The Question: Some golfers claim that cheating in golf is increasing. How much cheating is there in golf?

ALLISON FLEITAS
Wilmington
Investor
Very little—and I'm sure cheating in golf is not increasing. Of course, there always will be people who will cheat at golf or in any other sport. However, since golf is one game where the ultimate in sportsmanship is the goal, a cheater soon finds himself with no place to play.

RAY McCARTHY
New York City
Advertising executive
It only appears that cheating is on the increase. I'm surprised that important executives, who insist on being informed about every detail of their business, don't take the trouble to read the rule book. When they unknowingly break the rules, others may think they're cheating.

WALTER B. PEDERSON
Wilton, Conn.
Golf equipment manufacturer
Many break the rules through habit. They know it's a violation, but it's also a habit, and they don't care. They'll let their opponents commit the same violations because they don't take the game too seriously. But others see these violations and call them cheating.

MRS. WESLEY D. HAMILTON
Evansville, Ind.
I've heard about golf cheating. However, golf is a sport that attracts the finest people around. I don't think there is as much cheating as there is in other daily activities. It's only true of an occasional woman who is a poor loser. I don't know about the men.

CONNIE SMYTHE
Toronto, Canada
President, Maple Leaf Hockey Club
Those I play against never cheat. They're too good, and they lean over backward to be fair. However, I've seen cheating in my day. There was the guy with a hole in his pants pocket. When he got to the spot where he wanted to play a shot, he'd let the ball roll down his pants leg.

SAMMY KAYE
Cleveland
Band leader
Good golfers and good fellows don't cheat, but you see a little cheating frequently when there is a foursome for money. Improving the lie, replacing a ball a bit near the pin when on the green, forgetting a stroke and trying to get an edge through an improper handicap are not rare violations.

JOSEPH C. LEMBO
Forest Hills, N.Y.
Executive
There's no cheating that I know about. How can it possibly be on the increase? Fred Marsh, president of the Metropolitan Golf Association,is the one who claims that cheating in golf is on the increase. I think he made that statement to attract attention to himself. He's looking for publicity.

ALAN EIFERT
Chairman of the golf committee
N.Y. Athletic Club
We've all heard about the cheating in Calcuttas. That's why I think that golf should be an invitational affair and all the contestants be known to each other. The larger the Calcutta, the more strict the officials should be in checking the rules and the participants.

JEREMIAH J. BROWN
Arcola, N.J., CC
Tax specialist
Sure there's cheating in golf. But not in my crowd. My friends are as clean in their golf as they are in their tax reports. Quite a little cheating is done in handicaps. It seems silly that a man will risk criticism from his friends just to win a little money or a watch.

MRS. BAYARD SHARP
Wilmington, Del.
We've all heard about golf cheating, but I'm not aware of it. If a friend accidentally touches a ball with his foot and improves his lie, I'm always sure it is an accident. When he says "Sorry," I feel embarrassed for him and say: "What's the difference? Please let it lie."

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