Lightning on the course

[Blue in Munich]

Anyone not aware of why players are called in when there is a danger of lightning, or who is tempted to play on when it's around might like to look at the photo in the link from the Women's US Open;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/48482735

There is apparently no truth in the rumour that Hank Haney was near the tree at the time...

 

[Slime]

Anyone not aware of why players are called in when there is a danger of lightning, or who is tempted to play on when it's around might like to look at the photo in the link from the Women's US Open;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/48482735

There is apparently no truth in the rumour that Hank Haney was near the tree at the time...

I gather that the tree survived the strike but has since been removed 'just in case'.

 

[Blue in Munich]

I gather that the tree survived the strike but has since been removed 'just in case'.

They showed video footage on sky and the state of the tree afterwards; it was like it had been cut to the core with a thermal lance; it wasn't going to be a case of if it fell down, it was going to be a question of when.

 

[Imurg]

Removed overnight and all that was left was a patch of mud....

 

[jim8flog]

I gather that the tree survived the strike but has since been removed 'just in case'.

I believe lightning travels down the middle of the tree and is therefore weakened but not visibly.

 

[Jacko_G]

Fantastic picture.

Absolutely tremendous. RIP the tree.

 

[JohnnyDee]

I'll never forget the day we played at Puttenham and very foolishly stayed out when there was serious storm (oddly though little or no rain fell) with thunder and lightning a-flashing and a-crashing all around us. It was a really stupid decision but the usual charges of 'wimps and softies' were leveled at those of us who wanted to go in, and the fact that we'd all paid a green fee and driven for over an hour to get there was cited as justification too.

I mean how stupid can you be... and yet so as not to 'mess up the game' and annoy those who wanted to carry on we all stayed out. Duh!!!

Latter when we got back into the bar, luckily without incident, some of our 'harder men' admitted that they had been really quite scared and we all agreed that if it ever happened again we'd go in with no further ifs or buts.

It is stupid to stay out in what is quite often open countryside swinging a bag of metal sticks in the air in an electric storm. Hardly does a year go by when there's not a press report about golfers or other sports people being injured or killed as a result of lightning strikes.

We were a bunch of proper berks from Berks that day.