Question:
Since several people have posted comments regarding my statement "golf is an inherently dangerous sport", I thought a reply might be helpful for clarification purposes. Golf IS inherently dangerous. A quick review of case law involving golfers and golf courses will silence any opposing argument. Let’s consider some of the more obvious risks…. Golf Balls: For all intents and purposes, a golf ball is a missile. A projectile fired at high velocity and without the benefit of a reliable aiming device (my apologies to anyone whose game I just offended). Golf Clubs: Any hard object that is swung within the close proximity of others is a recognizable hazard – whether it be a golf club, bat, hammer, etc. The percentage of golf injuries involving victims being hit by golf clubs is surprisingly high. The number of different methods by which one can be hit by a golf club is amazing. Most of us immediately think of a person walking too close to a golfer swinging the club. Let’s not forget that clubs can be projectiles – intentional and unintentional. And, then there are those cases where a person slams his or her club in anger at a fixed object and hurts a hand or wrist. Or, the shaft breaks and the club bounces back and hits the person. In one case, the hapless golfer was stabbed with the broken end of the shaft. Golf Spikes: Even with the popularity of soft spikes, many golfers are still wearing steel spikes. Spikes greatly increase the risk of trip, slip, and fall injuries. They only assist the golfer when the spikes are able to penetrate a softer surface, such as soil or grass. Additionally, spikes often catch on surfaces or objects lying on the surface (such as mats or the edge of carpeted areas in and around the clubhouse, etc.). Now, put spikes on a golfer who has had one too many on the course or at the 19th hole….. Golf Carts: Collisions involving carts vs. pedestrians (golfers on foot are pedestrians even on the golf course) and cars are quite common and often very serious. Golf course architects, owners/operators, and the person driving the golf cart are often held liable by juries. In particular, golf course architects, owners, and operators are held accountable for recognizing the risk of carts, automobiles, and pedestrians operating in close proximity to each other and designing cart paths and parking lots to direct traffic (cart, vehicular, and pedestrian) in such a manner as to reduce this risk. Incidents on the course and facilities involving just golf carts are quite common. Failure to properly set the parking brake, passengers and drivers being thrown from or hit by the cart, carts traveling off the cart path and over drop-offs, etc. are all common incidents causing injuries that initiate litigation againt course owners and operators. Natural Hazards: This category includes environmental conditions on the golf course and "acts of God". Environmental conditions are items such as bunkers, water hazards, soil conditions (loose, hard packed, etc.), topography (probably the most common culprit), trees, water (rain, snow, and ice), etc. These are all conditions that can cause golfers to loose their footing, twist an ankle, loose control of the golf cart, etc. Even, animals common to golf courses (squirrels, birds, gophers, etc.) can be hazards. A common injury occurs when golfers unknowingly step into gopher holes and twist an ankle. One golfer found out the hard way that it is generally best to leave those cute little squirrels alone. He was feeding candy to the squirrel when it bit down on his finger and wouldn’t let go. In an attempt to get it off, he flailed his arm around. He got the squirrel off, but not before it stripped the flesh off his finger. Ouch! Acts of God include flooding, wind, lightning, falling trees, etc. Golfers have been trapped in flash floods, which are common to desert courses. Golf clubs make a handy lightning rod – just ask Lee Trevino and Mark O’Grady (O’Grady blames his chronic back problems, which ended his golf career, on the lightning strike). Golfers have been injured and even killed by falling trees and tree limbs. In a famous home video, an old tree that was rotted at the base toppled over and struck four golfers on an adjacent tee box. One of the golfers was killed. The golf course was sued under a negligence theory for failing to remove the tree, which the plaintiff claimed it knew was diseased and rotted. Negligent Maintenance of the Golf Course and Related Facilities: This category includes safety issues common to most residential and commercial property, plus several that are specific to golf courses. Additionally, maintenance equipment and materials are used or stored in close proximity to golfers and other individuals. This category includes the chemicals and other materials used by greenskeepers. In one tragic case, a child mistakenly thought that the yellow liquid in the drums next to the greenskeeper’s office was lemonade. He died of pesticide poisoning. Traffic: Golf courses are increasingly being constructed in conjunction with residential developments. These courses commonly wind in and around the housing development. Golfers can be required to cross one or more streets in traveling between holes. These are just of few of the most obvious hazards that exist for golfers. I plan to address some of these hazards in further detail in subsequent articles. Some of these may seem ridiculously obvious, minor, or unlikely that they should not even be considered hazards. This type of thinking has been the downfall for many a golf course architect, owner, operator, AND golfer. Rule of Thumb: Don’t ever underestimate the stupidity of people! To answer speculation voiced by several people on RSG, I am not an attorney. I am a risk management expert and legal investigator. While I do have a good understanding of the law, I am not a lawyer and do not dispense legal advice. Any reference to interpretation of law in my articles is simply information taken from case files and other materials. Also, my intent for these articles is not to encourage litigation. I simply want to share information that might make golfers and industry professionals more aware of the potential for injury on the golf course and related facilities. Fore is to be forewarned….
Response:
Taking this in to consideration I would have to say owning a cat IS inherently dangerous. I say this because many times when going to feed him I have bumped my head. Additionally, I have tripped over him on my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Being from California I think that what we need to do is place a 10 day waiting period (cool down) on Golf Clubs. And due to the extra danger that is inherent during holidays I propose that we ban all sales of Golf Balls during the two weeks prior to any major holiday. Rule of Thumb: Don’t ever underestimate the stupidity of people! To answer speculation voiced by several people on RSG, I am not an attorney. I am a risk management expert and legal investigator. While I do have a good understanding of the law, I am not a lawyer and do not dispense legal advice. Any reference to interpretation of law in my articles is simply information taken from case files and other materials
JSMIS CA PI 19541 "Fully Y2K Compliant"
Response:
<clip Fore is to be forewarned….
Then please say "Fore" before you write another novelette -:) "Someone likes every shot" bk
Response:
In rec.sport.golf Taking this in to consideration I would have to say owning a cat IS inherently dangerous. I say this because many times when going to feed him I have bumped my head. Additionally, I have tripped over him on my way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Excellent points. All one has to do to determine if it is "inherently dangerous" is to look at the number of balls hit and clubs swung in a year, and then look at the number of deaths and accidents. I think you will find that compared to any contact sport, or even riding a bicycle, it is far from inherently dangerous. Bruce in Katy Texas