In HS, I was playing golf with some teammates. We are on a par 3. I hit and put it on the green. I stand about 5 ft to the side of the tee box and a little forward. Sure enough, my teammate shanks one right into my left calf. Ouch!
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She didn't take out a recent life insurance policy on you did she?My wife almost hit me two rounds ago, she hit a pretty bad wayward shot which hit the tree I was standing under and dropped 1' next to me. Give her a lot of crap for that
NO, but I informed her that I'd added a rider on my policy that says there are not golf "accidents" if she's with me.She didn't take out a recent life insurance policy on you did she?
Not your fault that you had trees that blocked your view and couldn't see him. Things like that just happen and it was a fluke accident that your ball happened to hit him. You definitely did right offering the help that you did. It would be one thing if you were in the middle of the fairway and could see him but you were blocked out and couldn't see, which makes the friend that got in your face a big richard.I've got an exact opposite story, I actually hit someone a few years ago, pretty badly. We had been following a group of young guys around all evening who had been so slow and just messing about, but we weren't in a hurry and just enjoying the summer evening. The 18th was just a straigh par 4 about 400 yards, slightly downhill with parallel fairways on both sides. We waited until they were on the green and drove off, I had pulled my drive over the trees onto the left hand fairway and couldn't see the green for trees. Walked back into the middle of our fairway and waited until they had putted out, marked their cards and walked off the green onto the path behind. I absolutely flushed a 9 iron over the trees and cam out from behind the trees happily expecting to see my ball in the middle of the green. But all I saw was the 4 ball ahead who had obviously walked back onto the green, and one of them was bent over. I ran up all the way and there was blood pouring out of his head - apparently they had left a wedge by the green and came back to pick it up, without knowing it I had launched one flush onto his head. I have never felt so bad in my life, offered to drive him to the hospital, pay for a taxi to get him there, put money behind the bar in the clubhouse for beers for them, whatever they wanted me to do. The guy I hit was absolutely fine with things, fully accepted it was his own fault, but one of his buddies was right in my face and it nearly turned ugly. Thankfully there was no permanent harm done, but I shook for almost a week afterwards and to this day am still terrified of hitting a ball whenever there is anyone in anywhere close proximity. I didn't play for a couple of months after that, and still breaks me out in a sweat now!
Last week I played with a couple guys who were very casual golfers. They were walking off the greens as soon as their putts dropped, had no understanding of when it was their turn to play, and parking their carts IN MY SHOT PATH! Fortunately we didn’t have any issues, but it was frustrating and potentially dangerous.I've been lucky, I guess - in almost 35 years of playing I've only been hit on the bounce a few times, with enough speed scrubbed off that it didn't do anything more than sting a bit at worst. Funny that this thread popped back up, though - lately since we've been going out in single carts a lot, we've all gotten a bit lax about going forward to our balls before others have hit - not in their line, well off to the sides, but could still be in danger from an errant shot. I thought about it once today and realized I was a little too close for comfort on one shot in particular - probably not a bad idea to play it a little safer.
As a lefty, it's this exact scenario that I fear... and I try to get the far end left side slot when I'm at the driving range to try to avoid hitting someone with a shank.I've been hit pretty hard twice. Both were accidents, and came without 'FORE'warning.
-First one happened at a shotgun start shamble. I was already in the hole, holding the flagstick with my back to the fairway when I took an incoming shot to the right 'cheek' from about 200 yards out. Thankfully my wallet took the brunt of it but the impact still knocked me to one knee and I had a a decent sized butt bruise for a week or so. Thing is the group hitting into us didn't even know we were up there. We started off on the par 5 par 8th at Branson Hills. That green is completely blind from the 180-230 go-zone in the fairway due to a big hill in between. Their opening hole was hundreds of yards away in another valley where #8 tee was never visible either. Yes, they should've drove up to see if the green was clear. The guy who hit it felt awful but he sure was left with a sweet eagle putt on a shot that likely would've kicked well over the green.
-Second one happened last year at a driving range I frequent. It must've knocked me out for a second because I still remember how weird it was when I came to. Sitting there holding my driver in one hand and a ball in the other while the driving range came into focus in front of me and patrons rushing over to help. Then the PAIN registered. I was told I was bent over placing a ball on the tee when the lefty a couple stalls to my right shanked one off my forehead just above my right eye (thankfully it missed my eye). Worst of it wasn't the dimpled egg that formed over my eye or the headache, it was the crying. The lefty was a high school girl there with friends. All good kids who were all enjoying themselves and I'm always thankful when I see kids taking up an interest in our game like that. Poor thing was so shaken and unconsolable. Kept saying she'd never try this again. I did my best to tell it happens all the time to everyone, that I was fine, that they were all doing good and I hoped they'd enjoy golf all their lives like I had. I raised three daughters, I know how awful each of mine would've felt in her shoes. I've not seen her there since but I hope I do someday. FWIW, the owner of the range immediately built larger dividers for in between the hitting stalls.
-Also been some near misses and a couple that were pretty much out of gas as they kicked softly off a shoe or similar. Most were proceeded by 'FORE' thankfully.
I get the end slot, but the lefty thing not as much. Is it just because it's potentially at their face? Because one to the back of the head is likely to be worse. The forehead/crown is actually designed more for impact.As a lefty, it's this exact scenario that I fear... and I try to get the far end left side slot when I'm at the driving range to try to avoid hitting someone with a shank.
Ah I agree with you completely, and all logic and reason say you're right. Still makes me sweat just thinking about it though, was the most awful experience I've ever had on a golf course, and especially I'm someone who tends to overthink a lot of things. Console myself with the old 'could have been worse' scenario. Only upside was that it was a sweet sweet 9 iron!Not your fault that you had trees that blocked your view and couldn't see him. Things like that just happen and it was a fluke accident that your ball happened to hit him. You definitely did right offering the help that you did. It would be one thing if you were in the middle of the fairway and could see him but you were blocked out and couldn't see, which makes the friend that got in your face a big richard.