Have you ever hit anyone or come close?

[Smiffy]

I've hit two people, both at Crowborough Beacon.
1st time was on the 5th, a par 4 with a drive required across a ravine. Some people were out walking their dog and were making their way up the right of the hole, off the fairway. They must have been regular dog walkers around the course as they looked behind them, moved more to the right and gestured for me to tee off, which I did.
Really lovely connection, caught it flush but it had a bit of slice spin on it. I knew immediately that the ball was heading in their direction so shouted "fore" at the top of my voice. They all turned their backs on me, and the woman in the group crouched down with her hands behind her head for protection. I watched in horror as my ball smacked her right in the middle of her back on the fly. She went down like a felled Ox. Rushed up to make sure she was okay, (which she was), but shook me up quite badly for the rest of the round.

Second time was on the par 3 6th hole, playing in a fourball betterball knockout. Myself and my partner were three down and I had hit an horrendous tee shot and put myself in some really long grass to the left and short of the hole. It was really overgrown with a lot of brambles, ferns and some tall shrubby trees. I found my ball and declared that I could play it so pulled out a pitching wedge. The grass and crap was that long I couldn't see the green from where I was so just took a swipe at it aiming in the general direction. I had warned the other guys that I was about to play, but the next thing I heard was an almighty crash. When I came out of the undergrowth, one of our opponents was lying on the ground with his bag to one side and golf clubs scattered everywhere. Apparently my ball had come down and hit him on the back of the neck! He looked awful, dazed and red faced, old boy he was. I apologised time and time again, and because the guy looked so bad we said "let's call it a day and get you back to the clubhouse". He refused the offer saying that he would be alright if we gave him 5 minutes to get over it. I felt awful.
He recovered okay and we continued our game, but mine and my partners game clicked into gear and by the 12th we found ourselves all square. It was then that this guy started saying that his neck hurt again and he wasn't sure he could continue. We ended up winning, but I found it strange that all the time they were 3 up this guy wanted to carry on....

 

[Slab]

Hit the ex-wife with a tee shot on a par 3 (one of those where you walk back to the tee so just leave the bag further up the fairway)

 

[Spear-Chucker]

Push sliced a 4 iron miles to the right once and hit my friends wife. I'd bellowed fore! of course and luckily she got he hands up to her head and the ball hit a finger. Without a shout she mightn't be here today. I ran over to the group and thankfully she was fine (sore finger, only) but it scared the wotsisname out of me. Always shout. Always.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Nope - never punched anyone and can't recall coming close. And never been hit - other than once in the shoulder when playing 5-a-side that doesn't really count. Lived a very sheltered and quiet life me.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Nope - never punched anyone and can't recall coming close. And never been hit - other than once in the shoulder when playing 5-a-side that doesn't really count. Lived a very sheltered and quiet life me.

I believe the thread is in regards hitting someone on the golf course with a golf ball - accidentally of course

 

[Robobum]

Nope - never punched anyone and can't recall coming close. And never been hit - other than once in the shoulder when playing 5-a-side that doesn't really count. Lived a very sheltered and quiet life me.

Now that's another thread all together

Start it, I reckon it would be fun

 

[daveyc2k2]

Hit the ex-wife with a tee shot on a par 3 (one of those where you walk back to the tee so just leave the bag further up the fairway)

Is that why she's now the ex-wife??

 

[patricks148]

no, i don't think so. only seen someone get once too.

Playing Spey Valley with Crawford as my partner, against two of John Findleys mates. Clarkey thins it out of a greenside bunker on 8, guys teeing off the back tee at 9, one of them getting its square between the shoulder blades in the follow though. no time for a shout so knew nothing about it until it hit.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I believe the thread is in regards hitting someone on the golf course with a golf ball - accidentally of course

It would - but my contribution would be very limited...no bad thing most perhaps would say

 

[Slab]

Is that why she's now the ex-wife??

Well lets be honest, who knows how much further it would've rolled!

 

[williamalex1]

I once hit a 5 iron just as a mate popped up from a ditch in front of me , knock him clean out split his head open, we had to carry him off and take him to the hospital. I was really upset it as was one of my better strikes,:smirk:

 

[GB72]

I nearly hit 2 people on the last round I played. It was our 16th hole with a willow tree in a pond before the green. I hit my shot over the tree but caught it a bit fat and it landed just on the other side. What I did not know was that 2 ladies from the group ahead had decided that standing behind the tree and waiting for their shot on the next tee was a sensible thing to do as it was a mixed comp and they did not want to stand by the ladies tee as it was in front of where the men were hitting from. apparently this is common practice as my playing partner had nearly hit the lady captain doing exactly the same the day before. Luckily my shot feel just short of them.

