What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you on a golf course?

[Orikoru]

Some of these posts have reminded me of the time I nearly smashed a golf ball into the back of my mate's head...

I had just triple bogeyed a par three or something awful, and as I picked up my ball, in a flippant act of light frustration, I tossed it up in the air and attempted to smack it towards my bag/the next tee with my putter, on the volley. If I tried that 100 times I'd probably miss it 99 times, but somehow I connected with it perfectly, right out the middle of the putter - best putt I'd hit all day - and the ball went soaring through the air. I looked up in horror as I saw my mate was walking up that way and the ball was heading straight for the back of his head. I just screamed "Ben watch out!" and by some piece of luck his instinct was to duck and cover, so the ball sailed just over him. As a tiny piece of karma, I never found the ball as it then fly into a bush. I apologised to him about 20 times for nearly killing him and even gave him a hug twice. It's typical of golf though isn't it, you only hit the perfect strike when you don't want to!

 

[ScienceBoy]

Played A/S comp and didn’t play as well as usual, wasn’t a fun experience.

 

[USER1999]

Got my putter stuck up a tree. A few minutes later, there were two rakes up there too, trying to dislodge it. Green keeper had to rescue the lot on Monday.

Lost my sand wedge in a Holly Bush. Had to come back on Monday evening to look for it. Luckily didn't need the ladder I had brought.

Got hit in the side of my head by a golf ball hit by a vicar. No shout, full 6i, didn't even bounce before it bounced off my head.

I too have lost to ChrisD, at least twice. I now have the solution to this. I am not going to play against him again, unless I have Jobr or Lillyhawk on my team.

 

[Deleted member 23344]

I was playing a few years ago at Reigate Hill with a friend who was a member there. It was a very wet day. On a par three ... I think it was the 12th ... I hit my tee shot left and it landed on the downslope above a greenside bunker. When I stood to address the ball, my feet slipped on the wet grass and I landed on my backslide and slid about 4 yards and went into the bunker. All the mud that the slide had smeared to my trousers then became a magnet for the sand in the bunker. What a mess. The only redeeming feature was that my friend was busy taking his putter out of his bag and so he missed it.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Sitting in my office when the HGK rushed in calling for an ambulance as a guy had collapsed on the 17th fairway.
We then rushed out to him and he died a few minutes later. He was 35 years old married with two young kids and had no previous health issues. Sudden brain bleed.
Ambulance crew said that we had done all the right things and not to beat ourselves up about it.
During my life I have probably been first responder to 4 or 5 deaths on my courses and many medical emergencies but this one was tough and had a long lasting affect on the HGK and I.
Most of my golf staff were trained in basic first aid and we were proud of our ability to react to medical emergencies.

On a lighter note [perhaps] I was a asked to scatter a former popular lady captain's ashes on the course.
A dozen or so stood with me at the requested spot, on the back of a golf tee.
I had not done this before and the ashes came out of the jar in a big blob making a small pile on the tee.
I automatically smoothed it out with my foot and was immediately horrified at my actions.
I looked at the ladies and they all burst out laughing, saying that Edna would have just loved that.

 

[MarkT]

Sitting in my office when the HGK rushed in calling for an ambulance as a guy had collapsed on the 17th fairway.
We then rushed out to him and he died a few minutes later. He was 35 years old married with two young kids and had no previous health issues. Sudden brain bleed.
Ambulance crew said that we had done all the right things and not to beat ourselves up about it.
During my life I have probably been first responder to 4 or 5 deaths on my courses and many medical emergencies but this one was tough and had a long lasting affect on the HGK and I.
Most of my golf staff were trained in basic first aid and we were proud of our ability to react to medical emergencies.

On a lighter note [perhaps] I was a asked to scatter a former popular lady captain's ashes on the course.
A dozen or so stood with me at the requested spot, on the back of a golf tee.
I had not done this before and the ashes came out of the jar in a big blob making a small pile on the tee.
I automatically smoothed it out with my foot and was immediately horrified at my actions.
I looked at the ladies and they all burst out laughing, saying that Edna would have just loved that.

Thank god for the second story, the first one is horrific.

