Blind shots into greens and shouting fore

[Deleted member 18121]

Watching one of the normal golf YouTube channels today and they were playing a severe dog leg hole, which had a drivable green but you couldn't tell if it was clear or not because it's completely blocked by trees.

One of the players checked the line of the shot and smashed it with driver, but immediately shouted fore... "Just in case".

If you were in this situation what would you do? Lay up to the dog leg or take on the shot without knowing the green was clear but give a loud shout?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It is simple. You have a responsibility to not play and endanger those in front so if you have any doubt then either lay up, walk and check or wait. All well and good typing but as we all know, you're on the tee, the group behind are coming up and so you think "it'll be ok if I shout" but realistically how obvious will it be to the group on the green where a distant voice came from (if they even hear) and how it'll be meant for them

I may be wrong but I thought some courses still had their bells and the advice was to use a club to hit them. If I was on the green and a ball arrived or worse still hit me then I wouldn't be happy (and having bit by a ball albeit in the back, it hurts) and would definitely be reporting it at the very least.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

It is simple. You have a responsibility to not play and endanger those in front so if you have any doubt then either lay up, walk and check or wait. All well and good typing but as we all know, you're on the tee, the group behind are coming up and so you think "it'll be ok if I shout" but realistically how obvious will it be to the group on the green where a distant voice came from (if they even hear) and how it'll be meant for them

I may be wrong but I thought some courses still had their bells and the advice was to use a club to hit them. If I was on the green and a ball arrived or worse still hit me then I wouldn't be happy (and having bit by a ball albeit in the back, it hurts) and would definitely be reporting it at the very least.

It would be very annoying to be on a green when someone’s ball lands on it, from the group behind!

 

[SaintHacker]

It would be better if you just wrote KNOB on their ball in green pen... ?

 

[Diamond]

If a ball goes sideways across another fairway, anyone can do that accidentally.
But generally the ones who can land on a par 4 green are low handicappers who should know better. Sorry no excuse.

Yep unfortunately that’s my Slice with the driver.

 

[garyinderry]

Usually not everyone will go for the green. The lay up can walk up and look.

If everyone is going for it then you really should know what's going on up ahead.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

As one who always shouts fore whenever I or any of my playing group head off our fairway I think you would or should know how far you are behind the group in front and have a good idea of whether they have cleared the green or good chance of it.

 

[Orikoru]

I'm not really capable of driving greens, but if I was I would wait an extra 5 minutes rather than just hit and shout fore. I like Gary's idea that those playing the hole the conventional way could hit to the fairway and walk up, then give the signal back that it's ok for you to drive the green.

I played with a guy at our club once who, on a short par 4 (about 280-290) thought he was just about capable of reaching the green with his Sunday best. People were putting out still, but he hit and shouted "fore the green!" which I thought was weird, I'd never heard someone shout that before. I suppose they weren't in much danger though as he knew his distances and only would have rolled on the front edge if he got there at all (I think he was just short and to one side as it turned out). Still, I've heard fore left and fore right but never fore the green before. Hope it didn't put anyone off their putt!

 

[nickjdavis]

We have such a hole on our course, only a few golfers will ever go for the green and what always happens is that one of the group will lay up to the dogleg and then walk forward to check the green is clear and signal to the bloke on the tee when it is safe to play.

Anyone hitting a ball at a green in such circumstances whilst players are still putting out and thinking they can excuse themselves with an immediate shout of fore is likely to see their ball returned to them with interest or thrown into the nearest bush.

 

[IanM]

We have a short par 4 with the green at the bottom of a slope...not driveable for humans, but the short iron in can be blind unless you carry the ridge. Some seniors are belting fairway woods in there from way back!
The warning bell on the path to next tee is all taped up at the mo to stop folk using it. But there's no excuse for someone not walking to top of hill for a look, or waiting to see them appear on the (visible) next tee!!

Never seen any issues, but understand Nick's sentiments above.

 

[chrisd]

It would be very annoying to be on a green when someone’s ball lands on it, from the group behind!

It certainly is, I nearly got wiped out when it happened in a forum meet once ??

 

[sussexhacker]

I was 30 yards short of the green on a par 4 yesterday and the 2 behind me hit driver 30 yards over the back of the green while I was playing my shot
Politely asked them to wait if they could hit into me
They did the same next hole so they lost their balls and got an earful

 

[rosecott]

Hi Adam.
I know it's very easy for people to get on their high horse ? on the internet about situations like this, but there truly is absolutely no excuse for deliberately driving if you think others are in range.

Like other courses, our warning bells have been temporarily removed so nobody touches them, so if there's nobody overlooking the brow of the slope, it's guesswork where the group in front are.

Happy to report that on each occasion I've been in a pair that's had a debate whether to drive or not in the last couple of weeks, we've waited a bit and walked over the hill to find the group in front on the next tee.

The choices are wait, walk up and look, or potentially kill someone. Anyone who hits and shouts fore when the ball goes where they intended is...... Well.......... I can't say it....

If it's a "proper" bell, why not just remove the clapper and advise players to sound it by tapping it with a club. That's what we have done.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

We have one also. We can see most of the green through the trees on the dogleg - but not all of it. So just to be sure any player wishing to 'have a go' will ask to play last in casual or strokeplay - and if they have the honour on the tee in matchplay they will forgo it. One or more playing companions having played, will walk forward to check green is free.

 

[Foxholer]

It would be better if you just wrote KNOB on their ball in green pen... ?

I've seen that done! In jest as we were all mates and the ball merely rolled onto the green, having bounced noisily enough for us all to hear and turn, but quite a distance away.

 

[BretbyBlue]

I may be wrong, but if you hit somebody doing this, and they took you to court. It would be you who would be totally responsible for your action, and liable.
Always better to wait, see them on next tee / fairway etc.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

It certainly is, I nearly got wiped out when it happened in a forum meet once ??

Really? What happened?

 

[chrisd]

Really? What happened?

I nearly got killed, along with "The rod" and I was so shocked I've even forgotten who else was with us, but when this ball hit the green at the speed of Concord it was a good thing I was wearing the brown corduroy trousers, and fortunate that Rod had a green Sharpie to hand- I still get into a cold sweat thinking about it even now ??

 

[Captainron]

I nearly got killed, along with "The rod" and I was so shocked I've even forgotten who else was with us, but when this ball hit the green at the speed of Concord it was a good thing I was wearing the brown corduroy trousers, and fortunate that Rod had a green Sharpie to hand- I still get into a cold sweat thinking about it even now ??

Sounds downright ignorant and irresponsible by the player behind you. I hope they apologised profusely

 

[chrisd]

Sounds downright ignorant and irresponsible by the player behind you. I hope they apologised profusely

If only Captainron, the pain and mental trauma may have abated by now ?