Lost Club Championship 22 holes. Should I have called penalty?

[SamuelAdamsLager]

Championship Flight today. 16 began. Its down to me the #1 seed vs #2 seed. We are friends. 3rd playoff hole he has a 4 footer to win the Club Championship. He pulls it and has a 14" putt and he backhands it and misses then we look at eachother. I said, "It was good".. Would everyone do this or would you take the championship?

[SamuelAdamsLager]

BTw, i didn't mean penalty. I just meant do i call it a missed putt.. Just curious if there are any sticklers are there. I dind't even have time to say its good he walked to the hole and back handed it. The ball barely stopped

[Clarkmeister]

If it was good, he should've made it then.

[ntnBO]

Were you playing match play or stroke play today? If you were playing match play, I see no reason if you thought the putt was clearly good to cause a stink. However if the format was stroke play, you cannot give him the putt and you are the champion without question.

BO

[knicknut]

It's his fault for hitting it before you gave it to him. Unless assumed gimmies are common practice between you two, I don't feel you are obligated to bail him out.

And why would someone be so careless in sudden death for the club championship???

[shemp]

[ QUOTE ]
Were you playing match play or stroke play today? If you were playing match play, I see no reason if you thought the putt was clearly good to cause a stink. However if the format was stroke play, you cannot give him the putt and you are the champion without question.

BO

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the right answer. If it was medal play, you don't have a choice. If it was match play, and you would've given him the put, then no reason to be a nit.

[guids]

how common is it to give putts for anyone above the level of twice a year beer drinking players?

[shemp]

In recreational play, putts may be given for a lot of reasons:

1) to speed up play and reduce foot traffic in lines,
2) guys don't like to watch their playing partners miss,
3) guys don't want their playing partners to gain confidence from seeing a putt fall,
4) guy hopes if he gives you one here then you won't make him putt something there,
etc.

I think it's a little more common with weak players, but it is still out there with very good players.

In medal play, it is not allowed. In match play, there are a lot of things in the mix.

[jwg152]

[ QUOTE ]
how common is it to give putts for anyone above the level of twice a year beer drinking players?

[/ QUOTE ]

Universal. Even guys playing in the finals of the U.S. Amateur will routinely concede putts to each other...

In this case, the OP did the right thing here. His opponent did not. A player can never assume that a putt will be conceded. Period.

[fatshaft]

[ QUOTE ]
how common is it to give putts for anyone above the level of twice a year beer drinking players?

[/ QUOTE ]It's matchplay guids, it's standard.