Question:
I have been reading the exchanges regarding players hitting into groups ahead of them with some interest as I am a very new player and wanted to know how to avoid mistakes on the course. Since I can’t hit the ball great distances, I don’t worry about hitting anyone since I always wait until they are at least 200 yards away or off the green before hitting. While playing today with my wife, I got a very clear lesson into the mentality of some golfers: presumably those who seem to generate such anger in some of the posts. We weren’t playing slowly: the group in front of us never finished on the green before we were ready to tee off. But some reason that I cannot understand, one of the players following us hit his second shot on a par four directly at us while we were on the green. He barely missed my wife and managed to hit me with on the bounce. I yelled and turned to see who had done this without any warning shouts. The two fellows behind us both seemed to have something behind a tree that required their attention. I waited until both of them were looking and threw the offending ball into the nearby creek. Three holes later the fellow who hit me called to me from across a creek and said he was sorry he had hit an "errant" shot and he apologized. I told him his "errant" shot and hit me and I wasn’t happy about it. He repeated his errant story and asked if I was going to apologize for throwing his ball in the creek. At that point, I started to leave the golf cart but my wife intervened and we finished the round. The errant golfer never got another ball close to us. So for you golfers out there, why did he hit me? He was playing from the blue tees so he must have known his second shot would make it to the green and into my wife and me. Is it common practice to wait several holes to make a half hearted apology and then ask the victim for an apology in return? My ususal sport is tennis. I have been hit with the ball many times and hit people with it in turn. Never have I seen such rudeness and callous disregard for others and this "golfer" exhibited. Why aren’t such players banned from all courses? SS
Response:
<Snip So for you golfers out there, why did he hit me? He was playing from the blue tees so he must have known his second shot would make it to the green and into my wife and me. Is it common practice to wait several holes to make a half hearted apology and then ask the victim for an apology in return?
Steve, You asked for a reason and here it is: HE IS AN IDIOT! I played with a veteran golfer this past summer and we were hit into like that. No one was hit, but the old guy fell down on the ground and played possum to make the clown feel as stupid as he obviosly was. It was one of the funniest things reactions I’d ever seen. The guy who hit the shot and his two playmates (fearing legal prosecution) left the course immediately thinking he may have badly hurt someone with his bravado. It’s a sad commentary that they left without finding out if anyone was injured. Thankfully people like that aren’t in the majority. Most of the people I’ve played with over the past ten years have been great folks. I hope you encounter more of them! al
Response:
I’m fairly new myself, and I’ve been SUPER careful NEVER to hit into the group ahead of me. But BEFORE I got my irons under control, I sliced a few ONTO the next fairway (*blush*). WHEN this happend, I couldn’t see if their was anyone on this fairway, but I stilled YELLED FOUR as loud as I could, just in case. My ball did land about 20 yards in front of a group, and I made SURE I approached them (after waiting for them to hit their shots) and apoligized for my errant hit. This, to me, is common sense. This IDIOT (as he was described very accurately) is not the common golfer as far as I know. IF I ever get hit, I REALLY hope the person has a REALLY good reason. I have had one group hit into my group. It happened once and I let it go. But when it happened a second time, I pointed to him, then the ball, then smacked it into the woods. There is NO reason for people to hit into groups. None. Douglass "Saying my Peace"
Response:
Not all people are like the one in previous post. My home course has a "blind" downhill off the tee on #18. We were down in the bottom playing our second shot (third for 1 guy) and a guy in the group behind us comes speeding down in his cart to apologize for just hitting into us. He hadn’t realized we were there. We said "You did"? We never seen the ball as it was a good 50 yards back. When we got to the clubhouse he apologized again. We told him it wasn’t necessary because it was too far back to bother us. I can’t say everyone is that polite, but I’ve never had anyone purposely hit into me or show outright rudeness on the course. Bryan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We weren’t playing slowly: the group in front of us never finished on the green before we were ready to tee off. But some reason that I cannot understand, one of the players following us hit his second shot on a par four directly at us while we were on the green. He barely missed my wife and managed to hit me with on the bounce. I yelled and turned to see who had done this without any warning shouts. The two fellows behind us both seemed to have something behind a tree that required their attention. I waited until both of them were looking and threw the offending ball into the nearby creek. Three holes later the fellow who hit me called to me from across a creek and said he was sorry he had hit an "errant" shot and he apologized. I told him his "errant" shot and hit me and I wasn’t happy about it. He repeated his errant story and asked if I was going to apologize for throwing his ball in the creek. At that point, I started to leave the golf cart but my wife intervened and we finished the round. The errant golfer never got another ball close to us. So for you golfers out there, why did he hit me? He was playing from the blue tees so he must have known his second shot would make it to the green and into my wife and me. Is it common practice to wait several holes to make a half hearted apology and then ask the victim for an apology in return?
