• We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas from all at Golf Monthly. Thank you for sharing your 2025 with us!

Golf Random Irritations

If he has, I bet he hasn’t done that with it being filmed and now on YouTube on a popular golf channel. One of my golfing highlights!
Didn't realise you had. Missed that!!!

I managed to hit my second on a par 3 from about 200 yards behind where I teed off from on a previous hole when I thinned it and it hit the ladies concrete tee marker and came back at us nearly taking my PP's out. I couldn't actually get to my ball for ages as we were on the floor crying. Suffice to say didn't score any points
 
Didn't realise you had. Missed that!!!

I managed to hit my second on a par 3 from about 200 yards behind where I teed off from on a previous hole when I thinned it and it hit the ladies concrete tee marker and came back at us nearly taking my PP's out. I couldn't actually get to my ball for ages as we were on the floor crying. Suffice to say didn't score any points

You should remember, you were there. Watch the video on the Camberley Heath H4H day we did with Rick/Pete....not sure which one of their channels it is on.
 
Get to your ball - be ready to hit when it's your turn - my irritation would be the opposite, people who stand and wait while someone goes through their pre-shot routine - obviously while moving forward/standing waiting to play you should not be getting in the way though.

Ready golf has many positives, but Hoganman makes a valid point.
In the promotion of walking and standing ahead of the next player, there is a risk of it all going wrong. And it could go wrong big time for someone.
When your pp goes ahead of you and you are now going to smack your 4 wood to the green, imagine if it goes really wrong in that your shot smacks him in the head.
He's a vegetable, and you are in Court being sued with your house and financial security about to go.
No good you saying you are insured- they bailed out long ago on the grounds your actions weren't careful.
No good saying he consented to playing ready golf so he knew the risks.The law and the judge wouldn't wear that one.
IMO, the judge would ask himself, " taking all the circumstances into account, the player being an18 handicap, would a reasonable man say that there was a plausible chance that the ball could hit the claimant. If so, the shout of fore, the players intentions, and anything else apart from a lightning strike
(excuse the hyperbole?) would not come into it.
I think the judge would find against the player .
Note - the law tends to use the standard of what a "reasonable " man would consider . Not ( as might be argued in this case),another golfer.
I.e. (Joe Bloggs off the street).

You may dismiss this as whatifery and therefore not credible, but many professions do rightly consider whatifery - the law, medical research, etc.

I'm not saying every shot should have all pp behind you every time, but in the keenness to promote ready golf we should not lose our sense of caution.
I have seen it happen, in the desire "to get on with it".
 
Ready golf has many positives, but Hoganman makes a valid point.
In the promotion of walking and standing ahead of the next player, there is a risk of it all going wrong. And it could go wrong big time for someone.
When your pp goes ahead of you and you are now going to smack your 4 wood to the green, imagine if it goes really wrong in that your shot smacks him in the head.
He's a vegetable, and you are in Court being sued with your house and financial security about to go.
No good you saying you are insured- they bailed out long ago on the grounds your actions weren't careful.
No good saying he consented to playing ready golf so he knew the risks.The law and the judge wouldn't wear that one.
IMO, the judge would ask himself, " taking all the circumstances into account, the player being an18 handicap, would a reasonable man say that there was a plausible chance that the ball could hit the claimant. If so, the shout of fore, the players intentions, and anything else apart from a lightning strike
(excuse the hyperbole?) would not come into it.
I think the judge would find against the player .
Note - the law tends to use the standard of what a "reasonable " man would consider . Not ( as might be argued in this case),another golfer.
I.e. (Joe Bloggs off the street).

You may dismiss this as whatifery and therefore not credible, but many professions do rightly consider whatifery - the law, medical research, etc.

