting stance yet so its not like i yelled out while he was putting but i asked him "are you sure you marked the ball right" [/b]

he gets all upset say why you trying to get into my head on my eagle put, i explained to him how he brought up this type of cheating and that he has to watch another buddy of ours all the time because he loves to do it, and now you just did it, on a damn 3 1/2 footer. if you need to cheat that bad than what ever and i just put my head down.

he misses the put the other side of the hole for now a 3 1/2 footer for birdie, he starts screaming at me why couldnt you wait till after the hole to say something. i simply said i was giving you a chance to correct your mistake so that you can call it a true eagle. he decides to put while i was saying this and now missed his birdie put and was even more furious.

his mental game is complete garbage and now he plays some pretty bad golf on the back 9.


was i wrong to call him out for cheating or should i of kept my mouth shut and said something after the hole. i just wanted him to correct himself but i guess the other 2 guys didnt see him do it so he try'd to play it off like i was the one lying. maybe he would of took the penalty after the hole played but he would still go prancing around that he got an eagle even with a 4 on the hole.
[/quote]

[quote name='varsityhacker' date='06 July 2010 - 11:50 AM' timestamp='1278431449' post='2557430']
I don't have sympathy for the guy that marked his ball closer to the hole, but at the same time [b]I think the OP is not much of a friend for not pointing out the rules violation as it happened and allowed the friend to correct his mistake and still keep the integrity of the game by following the rules. [/b]
[b]
I think if the OP had said to his friend[/b][b] "hey you just marked the ball the wrong way and that is a 2 stroke penalty don't want to see you get a par". Then his friend would have a chance to save face and at the same time know that cheating or bending the rules is not going to fly when playing with the OP. [/b]

Most people don't know the rules of golf anyway, I see people all the time break a rule and not count the penalty. I am willing to bet if we had a rules of golf test posted on here that less then half of the people taking it would pass. The USGA has a class on the rules of golf and lot of people fail taking the test at the end.

Golf with your buddies should be fun in the end, it sounds like both the OP and his friend didn't have much fun after that hole.
[/quote]

Isn't that just what the OP did?
[/quote]

[b]so i asked him to mark his ball. this time he puts his marker in front of the ball[/b], i never seen him do this before, he always marks beind the ball. [b]the rest of the group puts out, its now his turn for a chance at an eagle[/b]. he now places his ball in front of the marker

When the ball was marked before everyone putted out he should have said something IMOP.
[/quote]
What should he have said? His friend hadn't done anything but mark his ball legally at that point.

[quote name='JasonZ' date='06 July 2010 - 12:24 PM' timestamp='1278433451' post='2557512']
[quote name='bryanr' date='06 July 2010 - 12:16 PM' timestamp='1278432976' post='2557492']
[quote name='JasonZ' date='06 July 2010 - 12:10 PM' timestamp='1278432615' post='2557479']
talk about sour grapes, who cares? I would have let him rake it, but that's me. If he is really a friend, then friends don't let friends three putt.

If it was for 50 bucks or 50K, then I would have contested the mark and asked him after the putt with a witness that saw the same thing. To do so before the putt is poor gamesmenship.
[/quote]

To do so [b]after[/b] the putt is poor form ([url="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamesmanship"]gamesmanship[/url] is slightly different) as it does not allow for the player to correct a potentially honest mistake and is simply a call for a penalty stroke.
[/quote]

But no one cares? I just wouldn't play with him again. I see guys rake 5 footers while I putt out 2 footers. Obviously, the eagle meant something to him, so let him have it. No such thing as an honest mistake, everything is done with intent.
[/quote]
I guess the question is: is it an eagle if you cheated to get it?

By the way, it is considered a courtesy to inform you partner if he mismarks his ball before he commits the error. I see pros do it all the time.
[/quote]

It amazes me how many people play this game and still don't understand the rules. You can mark your ball in front of the ball!

[HeadonaStick]

[quote name='JasonZ' date='08 July 2010 - 10:13 AM' timestamp='1278598414' post='2562373']

It amazes me how many people play this game and still don't understand the rules. You can mark your ball in front of the ball!
[/quote]
It amazes me that people can't read - read my replay to paragraph one, I never, ever said it was an issue to mark the ball in front, but when you mark in front and then place your ball in front of the mark you have mismarked your ball. It is courteous to inform your playing partner of his/her error before he/she plays the ball and earns a penalty.