 

[harpo_72]

I was playing out in Indianapolis, when we had time away my Japanese company director would ask me to book up a golf slot for all the guys who were golfers. He would then pick up the bill. Initially it was just him and me and then the Japanese engineering team started to join us.
But on this trip we were playing a nice course just outside Indianapolis. We were about half way round when the hooter went off for a thunderstorm. So we were looking to get back, but it was overhead quick. We both got out the buggy and he took my clubs off and threw them to me. The storm was directly over the course and I remember just throwing them to one side and running towards the green keepers shed. When we got there, the bag was not struck but the tree 3metres away from it was ... so pretty lucky! The storm went away and we carried on the round laughing about our good luck.

 

[USER1999]

Playing in Florida on year with my 80 year old Dad. We were about as far from the club house as you could be when the storm hit. We high tailed it back to the parking lot in our buggy, but by the time we got there, we were soaked. Like just got out of a swimming pool soaked.
Priority was getting back to the condo, so Dad could warm up, so we just abandoned the buggy by the car, forgot about getting a rain check, and scooted home.
2 days later my wife got into the front seat of the car, and instantly had soaking trousers like she had wet herself.

 

[chrisd]

Got my putter stuck up a tree. A few minutes later, there were two rakes up there too, trying to dislodge it. Green keeper had to rescue the lot on Monday.

Lost my sand wedge in a Holly Bush. Had to come back on Monday evening to look for it. Luckily didn't need the ladder I had brought.

Got hit in the side of my head by a golf ball hit by a vicar. No shout, full 6i, didn't even bounce before it bounced off my head.

I too have lost to ChrisD, at least twice. I now have the solution to this. I am not going to play against him again, unless I have Jobr or Lillyhawk on my team.

You should join up with Virtuocity- he wrecked my 100% record in the Whippersnappers meets the last time it was played ??

 

[DanFST]

Hit My ex's father who was on another fairway, this was after we'd split up.

I shanked it over a set of trees. I've never seen anyone end up there from my tee, ever.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Missed a putt as a junior and stood there and put the putter back over the top of my head only to hit my partner in the head as he moved in to get a look at the line. Gave him a massive egg on the forehead. Ooops

 

[Sats]

This didn't happen to me but my brother, about 5-6 years ago during summer. My brother and I were playing at Ashford and on the 6th I think my brother sent his ball into the woods on the left. He went in and stood right in a wasp nest. He came out like a banshee swatting away the angry insects.

 

[PNWokingham]

Hit my drive into a small area of trees and had a fair way to go to the green. Pulled out my 4 wood and had a good area to swing in, so was confident of getting it close to the green. All I had to do was make sure the ball went to the left of a small tree just about 5 meters in front of me...what thought goes through my head on my backswing? Yep, 'Hope I don't hit that tree'...sure enough caught it dead centre and the ball shot back and hit me in the upper thigh! Dropped to the ground like a sack of smelly stuff...my PP's started coming towards me being slightly concerned, but then they felt relieved when they heard me giggling. It was actually a mixture of pain and how bloody stupid I felt.

Bruise lasted about a month...and we lost that hole!

CK

similar. Nearly five years ago i was right next to the small tree and hat to lean back slighlty to stop the club hitting the tree - but the ball did and i dropped like a sack of spuds as my eye took the full force and split my eye in three, helped by my glasses

 

[USER1999]

similar. Nearly five years ago i was right next to the small tree and hat to lean back slighlty to stop the club hitting the tree - but the ball did and i dropped like a sack of spuds as my eye took the full force and split my eye in three, helped by my glasses

I was wondering when you were going to post. If ever a thread was made for you, this was going to be it.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I was wondering when you were going to post. If ever a thread was made for you, this was going to be it.

All in the timing. With that, go too soon and the threads done and dusted.

 

[lobthewedge]

Played in a corporate day once, where given the amount of ’only game a year’ golfers it was decided to play a texas scramble. Being one of the lowest handicaps I was given three of the higher handicappers to round out the team. Not a problem, happy to play with anyone and sure we could get at least 3 drives from everybody and enjoy our day.
Fast forward 5 hours and we are on the last tee, having not been able to take a single drive from the fairway for the previous 6 holes, the last 2 being played from trees. It’s a medium length par 4, I’ve told John (who it turns out had never swung a club in his life) to just take whatever club he is comfortable with and just keep it in play. He takes his trusty 7 iron and shanks it into a ditch on the neighbouring fairway.
Long day, and only time I have ever heard of anyone taking a penalty shot in a scramble!

The other memorable day was when I played with a guy who genuinely suffered from Tourette’s, and ticked every time one of us putted. By the 3rd hole Im thinking it’s a wind up and looking for hidden cameras!