I'm not saying every shot should have all pp behind you every time, but in the keenness to promote ready golf we should not lose our sense of caution.
I have seen it happen, in the desire "to get on with it".
There is an element of risk in pretty well everything you do. You judge how much risk you wish to take. I've stopped riding a bike these days because I had too many close calls with cars....my choice. It's been a good while since a golf ball has come close to me.....but there is always a chance.....I accept the risk as long at is reasonable. The guy I played with this morning... while hitting his tee shot on the first tee a few weeks ago....hit his wife in the throat as she was standing slightly ahead of him and WELL to the left...he just hit it off the heel and it got her (she played the round anyway).
 
Ready golf has many positives, but Hoganman makes a valid point.
In the promotion of walking and standing ahead of the next player, there is a risk of it all going wrong. And it could go wrong big time for someone.
When your pp goes ahead of you and you are now going to smack your 4 wood to the green, imagine if it goes really wrong in that your shot smacks him in the head.
He's a vegetable, and you are in Court being sued with your house and financial security about to go.
No good you saying you are insured- they bailed out long ago on the grounds your actions weren't careful.
No good saying he consented to playing ready golf so he knew the risks.The law and the judge wouldn't wear that one.
IMO, the judge would ask himself, " taking all the circumstances into account, the player being an18 handicap, would a reasonable man say that there was a plausible chance that the ball could hit the claimant. If so, the shout of fore, the players intentions, and anything else apart from a lightning strike
(excuse the hyperbole?) would not come into it.
I think the judge would find against the player .
Note - the law tends to use the standard of what a "reasonable " man would consider . Not ( as might be argued in this case),another golfer.
I.e. (Joe Bloggs off the street).

You may dismiss this as whatifery and therefore not credible, but many professions do rightly consider whatifery - the law, medical research, etc.

I'm not saying every shot should have all pp behind you every time, but in the keenness to promote ready golf we should not lose our sense of caution.
I have seen it happen, in the desire "to get on with it".
I'm no solicitor, but I struggle to agree that the player who hit the ball is liable, unless they hit the ball when the player they hit was virtually right in front of them. A golfer of any ability, but especially higher handicappers, are likely to be off line and could hit somebody way off their line. Imagine a hole, where down the right hand side is the patio with people having a drink outside the club house. A golfer with a big slice may feel that there is a chance that they could hit their ball i that direction. However, is their only option to not play that hole, otherwise they risk being sued?

The golfers walking ahead to their ball do so at their own risk. Most will be able to judge how far they are comfortable to walk ahead, and judge what angle they are at. Most golfers are fairly comfortable as to how far they can walk ahead without putting themselves in too much danger. I suppose the one to be most careful off is the low shank.
 
doing my usual, good score going , level standing on the 16th tee, block it in the rough on the right, then pull it left into the heather, hack it into a bunker, then duff it out of that, to sing a 20 ft putt for a 6, still get a reasonable cut but very annoying
 
I'm no solicitor, but I struggle to agree that the player who hit the ball is liable, unless they hit the ball when the player they hit was virtually right in front of them. A golfer of any ability, but especially higher handicappers, are likely to be off line and could hit somebody way off their line. Imagine a hole, where down the right hand side is the patio with people having a drink outside the club house. A golfer with a big slice may feel that there is a chance that they could hit their ball i that direction. However, is their only option to not play that hole, otherwise they risk being sued?

The golfers walking ahead to their ball do so at their own risk. Most will be able to judge how far they are comfortable to walk ahead, and judge what angle they are at. Most golfers are fairly comfortable as to how far they can walk ahead without putting themselves in too much danger. I suppose the one to be most careful off is the low shank.

It could be that you are confusing natural justice with the law.
What we think is reasonable is not always the way the law sees it.?
 
The state of my body, last season a write off due to dodgy back, this season just starting to show some form and then hurt my back at the beginning of August and have given up on comp golf since then as I'm sick of not been able to turn back onto my left side, flipping it left with the hands and running up a stableford adj score of over 90 or more.

When WHS comes out my handicap is not going to be a reflection on my current form more of a reflection on the health of my back.

Very frustrated to say the least.
 
Top