Do you cheat?

Have you ever cheated average golfer? Rolled the bastard over? Kicked it? Propped it up on a tuft for a lie that's better than on a tee? OK, so have I. Why do we do it? We all know the rules of golf or can find them easily. Forget U.S.G.A. rules, the biggest cheater in your foursome is usually a rules expert. Just ask them.

At the course I belong to we play winter rules. We play winter rules in the summer when it's 85 deg. and the fairways are lush. The golfers at my course and so conditioned to winter rules that they probably wouldn't play without them. What possesses someone to cheat for a $5 Nassau and dollar skins? Seriously, I'm curious, help me out here. Cheating has kept me out of many tournaments. These are 4 person scramble tournaments with cash prizes in the thousands. You know the ones. I live in a relatively small area and know a lot of golfers. As a result I can see the pairings for these tournaments, look at the players, and can almost guarantee the top three finishers. One popular member at our club unabashedly announces in mid season that it's time to inflate his handicap and prepare to win cash. Golfers are taking numbers to have him on their team.

I'd love some feedback on how you feel about cheating. I can't get it from very many golfers I know because the subject seems to be taboo. What does that tell you? So, have you cheated, do you cheat now, and do you plan on cheating? What's the most creative way to cheat you've seen? If everyone in the foursome cheats, is that still cheating for you? Do you have a legit handicap? What's the difference between your actual handicap and what you tell people? Forget the PGA Tour. They virtually can't physically cheat, PEDs aside. I want to know if cheating at golf is as ingrained into the fabric of the average golfer as I think it is. Prove me wrong.

Til next, Bobbio