Golf's a Dangerous Dangerous Sport!

[PeterPumpkinEater]

Enjoying my round today and waiting at the 6th tee I hear the shout FORE! from the 5th tee (140yrd Par 3) I quickly turned to see roughly where the ball was (so i knew which way to get out of the way) and within a nano second BAM! the ball hit me in the mouth splitting open my bottom lip, blood everywhere and my £600 front teeth veneers in 20 odd pieces.

To be fair the guy who did it was really upset and I held my nerve really well because whilst I was in a fair bit of pain the only thing going through my mind was F.me 3 inches higher and I would have been brown bread!

The guy concerned gave me his number and told me that he is insured so I can claim off his insurance. So just need to get down the dentist on Monday. Wish I would have got the FORE shout a bit earlier and as a friend of mine explained when you hear the shout, you duck. But what if you duck into the ball I said!

So there you go I may now have a bigger bottom lip than Lesley Ash but at least I'm still here and finished the round with a 84 (2 under my handicap)....... well you didnt expect me to pay £30 (played a different course today as mine was closed) and only play 5 holes!

 

[Dodger]

Usually when someone shouts Fore they do it so you will take cover not turn around to stand and look to see where the ball is coming from!
That said hope it aint to sore and your fat lip soon goes down.

 

[medwayjon]

Ouch!

Glad you are ok except for the dentistry.

It may be a tad overdramatic but when I hear fore, I cover my head and stick my arse in the air.

 

[HTL]

Hat off to you Sir, took it like a true man and finished the round and carried yourself with respect.

 

[USER1999]

If I hear 'fore', I hide behind the biggest bloke in the 4 ball

Most of the time you have a rough idea where the shout came from, so turn away, and cover your head. You have to assume they would not shout unless they thought it would hit someone.

That said, good job he was insured, glad you are ok, and top bloke for finishing the round, and doing it well.

 

[DCB]

Ouch, Hope you recover quickly.

I'm the same as medwayjon. Both arms up and protect the face and as much of the heat as I can cover. If out in the open, I often drop down to one knee is quick enough.

 

[DCB]

Playing devil's advocate here.

What if he hadn't been insured ?

 

[vig]

When I here the shout, I generally turn me back, bend forward and put my folded arm over my head.
Rather broken arm/ribs than fractured skull or worse

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Good question re what if he hadn't been insured. I guess thats when messy lawsuits start. Whenever I here fore I try and cover as much of my head (temples and the base of the skull) and a bit like MWJ duck my head down so my backside is pointing in the guesstimated direction of the incoming fire.

PPE Good to see you carry get round and beat your handicap so hats off for that. Hope the pain subsides and the dentistry work is sorted (as is the claim) quickly

 

[CliveW]

I think most clubs are insured for third party accidents. When I introduce guests at my club there is a £1 levy for insurance.
I hope Health and Safety don't read this or we'll all be wearing hard hats and playing with soft rubber golf balls.

 

[madandra]

Playing devil's advocate here.

What if he hadn't been insured ?

Seems like a good reason to get insurance for yourself. I am sure personal golf policies insure you and any third party involved.

 

[Leftie]

It may be a tad overdramatic but when I hear fore, I cover my head and stick my arse in the air.

Not overdramatic at all MWJ. I'd make sure that I was in front of you . Just don't hang around while they are searching for the lost ball

PPE Glad you are ok (ish) and was able to finish well. Hope the dentistry goes ok.

 

[Barney]

I think most clubs are insured for third party accidents. When I introduce guests at my club there is a £1 levy for insurance.
I hope Health and Safety don't read this or we'll all be wearing hard hats and playing with soft rubber golf balls.

So if clubs have insurance to cover this sort of thing why do we need to get our own !!?!??!?!?!?

 

[Herbie]

Of all the things anyone may choose to do when they hear the call, looking for it is possibly the worst choice.
Look down at your feet hands on your head elbows down side of your face.
The most severe impact is when the ball hits nothing but you first.

But anyway, sorry for you and I hope you get sorted out, I think there is a way you can claim through clubs insurance, but if the golfer has some then you are lucky as it should go through smoothly.

 

[CliveW]

Hi Barney, ask your Club!
Most people will take out insurance against the theft/loss of equipment rather than third party accidents.

 

[TonyN]

glad your ok PPE kind of. Topman for finishing.

If I hear fore I take cover behind anything. If I am close to my bag I will crouch behind that with my head covered.other than that I would use anything I could get behind.

 

[Smiffy]

When I here the shout, I generally turn me back, bend forward and put my folded arm over my head.
Rather broken arm/ribs than fractured skull or worse

Same as that.
I had a ball hit my foot once, second bounce from a long drive. That bloody hurt.
Saw a guy catch a glancing blow to his forehead at a society do I was on. A player was taking a 3 wood from the fairway, this guy was standing about 10 yards in front of him but quite a way to his right. Ball came right off the toe of the club, luckily the guy was looking up the fairway to see where the ball was going rather than watching him take the shot. It would have hit him square on if it had been the latter. He went down like a sack of spuds. Luckily he wasn't badly hurt but had a nasty gash on his forehead.

 

[Imurg]

Hope you recover soon PPE

I'm with Medway on this. Plenty of padding on the bum - ball will just bounce off!!

Trouble is a shout of "Fore" can sometimes not help. Where is it coming from, is it coming your way? A shout of "Fore Left" doesn't help either. Who's left?

A lot of courses have blind or semi-blind shots - you may not even be able to see who is playing the shot.

Me? I'm nosey! I'm always looking around to see who is playing, if I think they're going to hit it my way and when. That way I normally see it coming and are getting out of the way before they shout. Product of being a Driving Instructor I think - you always expect something to happen and you're always looking for it!

 

[Timberbonce]

I have always though that if you are a golfer going onto a golf course to play and you get struck by a ball in normal play its just unlucky and the "offender" cannot be sued for the damages...Am i completley rong in this assumtion ?

And i also agree with the head down bum up possition same as if you expect to be struck by lightning. better to be safe than sorry

 

[Stefano56]

PPE, I hope you recover soon - and chapeau for finishing the round.
I've had a terrible experience last summer, since I was on the other side: I sliced the tee shot, and hit a lady who was walking on the fairway of an adjacent hole on the chest.
I had yelled 'fore', of course, but that didn't help, since she didn't duck or cover at all. The hit wasn't too hard, but her husband was mad, therefore I called the marshall and explained the situation (his comment was fantastic: "You've yelled fore - what does this guy pretend? That you catch the ball in flight?").
As you can imagine, I felt terribly sorry for the lady and, even if she seemed to be ok, I've been worried for the rest of the round. After the round I left my name and phone number at the reception, and looked for the lady to ensure that she was ok; luckily enough she was fine, and didn't complain about the accident, understanding that these things happen. Of course this accident has ruined her round, and mine as well.