Hmm, there is only one par 4 on Sandhill....so, they hit into you at least twice on Par 3s? It is almost unfathomable that a group tees off on a par 3 before the group ahead is off the green and on their way. It is time for those that know the rules to stand their ground and for the ambassadors to step up and admonish those who commit this etiquette/safety violation before further injuries occur.

What the heck is going on out there? Inexperienced golfers, impatient people, or ??

How timely for thread and embarrasing for me
 

Yesterday, Bonifay, par 5 big down wind, 305 from green, group on green. I gave a 3 wood a mighty lash, expecting if I really caught one it would roll out to 260-280 down wind on firm fairways...

As we approached the green, my ball was not short in front, it was on back collar. My heart sank. I dropped my wife off and raced to the next tee at 19.6 MPH and apologized. It was roundly accepted and in fact one of them was shocked how far his ball went. My best guess is it landed 60 - 70 yards short....

I am glad they were nice guys and have played golf enough to understand an accident.

Gonna have to start calling you AJ McIlroy. 300 yd 3 wood? Yikes

How did this happen at Sandhill? There is only 1 par 4 on that course. Did they hit into your group when you where on a par 3? If the did then they are absolute idiots. Yes, the play can be slow on the execs during the winter season but that is no excuse.

That's what I'm talking about...the "career" shot. Yeah it went into them but rolling I would imagine (300yds in the air I don't think so). AJ did the right thing and explained that he never thought it would go so far... They accepted that.....no harm no foul

To be hit into on a par 3 is just dangerous with no regard for potential injury. It is common sense. Etiquettte is waiting until the carts cleared the area. Even if it backed up and you feel you MUST hurry things along do it when it is clear......

Come on April!

Exactly Russ. I e played behind some slow folks but never would hit like this.

:bigbow:

Almost the same, I smoke a 3 wood down wind with 70 yards of roll for 300, Rory chokes down a 3-wood, plays a fade to take some distance off and flies it 300....

Watching the tour players and the distance they are hitting shots is crazy. The USGA lost control of the ball sometime in the late 90s and it is never going back. Kind of a shame if you ask me, but that is for another thread.....

AJ,
Did you make eagle? :bigbow:

Ouch! He's lucky to be okay.....a fellow in Orlando was killed last year when hit by a ball.

Congrats AJ. Big difference in this situation and hitting when someone is 120 yards in front of you. New to golf or not, it's hard for me to imagine someone not having better sense than that.

Not sure where you got these "rules," but these are not the Rules of Golf. There is no excuse for hitting a ball ever is someone is 120 feet in front of you.

And, um, if you hit an errant shot that endangers someone, the purpose of yelling "fore" is to protect the other player from injury or death, not to avoid being sued.

Ouch
 

Watch it out there....that could really hurt someone badly! anyone ever been killed like that?

...

Interesting article. I wouldn't have thought that.

Golf And The Law

The New York Courts of Appeals, the highest court in New York State and the equivalent of other states’ Supreme Court, has ruled that a golfer need not yell “Fore” on a mis-hit shot. According to the Court of Appeals, those participating in sporting and recreational events assume the risks associated with the activity. In the case of golf, that includes getting hit with an errant shot.

The case before the Court involved three golfers playing on a Long Island course. Two members of the threesome hit their balls into the deep rough. Both located their balls. As the one in front turned to announce that he had found his ball, the player behind swung at his ball and shanked it, hitting the other in the head. For non-golfers, a shank is a shot hit, usually hit off the hosel [the part of the shaft that attaches to the club face], that flies off at an angle not intended by the golfer.

In this instance, the player who was hit was a neuroradiologist who lost sight in one eye and was unable to continue working due to the injury. New York’s Court of Appeals upheld rulings by the lower courts dismissing the case. The Court explained that intentional or reckless conduct may result in a legitimate claim, but that was not the case here. Being struck by an unintentionally shanked shot, according to the Court of Appeals, “reflects a commonly appreciated risk of golf.”

Golf etiquette in determining when one should strike one’s ball was apparently not a consideration in the Court’s determination. Still, it is very uncool to sue one’s long time playing partner over an errant shot…just ask Dick Cheney’s hunting partner [not a shanked shot, but a cheap shot on my part]. The two golfers had been playing partners for years.