Response:
Why aren’t
such players banned from all courses?<< If one belonged to a private club you could file a complaint. If a few were filed the player would be warned and if he had another complaint, possibly have his privileges suspended. The only time I might inadvertently hit close to someone is on a par 5. If I am 260 off the tee and the group behind me is waiting to hit [and likely saying "this guy can't get home from there!"] I "might" hit my second shot to a moderate par 5 that is 520. If I nail the three wood I could possibly get home, but I’m certain no one will be harmed because the ball would roll the last 20 yds. Generally, I’ll miss because I don’t want to be rude to the people in front [subconcious screw up], yet I don’t want to hold up the people on the tee. That is the only situation I could think of where someone might inadvertently hit into someone, and I would surely apologize as quickly as possible. — Tinnitus faq: http://www.cccd.edu/faq/tinnitus.html hyperacusis: http://www.visi.com/~minuet/hearing/hyperacusis/hacusis.html hazell’s habituation therapy: http://www.tinnitus.org
Response:
We weren’t playing slowly: the group in front of us never finished on the green before we were ready to tee off. But some reason that I cannot understand, one of the players following us hit his second shot on a par four directly at us while we were on the green. He barely missed my wife and managed to hit me with on the bounce. I yelled and turned to see who had done this without any warning shouts. The two fellows behind us both seemed to have something behind a tree that required their attention. I waited until both of them were looking and threw the offending ball into the nearby creek.
Reasonable reaction, I sometimes just pick up the ball and keep it when I am hit into. Three holes later the fellow who hit me called to me from across a creek and said he was sorry he had hit an "errant" shot and he apologized. I told him his "errant" shot and hit me and I wasn’t happy about it. He repeated his errant story and asked if I was going to apologize for throwing his ball in the creek. At that point, I started to leave the golf cart but my wife intervened and we finished the round. The errant golfer never got another ball close to us.
That takes a lot of nerve, for him to ask you to apologize. He hit you with a golf ball, endangering your life (not an exaggeration) and wanted you to apologize for the loss of a $1 golf ball? What a jerk. So for you golfers out there, why did he hit me? He was playing from the blue tees so he must have known his second shot would make it to the green and into my wife and me. Is it common practice to wait several holes to make a half hearted apology and then ask the victim for an apology in return?
I have hit into the group in front of me on only a couple of occaisons. They were all accidental (blind shots). But I always make a point to apologize as soon as I have the opportunity. Today, I was teeing off on a 320 yard par-4 that drops towards the green. It’s about 230 yards to the drop. The group in front of me hit their balls and drove to the green, going out of sight. I blasted a 3-wood and actually carried to past the dropoff point. As soon as I got up to the green, I jogged over to the next teebox and apologized. They said "No problem, we didn’t even see it until we were up on the green". I would say that is a better way to handle that situation. Whenever someone hits into a group, it is their fault. To ask for an apology from the person you hit is ridiculous. My ususal sport is tennis. I have been hit with the ball many times and hit people with it in turn. Never have I seen such rudeness and callous disregard for others and this "golfer" exhibited. Why aren’t such players banned from all courses?
There are assholes playing every sport. This guy was one of them. Most golfers are not like that. Chris
Response:
Not only is this a really stupid thing to do but it is dangerous as well. People can and do get killed by golf balls. Not very often I’m sure, but it has been known to happen. I was once hit on the shoulder, on the full from a guy on the tee behind me. That one really hurt, let me tell you. We were in the rough and he later claimed he hadn’t seen me, but it was probably because I was 13 years old and getting in his way. So I came within approx 2" from being killed… Scared the crap out of me and I never never never hit up on people until I am absolutly certain I will not reach them, and if someone hits up on me I stomp their ball into the turf with the spikes on my heel… They generally don’t do it again… If it happens that people keep doing it I would walk to the nearest course employee and report the person, they would be thrown off the course or I would want to know why, I’m sure the other members of my group would support me in that action. Cliff Manley
Response:
So for you golfers out there, why did he hit me? He was playing from the blue tees so he must have known his second shot would make it to the green and into my wife and me. Is it common practice to wait several holes to make a half hearted apology and then ask the victim for an apology in return?
The guy is obviously an idiot. He was offbase in hitting to the green while you and your wife were on it and in not apologizing to both of you immediately. He certainly has no grounds to ask you to apologize for disposing of his ball. My ususal sport is tennis. I have been hit with the ball many times and hit people with it in turn. Never have I seen such rudeness and callous disregard for others and this "golfer" exhibited. Why aren’t such players banned from all courses?
Did you report him to a marshall or to someone in the clubhouse? It would be tough for them to do anything if they didn’t know about it.