Hit by golf ball

[Moscyn]

Just sharing and thanking whoever up there who is looking out for me. One of the players in my flight sliced the ball which ricocheted to the right where DH, 2 caddies and I were standing ( together with many trees). When I heard the warning shout, I put my hands over my head, kept my head down and eyes closed and about to take a crouching position. Before I could crouch, the ball fell on my left shoulder blade. I was ok then but this morning i found a slight golf ball bruise on my shoulder. Good thing the ball was not flying at a high speed. This is the closest I ever got hit. I always wondered what's the best position when one hears a warning shout. Run for it? But which direction esp when courses are narrow and the ball may be from an adjoining course. I certainly don't want to be looking around and risk getting hit in the eye!

 

[frayne]

Best place to be standing is the middle of the fairway, normal upright position and 99 out of 100 golfers couldn't come within 10 yards of hitting you. On par 3s, safest place is on the green.

Seriously, my usual position when I hear Fore, is to crouch and put my hands over my head.

 

[pb4uski]

+1 I suspect that safest position would be the middle of a fairway or next to the pin if one is near the green.

It sounds more like a shank than a slice to me. Unfortunately I shanked on into the middle of an adjoining fairway the other day. So much for the middle of the fairway theory.

In that case the adjoining fairway was over a knoll so I had no idea if anyone was there. Luckily, no one was on that hole. After I hit it the last I saw of it was it sailing way over the heads of my playing partners

Luckily, I rarely shank them like that.

 

[JOHNNIE36]

Duck! Yes, drop down and cover your head the best you can and pray. This reminds me about my father telling me of a friend of his that got killed on a golf course. This guy was standing just off the tee box while someone was teeing off. The ball was hit right off the toe of the club and struck this guy in the temple. He died right there. To this day I never stand in front of the tee markers and always warn other guys when someone is teeing off.

 

[JoeWras]

Duck! Yes, drop down and cover your head the best you can and pray. This reminds me about my father telling me of a friend of his that got killed on a golf course. This guy was standing just off the tee box while someone was teeing off. The ball was hit right off the toe of the club and struck this guy in the temple. He died right there. To this day I never stand in front of the tee markers and always warn other guys when someone is teeing off.

All modern golf courses situate the cart path to the tees so that you are behind a right hand golfer if you are sitting on the path in your cart. If they toe it, it goes into the woods or somewhere typically without people.

If you play with a lefty, keep this in mind. Back up. It is a dangerous place, and toe hits are not that unusual.

 

[MRG]

Always stand behind the person hitting. When someone yells 'fore' drop, and cover right there. As a kid I took off running and ran straight into the guys hook. Took it in the side of the neck, ouch.

 

[Mulligan]

Always stand behind the person hitting. When someone yells 'fore' drop, and cover right there. As a kid I took off running and ran straight into the guys hook. Took it in the side of the neck, ouch.

Assume all people are idiots on the course. They will yell fore when the ball is 20 yds away from you. Duck and turn in direction away from voice and hope for the best.

 

[Moscyn]

I think the worst position is to look towards where the voice is coming from. I have heard of 2 incidents of golf ball hitting the eye and causing blindness. Scary stuff.

 

[frayne]

Regardless of who you are or who you play with always stand slightly behind the person hitting the ball. Even pros shank one now and then, just ask Steve Stricker.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Not to mention the morons playing behind you who don't even yell "fore" and then explain, when they catch up to you (as you are waiting on the slow foursome ahead of you), that they never had hit a ball that far so they didn't think it would reach you.

 

[Moscyn]

Not to mention the morons playing behind you who don't even yell "fore" and then explain, when they catch up to you (as you are waiting on the slow foursome ahead of you), that they never had hit a ball that far so they didn't think it would reach you.

Unfortunately, that happens too often. Once I had a moron from the flight behind whose ball landed a few feet from me explaining that he never meant to hit the ball to the right since the flag was on the left.

As regards standing behind a player who is about to hit a ball, well, if the player is trying to hit the ball out of some trees, best stand far far away. No telling where the ball will fly if it hits the trees.

 

[jollystomper]

All modern golf courses situate the cart path to the tees so that you are behind a right hand golfer if you are sitting on the path in your cart. If they toe it, it goes into the woods or somewhere typically without people.

If you play with a lefty, keep this in mind. Back up. It is a dangerous place, and toe hits are not that unusual.

+1, because I am a left-handed golfer... and am constantly warning folks to get well behind me when I tee off. On the green if they are to my left I always make sure they know I am about to hit.

I always stand well behind whoever is teeing off, to watch the flight of the ball and help them know where it went.

