How to deal with a golfer who cheats

‘What should I do when a golfer I’m playing with – tells me their score for a hole that is lower than I think they actually had?’

It was a good question, as a lot of golfers are really not sure how to deal with this sort of problem – which is understandable as it is a tough thing to deal with.

Luckily, doesn’t seem to happen too often, as in general, golfers are a fairly upstanding bunch of humans but it does happen that the odd golfer out there.

Wants to put a score down that is lower than they actually had.

Which for a lot of golfers, can actually be hard to detect – as we are usually busy trying to focus on our game and not spending the entire game watching each of the other golfers play – counting each of their shots.

If we were doing that, we might as well just stay at home and watch golf on television!

When we consider it like that, maybe more of it goes on than we think but we are so busy playing that we are not aware.

In my 30 years of playing golf, I’m glad to say I haven’t come across too many golfers who try and cheat with their score.

However, in each of the times that I have, I’ve drawn upon an experience I had as a young golfer playing with three adults.

One of whom was a newer golfer, who it turned out part way through the round – wasn’t reporting all his shots played on each hole to the very experienced golfer marking his scorecard.

It all came to a head on the 8th tee.

‘What did you have on that last hole?’

‘A six.’

‘Really, I saw you have at least three shots in the trees after you found your drive, you then got your fifth shot onto the green and three putted.’

‘Unless I’m mistaken that’s an eight!’

‘Oh yes, that’s right – I forgot about those other ones in the trees’

Imagine an uncomfortable silence here.

‘Were you watching me hit every shot?’

‘Yes, I have been since the 4th hole when you said you had a five but I was pretty sure you had more’

At that point the cheating golfer went very silent.

Knowing he had been caught, he then played the next couple of holes, only to rapidly depart the course after the ninth hole.

Once he had left, the experienced golfer looked at me and said.

‘There’s no room in golf for cheats – if you come across one – watch them, count their shots and then call them on it as soon as possible’

I’ve done it a couple of times over the years and it’s exactly what you need to do – if you come across a golfer that is telling you they had a lower score than you think they had.

Firstly though, watch them for the next few holes, as maybe they did just plain forget – it happens occasionally.

The cheating golfer though, will likely do it more than once a game.

So if they do it again – ask them on the next tee – what they had?

And go through each shot they had on the hole if you have to, as eventually, the cheating will come out.

I’m aware that it is going to take a lot of courage for some of you to do that.

As the cheating golfer may well be more experienced, older than you or possibly even another nationality but at the end of the day – one of the fundamental principles of golf as I covered in the post ‘What was your score?’

Is that each time you play golf – you count all your shots and if it’s a bad day – it’s just a bad day.

There’s no need to cheat, as golf is just a game after all.

So draw on my past experiences if it happens to you on the golf course and call them on it every time you see a golfer who cheats.

Which hopefully isn’t very often.

Play well

Related Articles by Ian Hardie

How to deal with a golfer who cheats – part two

How to deal with a golfer who cheats – part three

How to deal with a golfer who cheats – part four

How to deal with a slow golfer

How to deal with an annoying golfer