 

[sawtooth]

I was playing Canford Magna years ago and I was on a tee with a driver in my hand. Pulled the shot low and left and the ball went across to a green. It struck someone on the back as he was putting but thankfully it was a glancing blow. It could have been a lot worse.

No doubt that he would have felt it but he did appear to make a meal of it. He dropped to his knees holding his back like in a scene from a western and I know I was wrong to laugh as I walked away but I couldnt help it.

 

[Roops]

Yes, not a good feeling. Lost a drive on a par 4 a dove it over trees into a group of players from the same society. Caught the guy on the back of the thigh. He was ok, but I felt really bad about it. Anyway, at lunchtime I went to the clubhouse and when I came back he was sitting at the table with a high viz and and a hard hat on, had to laugh.

On a similar note, I wish clubs would install more bells on fairways where you have semi blind drives. Our course has a semi blind tee shot and you are looking through mature trees to determine if someone is still in range, in the winter they're easy to miss, in summer with them if full leaf it's nigh on impossible to see them. Note to self to raise at next AGM.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm fortunate (or not) in that I've been much closer to being hit than I have been to hitting or nearly hitting someone else. I've seen others hit (though very rare) - and very painfully so!

 

[simwood2]

Hit somebody once when a pulled approach to the green deflected off the trees. Didn't shout fore as nobody saw where the ball went and the guy it hit was on the next fairway behind a hedge. Hit him on the chest - he was not best pleased. Apologies didn't seem to be enough that day but now when we see each other we can have a sort of laugh about it. To this day though it has affected my game so much that i struggle to play a decent shot if anybody is near by on an adjacent fairway, always seem to pull or push it away from where they are normally into rough or trees!

 

[Robobum]

Never been hit but have seen 2 people struck.

The first time an old frail guy got hit in the chest from about 180yds away. He made an audible "ooof " as the wind was knocked out of him. He was pretty deaf and hadn't heard the screams of fore and didn't see us two ducking for cover.

The other time was lucky not to kill him. Many of you have played St Enedoc so will be able to picture this....
Pro am, playing the 16th into a stiff breeze. Our pro is up the left after 2 shots with about 180 or so still to go. He had to just go to the right of the elevated 17th tee where there was a group waiting to tee off.
Ball below his feet, the heel digs in first and the absolutely flushed 4iron goes straight left and hits one of the group in front square between the shoulder blades. Sickening thud and yelp as he stumbled forward.

What would ball speed be for a 4iron after 30yds?? A few inches higher and would dread to think........

 

[C&R]

When I was a lad, about 15 years old, a friend and I would hack balls around our local sheep fields. I only had three ancient hand-me-down clubs, a niblick, a 6 iron and a 1 wood. Our games usually consisted of hitting a couple of balls towards a vague target and walking after them in slapdash fashion. After watching my friend duff his shot about 15 yards, I decided to have a crack with my 1 wood. He was walking away from me, I turned about 45 degrees to the left of him and lined myself up to my Top Flite, I was thinking there's no way I could hit him from that angle.

The ball came off the toe, 45 degrees to the right of me at about waist height like a bullet, just as my friend was bending down to pick up his ball. The ball hit him in the forehead and ricocheted straight up, the noise it made on contact with his head was as a crisp as a leather ball off willow. I stared, mouth agape, caught between nervous laughter and a scream for help as I watch him fall to the ground limp, holding his head and beginning to convulse.

I ran over to him and as I got closer I honestly thought I'd killed him because he was in the foetal position twitching and making strange noises. I tried to ask him if he was alright but I couldn't speak. My mouth was dry and despite my mouth moving I couldn't make any noise. He rolled over onto his back and clutched at his stomach. He wasn't dying. He was laughing so hard he could barely breathe between words.

"Did you" Gasping for air... "Hear that?"

I really did think I'd killed him so the laughter came with huge relief. The lump on his head was spectacular and he wore it like a badge of honour. I don't know how he didn't punch me, if the roles were reversed I wouldn't have behaved the same.

Great story😀