David Huish warns integrity of golf is at risk if rule-breakers go unpunished

It has been suggested that the European Tour could overhaul its disciplinary procedures in the wake of the three-month ban handed to Elliot Saltman this week after he was found guilty of a "serious breach" of the rules.

According to a report yesterday, officials are concerned the ban may not stand up to legal scrutiny due to the fact the decision was made by Saltman's fellow players, thus creating the possibility of a "conflict of interest".

However, David Huish, the long-serving North Berwick professional who served on PGA and Ryder Cup committees during his distinguished career, said he believes there is nothing wrong with the current set up and reckons it would be a sad day for the sport if lawyers started to dictate what can and can't be done in disciplinary matters.

"We are talking about the cleanest game on the planet. That's why when something like this rears its ugly head people are going to come down on you like a ton of bricks. If the same thing had happened in football, we wouldn't have to put up with the behaviour we see today," Huish told The Scotsman.

"It all comes down to rules and regulations. In my time, if someone was accused of doing something wrong on the Tartan Tour then the matter was dealt initially by the PGA Scottish Region. It was then up to that committee to make a decision and, if the player decided to appeal, the matter then went before to the British PGA.

"If you don't take action in matters like this, then the game is going to go to ruin and I certainly wouldn't like to see fancy lawyers being brought in and starting to dictate.

"The appropriate punishment has to be handed out for things like this and the committees are the judge and jury, if you like. If someone isn't happy with a judgment then they can take it to a higher court."

Huish recalled that he had to deal with a case of alleged cheating on one occasion as a committee member. He also revealed that he himself had encountered people cheating on the course, most recently on the European Senior Tour.

"The guy was at it and ended up getting a bloody sight more than three months. In fact, it literally put him out of the game," he added.

"I also witnessed people cheating during my career and it even happened on the Senior Tour. I reported the guy when I came off the course and action was subsequently taken against him. If you see someone cheat and don't do anything about it, then you are as bad as them."Saltman has 28 days to appeal and is still weighing up his options after meeting with lawyers on his return from the Abu Dhabi disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, when he was punished after being found guilty of wrongly marking his ball during a Challenge Tour event in Russia.

"If a golfer is found guilty of cheating, that is with you for the rest of your life," noted Huish. "To be honest, I was surprised that he only got three months and my first reaction was that it must have been a legal thing."

Andrew Coltart is a former member of the European Tour tournament committee. He said: "I suspect it (the disciplinary procedure] might be looked at. No-one has really thought about it until now, I suppose, as it hasn't cropped up for so long (Saltman is the first player to be handed a ban on the European Tour for 19 years].

"One thing for sure is that it's certainly not a matter that should be dealt with at a golf tournament, though I suppose there were mitigating circumstances for that. It was unhelpful for a lot of people and I think guys want to get on with playing golf. A judgment has been passed and we need to move on."

That view was echoed by two-time European Tour winner Alastair Forsyth: "The general consensus is it could have been a lot worse and he'd be wise to just take the three months because appealing would only antagonise people more.

"Trying to fight it would be sticking two fingers up to his peers. This is a game in which cheating is considered the lowest of the low."