There are currently 8 responses to “A Game of Integrity”

1. 1

   Hacker2 said:

   Well said! However, there are some golfers that forget about this as one of the most imprtant parts of the game. It is the golfers who take 18 MULLIGANS

   Posted on November 21st, 2008 at 9:56 am

2. 2

   TP Golf Online said:

   I also read a comment on this story at the pga tours website. I can’t remember who made the statement about other sports like baseball or football “…if you aren’t cheating you aren’t trying…”.

   Imagine being in J.P.’s shoes when he realized he was playing with a prototype golf ball then knowing the consquences of playing with non-conforming equipment with resulted in signing an incorrect scorecard. Knowing that he was the only person who realized that the error would you made the same decsion as J.P.?

   Posted on November 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 am

3. 3

   Double Eagle said:

   I hope that I would, TP. It’s tough to understand the amount of temptation involved with so much on the line, but I believe it’s a mistake I would regret for the rest of my life. We’re only human, though and I suppose it’s understandable that there are a handful of stories about cheating over the years.

   Posted on November 22nd, 2008 at 2:57 am

4. 4

   David Young said:

   Actually your account is not quite accurate. He realised that the prototype ball was not the same as the ball he started with - but that’s only a 2 stroke penalty, not disqualification. That night he wondered if the ball was on the USGA approved list, a quite different problem - which of course it wasn’t. Using a non-approved ball gets you disqualfied.
   It’s very refreshing that golf maintains its position as the last bastion of genuine sportsmanship in a sporting world where “if you can get away with it it’s OK ” seems to be the dominant philosophy. Snooker is the only other sport I can think of where players call penalties on themselves. Kudos to both I say.

   Posted on November 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm

5. 5

   Double Eagle said:

   Thanks for the clarification, David. I definitely misunderstood the disqualification. I was aware of the requirement for a ball to be on the conforming list, but I must’ve missed that aspect of the story when I first read the article (where the facts are clearly stated).

   Posted on November 23rd, 2008 at 3:44 pm

6. 6

   Golf Clubs Consultant said:

   I think that while disqualifying himself is only following the rules, and he should do it, he does deserve commendation. Regardless of what the rules are the guy sacrificed his chance to make it through Q school to maintain his integrity, and that is something that plenty of people would never do.

   Thanks,
   Bill

   Posted on November 26th, 2008 at 2:51 pm

7. 7

   Andy Brown said:

   Yes, it is truly commendable what J.P Hayes. I think in the situation that he found himself in the fact that he chose to call the penalty on himself, very well realizing that it would squash all his hopes of a possibly bright future! The remarkable thing about the whole situation is the fact that he was the only one who was aware of the mistake and it was something he realized when he reached his hotel room after the round. He even refused to pin the blame on his caddy for tossing that ball over to him. As rightly pointed out in the article written Jason Soel, it is reminiscent of the Bobby Jones act back in the US Open when he called a penalty on himself when no one else saw the ball move.

   And undoubtedly it is something unique to the game of golf because in no other sport will you be able to do something like it. The thing about other sports is that every thing happens in the heat of the moment it takes some real courage of conviction to stand up to your mistake in the heat of the moment which I am not necessarily pointing out as an excuse but possibly something to think about when we talk about other sports.

   Play well.

   Andy Brown

   GolfSwingSecretsRevealed.com

   Posted on December 1st, 2008 at 6:02 pm

8. 8

   Foxy said:

   I find myself agreeing with the majority here. JP deserves alot of credit for taking responsibility for his unfortunate mistake. He could have easily brushed it off, finished the round and went home but he chose to honor the game and the rules. It gives me great hope for the game to see that honest people exist. I don’t mean to say that everyone is a liar and a cheat, i know better…but too often does the media focus on negative aspects in sports like steriods and other forms of cheating. Its fantastic to see JP uphold the rules and the traditional reputation of golf….as a gentleman’s game!

   Hey Mike, I am a new comer to the world of online blogging. I am enjoying the interesting stories and the easy layout of your site. I started a site about a month ago on the topic of golf instructions online. I have about ten years of golf experience i’d like to share. I am bookmarking your site for future reference

   Thanks

   Posted on December 1st, 2008 at 8:56 pm

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