Fore - at top of backswing...another go?!

[mikseymono]

Funny thing happened today..........I was on the tee to a par 3...top of my swing and then heard 'fore' as I started my downswing....this was from an adjacent par 5 ...60 m away..their ball landed close to our teeing area...I had already committed and slightly thinned mine...but just off the green.

Now, here's the thing...today I had severe ear ache/ a cold in both ears and was proper mutton Geoffery...probably shouldn't have played but sun was out....I couldn't really speak to my playing partners but gave it a go anyway. They all insisted I take my shot again...I just thought it was bad luck and you play your first ball regardless......I played two and made par with both to no calamity. Bearing in mind I could not hear very well today....it must have been quite a noise as they where all very animated..I just wondered what the proper rules are when someone shouts at the top of your backswing....

 

[rulefan]

If you had pulled out of the stroke and deliberately missed the ball then you would have been OK. But as you didn't manage to miss the ball it was a stroke.

 

[mikseymono]

Exactly my thoughts...just fortunate that I didn't really hear it...and TBH therefore didn't affect my swing......they were adamant I had another go though......normally find it hard to shut out all the noise...but not today..the only major difference was the nice pop sound I get if I make good contact with my putter that I just couldn't hear today...

 

[PJ87]

I dont believe you can however have never understood it. Like when that guy put tiger off second to last hole at bay hill was it? The entire crowd shouted at the guy

Does seem the golfer is punished for someone else's actions

 

[Colin L]

The rules do not offer any escape from the outcome of a distraction like another player sneezing, someone shouting fore etc.

 

[Swango1980]

I dont believe you can however have never understood it. Like when that guy put tiger off second to last hole at bay hill was it? The entire crowd shouted at the guy

Does seem the golfer is punished for someone else's actions

But at what point could you officially say a player could retake their shot due to a distraction? I can imagine players blaming all sorts of crazy distractions if they could retake a bad shot. Just bad luck, same as ending up with a bad lie.

 

[rulefan]

I dont believe you can however have never understood it. Like when that guy put tiger off second to last hole at bay hill was it? The entire crowd shouted at the guy

Does seem the golfer is punished for someone else's actions

In fact Tiger is pretty adept at managing to pull out of a stroke when he has been distracted

 

[mikseymono]

That was my thought....just bad luck....and move on to the next hole....1st time in 42 years in golf.......

 

[*TQ*]

Pulling out of a swing really affects my next swing.

I was playing at Hawkstone park last month and on the sixth the ball fell off the tee on my downswing, I managed to pull out and abort the shot but I really fluffed the next one it had unsettled me so much!