Cheaters never win.....or do they?
Posted January 5, 2007 ▪ By Jay Slazinski ▪ Minor League Golf Tour

We have all seen it.  In the USGA Rules of Golf, on a Notice to Competitors, in the policy handbook of the tour we are playing on.  It is a clear statement of how all participants in a competition need to act in order for golf to work.  In fact here it is again.  Please read it.  Sometime I wonder how many players actually have ever read it carefully and thoughtfully. Golf, for the most part, is played without supervision of an umpire or referee.  It is each players responsibility to abide by and enforce the rules to protect the integrity of the game and of the competition......

SCORING All too often a competitor who is not playing up to their expectations is so distracted by their play that they lose sight of their responsibility to the rest of the field.  After each hole is completed, the marker should write down the score of the player they are marking for.  Nothing upsets me more than a player who is sitting in the cart frantically filling in scores before they head to the scoring area.  It is perfectly acceptable (even encouraged) to keep track of all the scores of competitors in your group.  This can be very helpful if a dispute does arise.  Personally I think that most scoring errors occur due to apathy, but it is not an excuse.  If you sign a scorecard for less strokes than you actually took and no one in your group noticed, you did not get away with it.  You and your unconcerned marker undermined the integrity of the competition and possibly affected the overall outcome of the event.  A nonchalant attitude in the signing and returning of scorecards is disrespectful to the other players, the tournament committee and could be considered conduct unbecoming a professional.
RULES ENFORCEMENT The majority of golf tournaments are played without TV cameras and spectators.  In fact, the only people to see the golf during most mini-tour events are the competitors.  During the last 20 months or so professional golf has had some interesting rules enforcement controversy.  Paula Cramer challenged Annika Sorenstam on her drop location after she hit her ball into a lateral hazard, Colin Montgomerie donated his winnings after a questionable drop was chronicled by the television cameras and Michelle Wie was disqualified for a drop made a day earlier that was determined to be about a foot closer to the hole.  You need to make sure that your playing partners play by the rules.  Watch their shots, participate in searching for a lost ball, and SPEAK UP.  If you see a potential infraction or have an issue with how they are proceeding, SPEAK UP.  Give them the opportunity to correctly play within the rules of golf and post a score.  Do not call them on it a few holes later, after the round, or the next day when they can no longer act in response to your concern.  Remember when in doubt, SPEAK UP.
ALLEGATIONS, ACCUSATIONS AND HEARSAY It can be damaging to a player's reputation when they are accused of a rules violation.  In his bio on the free internet encyclopedia Wikipedia, Vijay Singh still has mention made to allegations he doctored his scorecard more than twenty years ago.  When a player is accused of a rules violation the committee should investigate to the best of its ability to obtain the facts.  Based upon the findings, the committee should act in good faith to protect the integrity of the event and ensure the enforcement of the USGA rules of golf.

So pay attention!  Make sure you mark your competitors scorecard correctly and don't be shy about reminding your fellow competitors to do so also.  One shot makes a big difference in the final payout of an event.  If we all work together we can make sure cheaters never win!