When I hear a warning shout I just drop flat to the ground and cover my head. I have been hit will a ball like that, but fortunately it was after a bounce and against my thigh, so no harm done.

 

[Midpack]

Duck! Yes, drop down and cover your head the best you can and pray.

And turn your back to the direction the ball is coming from if you can tell from the "FORE!" and/or where adjacent holes are...helpful for men & women alike.

 

[MRG]

Not to mention the morons playing behind you who don't even yell "fore" and then explain, when they catch up to you (as you are waiting on the slow foursome ahead of you), that they never had hit a ball that far so they didn't think it would reach you.

Yes, we had a group behind us that had hit into our group 4 times by the 6th hole. We made a couple of polite attempts to ask them to slow it down(couldn't find a Marshall). After the 4th time a guy with a short fuse blew, took a 3 wood and hit their ball straight back into them. Didn't have any problems after that. I wouldn't recommend it, but the other options he had in mind were much worse!

 

[RunningBum]

Covering your head and ducking away is the right call. If you have time to hit the deck that's probably good too. When I was in college once I made the mistake of standing by my ball, maybe 30 yards or so right and 5-10 yards in front of a friend who was on the fairway. He shanked it and it came at me like a rocket, and I was leaning on my club and didn't have time to react. It hit the bow of my sunglasses, which absorbed nearly all the force, and luckily didn't break into my face. I was incredibly lucky and am now much more careful out there.

 

[pb4uski]

Yes, we had a group behind us that had hit into our group 4 times by the 6th hole. We made a couple of polite attempts to ask them to slow it down(couldn't find a Marshall). After the 4th time a guy with a short fuse blew, took a 3 wood and hit their ball straight back into them. Didn't have any problems after that. I wouldn't recommend it, but the other options he had in mind were much worse!

I can understand. Once is a mistake but 4 times in 6 holes is stupidity on their part and warrants a response.

One alternative is to drop a tee near where their ball is and then launch their ball into the woods making sure that they see you do it. Sends a not so subtle message.

 

[HFWR]

Assume all people are idiots...

FIFY

 

[Meadbh]

Just played this morning with some good friends who don't seem to understand that they are liable to be hit if they go ahead of a member of the group. Not by me, but by someone with a better game!

 

[Moscyn]

Yes, we had a group behind us that had hit into our group 4 times by the 6th hole. We made a couple of polite attempts to ask them to slow it down(couldn't find a Marshall). After the 4th time a guy with a short fuse blew, took a 3 wood and hit their ball straight back into them. Didn't have any problems after that. I wouldn't recommend it, but the other options he had in mind were much worse!

So, what's the best way to treat the flight behind who hits their balls into your flight more than twice? We usually tell our caddy (our golf club insists we use caddies) to inform the caddy behind to play slower as traffic is heavy. If that does not work, we complain to the Marshall if and when one comes along. Last resort, we speak to the players direct and make a formal complaint to the club manager. I have a friend who will just hit back their ball at them together with loud words and that always works immediately! Maybe drastic actions are required for such bad behavior which can be quite harmful to others.

 

[Coolius]

Methinks I will stick to bowling.

Though the balls are larger and heavier, I have not heard of anyone being killed by a flying bowling ball - yet.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Glad to hear you were not seriously injured, Moscyn.

We used to live in apartment next to a golf course and we would hear golf balls hitting the building and our front door when we were in the house. We had a metal from door with dents in it from all the golf ball hits.

We have been looking at houses that back up to golf courses lately but I am not so sure that is a good idea after the apartment experience. Plus we don't even play golf. That is just where some of the newer home in our area are located.

 

[ClosingInOnIt]

Cover your head and turn away from the sound of the warning.

If you hit an errant shot that offers any chance of hitting someone, shout FORE! as loud as you can. This applies even if you can't be sure anyone is near where your ball went, i. e. a tee box screened by trees. Better to shout for no reason than to hit someone without a warning.

 

[tryan]

Well at least you have someone else to blame .... I had a shot at the edge of the woods sitting on top of leaves (in the fall). Needed all I could get ... so it was a FULL swing. Well ... there was a ROCK directly in front of us (covered in leaves). Ball - and club - hit the said rock. Ball bounces back and hits my thigh just to the left of the family jewels. Left a bruise which took WEEKS to heal. Took a chunk out of my club too.

 

[Moscyn]

Tryan, that was some shot. Glad to know you are not seriously injured. I wonder when one hits oneself, do golf insurance policies cover that?

 

[Mulligan]

Tryan, that was some shot. Glad to know you are not seriously injured. I wonder when one hits oneself, do golf insurance policies cover that?

+1...Me suspects Tryan would not have been so forthcoming with his story if a jewel or 2 were destroyed in this mishap.