# Why Golfers Cheat > Golfers cheat by manipulating handicaps and scores, sparking global outrage over fairness in the sport. - Title: Why Golfers Cheat · Nationalclubgolfer | Shortify - Summary: Golfers cheat by manipulating handicaps and scores, sparking global outrage over fairness in the sport. - Keywords: golf, handicap, cheating, rules, amateur, nationally, social media, integrity, sports, Golfers, Cheat, Nationalclubgolfer - Source: Nationalclubgolfer — https://nationalclubgolfer.com/rules/why-do-people-cheat-at-golf - Author: Steve Carroll - Published: 2026-09-29T16:04:40+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: golf, handicap, cheating, rules, amateur, nationally, social media, integrity, sports ## What is a cheat? A cheat is a charlatan, con artist, crook, rogue, swindler, trickster who deceives and defrauds. > They’re a charlatan, a con artist, a crook. A rogue, a swindler, and a trickster. They deceive and defraud. ## Cheating in golf Cheating is easier in golf due to wide-open spaces and self-governance ethos. > It’s probably easier to cheat in our beloved game than many others, because of the wide-open spaces on which it’s played and its ethos of self-governance. ## Craig Surgeon banned Craig Surgeon was banned from Lothians Golf Association after dropping a ball on the final hole of his second round at the Lothians Amateur Championship. > Craig Surgeon was banned from Lothians Golf Association competitions after it’s understood he dropped a ball on the final hole of his second round at the Lothians Amateur Championship, played at Turnhouse in July. ## Surgeon admitted Surgeon admitted he dropped a ball claiming it was a provisional he’d hit off the tee but was disqualified himself. > It was me,” he said on X shortly afterwards. “I DQ myself and I have owned up and am facing the consequences. ## Five-year sanction Surgeon received a five-year sanction with three suspended, replicated by his club with disciplinary process underway. > After an investigation, Surgeon was handed a five-year sanction this month, three of which were suspended, and the ban was also replicated by his club, with a disciplinary process under way. ## Zach Holland incident Zach Holland staged a hole-in-one by hitting first at par 3 4th tee after claiming a phone call. > In August, Zach Holland admitted to staging a hole-in-one during a competition at WingHaven Country Club, in Missouri. ## Cricket cheating Cricket had alleged antics like 'Clicky Ponting' clicking fingers to convince umpires a batsman had nicked an edge. > It’s not just in golf where there has been a furore this year. Cricket was gripped by the alleged antics of ‘Clicky Ponting’, a fielder accused of clicking his fingers to convince umpires a batsman had nicked an edge. ## NCG survey results Over 16% of respondents said there were a few known cheats at their club with proof, six percent knew many who deliberately cheat. > More than 16% of people who replied said there were a “few known cheats at my club and we have proved it”, while a further six per cent revealed they knew lots of people who deliberately cheat. ## Cheating prevalence Nearly 40% of respondents said there were known cheats at their club but could not prove it. > More worryingly, nearly 40% of respondents said there were known cheats at their club but they had not been able to prove it yet. ## Why golfers cheat Golfers cheat due to task- or ego-oriented approaches, machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and justification of actions. > Professor Adam Nicholls identified three particular traits in people that were associated with their propensity to cheat: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy. ## Cheating justification Cheaters justify actions by saying no one gets hurt or everyone else does it. > Some people are much better at disengaging from their morals and uncoupling from their normal standards of right and wrong. They justify it by saying, ‘No one’s getting hurt if I miss’, or ‘Everyone else does it’. ## Rule-breaking tolerance Some rule-breaking is tolerated in sports, like diving for penalties in football or edging without walking in cricket. > We’ll kick up a fuss if a footballer dives and a penalty is awarded against our team but secretly applaud a player for being ‘crafty’ if the decision goes our way. ## Handicap cheating Manipulating handicaps and scores is a breach of the Rules of Handicapping but some argue it’s not cheating. > Manipulating handicaps? Getting people you haven’t played with to attest general play scores you want to record? Being selective about what scores you submit? These are all breaches of the Rules of Handicapping, but I’ve had stand-up arguments with people who will swear this isn’t cheating. ## R&A stance The R&A considers golfers who don’t play by the WHS rules as cheats and launched an awareness campaign. > The R&A had launched an awareness campaign for the World Handicap System which, rather bluntly, stated that golfers who didn’t play by the WHS rules were cheats. ## Social media impact Social media spreads cheating incidents globally, causing public outrage and virtual consequences. > With every golf club, and every person in fact, having the ability to self-publish thanks to social media, we’ve seen that a club incident can go global very quickly. ## Key takeaway Golfers cheat by manipulating handicaps and scores, sparking global outrage over fairness in the sport.