What Should You Do If You Know Someone Has Cheated At Golf?

Golf is a sport that demands player integrity. And, in the main, honesty runs through the heart of the sport. Bobby Jones once said he might as well be praised for “not robbing a bank,” when he was applauded for calling a penalty on himself when his ball moved slightly in the rough.

There are so many instances within golf when a player must be honest with themselves about what has happened.

Did you nudge that ball and cause it to move? Did you ground the club in that bunker? Are you dropping at the nearest point of complete relief, rather than the “nicest” point of complete relief?

It’s up to you as a golfer to understand the Rules and to play by them. But, when playing in competition, you also have a duty to the rest of the field to keep an eye on your playing partners and make sure they are also playing by the Rules.

Often, the Rules can be complicated, and misunderstandings can easily take place. You might see a playing partner taking an incorrect drop or looking to claim relief from a situation where no relief is available.

It’s your responsibility to help make sure that playing partners get it right and don’t unknowingly or unintentionally break The Rules. Other players should always be appreciative if they’re kept on the right track and prevented from breaking the Rules.

Not only will you save them a potential penalty, but you will also have given them guidance so they don’t make future mistakes.

If you’re too late and you see someone playing on after breaking the Rules in a way that is obviously not wilful. Say they have taken a two-club length drop when they should have taken only one for instance. Again, it’s your responsibility to protect the rest of the field and to let them know and make sure any resultant penalties are applied.

It might be tricky to do but most people will not want to have “cheated” and would rather accept a penalty than put in a score that is lower than it ought to have been. Again, they will not make the same mistake again in future when the correct Rule is pointed out to them.

(Image credit: Kevin Murray)

Wilfully cheating

But what if you see someone wilfully cheating? What if you spy them moving a ball out from behind a tree, or playing a ball that clearly isn’t their’s? What if they pretend they…