Etiquette after hitting someone with a golf ball

[peld]

2 pals and I played a new course today (as visitors).

As we were playing up a hole, my pal hit a big shank which went over a hill to the right and hit someone as they were leaving the tee box on the previous hole which played toward us. I didn’t see any of it until well after the fact (despite me on the right of the fairway). My pal never shouted fore though he should have and realised where we were.

The guy went down when he was hit, but seemed “ok”. It hit him in the chest. I imagine because of the shot he’ll have a good bruise but probably no lasting damage.

Obviously we were all apologetic at the time, but should my pal email the club to check everything is ok or should he just draw a line under it.?

 

[Deleted member 25575]

Sign his glove and give it to the boy

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Leave it be. You apologised when it happened and leave it there. Anything more could lead to somewhere you don't want to go.

 

[IanM]

A genuine on course apology is sufficient...

 

[KenL]

2 pals and I played a new course today (as visitors).

As we were playing up a hole, my pal hit a big shank which went over a hill to the right and hit someone as they were leaving the tee box on the previous hole which played toward us. I didn’t see any of it until well after the fact (despite me on the right of the fairway). My pal never shouted fore though he should have and realised where we were.

The guy went down when he was hit, but seemed “ok”. It hit him in the chest. I imagine because of the shot he’ll have a good bruise but probably no lasting damage.

Obviously we were all apologetic at the time, but should my pal email the club to check everything is ok or should he just draw a line under it.?

For me, it is up to everyone to shout fore, not just your pal.

 

[peld]

For me, it is up to everyone to shout fore, not just your pal.

I agree completely. We just didn’t see him hit or where it went

 

[Captain_Black.]

I'd leave it there tbh.
Otherwise it could get ugly.

 

[Orikoru]

As mentioned above, you're supposed to give them a signed glove and that makes it alright.

Seriously though, I wouldn't contact anybody. He might have brushed it off at the time, then the next day seen the injury bruise up and thought "damn, I should have got that guy's contact details and sued him". Lo and behold, you contact the club and he gets the details he needs suddenly...

 

[bobmac]

It was an accident, he apologised, move on.

 

[Duckster]

I can’t believe people are saying he should just move on. No, he needs to contact the club and give his details. What if it is worse that you first thought and turns out more than just a bruise?
He might not like any legal ramifications but, accident or not, he injured someone due to his actions.

 

[Deleted member 23344]

Judging by your home club, I assume that you and your mate have Scottish handicaps. Do Scottish Golf provide members with insurance cover in the same way as England Golf? If so, your mate might feel able to ask how the guy is without the fear of being personally financially liable. Having said that, if it was me, I would move on … apologies were made and the guy seemed to be OK. If the guy wishes to take things further, I assume that the club have your names from the booking process.

 

[peld]

He is a member of a Scottish golf club (not mine). And the booking was in my name!

 

[clubchamp98]

Having been the recipient of a golf ball to the head. Knocked out, ambulance to hospital ,brain scan, out of golf for four months and struggling with Vertigo.

I think the least you can do is ask if the lad is ok.
this is a biased view obviously.
but by asking the question I think you know the answer anyway.
It will cost him nothing to ask, but the lad will appreciate it.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I can’t believe people are saying he should just move on. No, he needs to contact the club and give his details. What if it is worse that you first thought and turns out more than just a bruise?
He might not like any legal ramifications but, accident or not, he injured someone due to his actions.

At my place we are actually supposed to report ‘near misses’ never mind ‘hits’. This is required to inform the club‘s risk assessment for each hole. It’s the club‘s job to assess whether or not any reported incident is a wild and out of the ordinary event, that’s not the job of the player. Only the club knows whether or not any type of incident is happening sufficiently regularly on a hole for the club to do anything to mitigate the risk.

 

[Bratty]

At my place we are actually supposed to report ‘near misses’ never mind ‘hits’. This is required to inform the club‘s risk assessment for each hole.

They're going to be inundated on 29th August then!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

They're going to be inundated on 29th August then!

. Asking societies to post hits and near misses when they don’t know their way around could seriously bias our figures given I suspect it’s a rare thing for a hit or near miss to be reported by members - even though we are supposed to.

It’s not something the club makes any fuss about, they probably ask for it because they are advised that we have to do it for our risk assessments - but not something we want to declare given the impact it could have if we were ever to have to put in mitigation’s on some of the more risky holes.

 

[Hobbit]

It’s was an accident, obviously. Surely any considerate person would be concerned about the health of an individual they’ve injured. As for any concerns about the remote possibility of being sued, isn’t that one of the reasons we have insurance.

 

[sjw]

I agree completely. We just didn’t see him hit or where it went

If you don't see where it went, surely all the more reason to shout? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding so apologies if that's the case!

 

[Orikoru]

If you don't see where it went, surely all the more reason to shout? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding so apologies if that's the case!

He means obviously the golfer himself should have shouted, but the reason they didn't shout is that they hadn't even realised he was hitting.

 

[sjw]

He means obviously the golfer himself should have shouted, but the reason they didn't shout is that they hadn't even realised he was hitting.

That's what I thought it could have been