Linda,
I play occasionally with a fellow who marks his ball with a
large poker chip. He slides the chip under his ball gaining 1 to 2 inches.
When it is his turn to putt, he then places his ball 1 to 3 inches in front
of the chip. He gains 2-5 inches with this “technique.”
Others have witnessed this. He is clever and doesn’t always
do this. He chooses his opportunities carefully.
How might I confront this practice?
Lou from Snellville, Georgia
Dear Lou,
I am going to assume that either this player is a friend or
you cannot avoid playing with him. Otherwise, my recommendation would be to
avoid him on the golf course.
This player is a cheater. Since he doesn’t do it every time,
it would seem he clearly knows what he’s doing. You can warn him about it prior
to your next round, or you can wait until it happens again. In either case, you
need to explain that he is not replacing the ball on the correct spot on the
green. If he fails to correct the error before he hits the ball, he is playing
from a wrong place and incurs a two-stroke penalty.
Take the high road and point out the error before he hits
the ball. Try to make it sound like you are saving him from two penalty
strokes, rather than accusing him of cheating. Perhaps he will stop the
practice when he realizes he is being watched.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
