Hit by a golfball?

I just got out of the hospital.. I was nearing the third teebox today when a stray ball from the 2nd hole tee came my way. I heard the "fore!!", looked up, and sure enough, there it was 5 feet from my hea.. WHACK! I got his with a ball that travelled around 170 yards to hit me square in the head, right above my hairline. It split my skin to the skull and i needed 5 stiches. I'm pretty proud of the fact that i didnt black out of puke, but it was close. I was absolutely soaked in blood. Lovely huh? Oh, and I've only been playing for 3 months, talk about discouragement. I mean, what are the odds??? I'll see if I can post a picture of the wound in the forums somewhere. I guess my question would be, does anyone see something wrong with one holes green being about 20 yards away from the next tee box with only a few 20 foot trees separating the fairways?

Ouch,


Frank it hurt reading that. Hope your recovering well. I to have been hit but not quite the same way. Luckily mine was from 260 yds and it had bounced and hit my shoulder (I know doesn't even count ). As far as your question goes, I have found that a lot of new courses that have been built on big open plots of land that did not have many mature trees on have had to try and plant trees. This is all very well, but the trees are often not very big and as has proven with your encounter do not provide much separation of holes. I am interested to know is this a relatively new course? Also 20 yards is quite a close distance to have a green and tee, normally they would have signs or the like warning against stray balls.

All the best and get well soon.

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Greg Hutton
Director & Head PGA Professional
golftuitiononline.com | the global golf forum
3skillsgolf Instructor

Hi Greg,


I just find it funny that out of the millions of people who have played for years and years without ever being hit by a ball, here I am, playing for 3 months and I get one right in the skull. There were no signs, no nothing really. It is a toronto public course, has been around since the 50's and the trees there are just not the right type of trees. There are a number of teeboxes that are caged, some of them way further apart than the one I was at yesterday. Btw, I tried to post a picture in in my original post, but it just kept failing. Ill try posting it to the picture forums... cheers

This is a common problem in the UK. Especially on the numerous 9 hole ' pay and play' courses.

I am a member of a well respected and looked after club. But even the 9 hole course used for practice and for beginners has a tee right beside the driving range fence.

Some pulled drives of more than 200yds from the nearer bays can put you of your swing, literally!!!!!

A small tupperware bowl, of the right size, inserted into cap may be the answer.

Any way, it does make the game exciting.

Oh yes, I have been hit once, that was on the knee. By my own ball. 3 fairway wood full bore hit marker post in middle of fairway 30yds away, ball came straight back and whack. Hopping mad to say the least.

I was hit by a golf ball on the left side of my head. It happened at a driving range. The mats had wooden stalls between hitting areas, the grass did not. I was hitting from the grass. Another man started hitting balls to my left. He either shanked it or hit it off the toe. Ithit me just above my left ear. Luckily it wasn't going very fast and did not do any significant damage.

Frank,
That pretty unlucky most people play for decades and never get hit, my only concern is that when you heard "FORE" the ball was only five feet away. A pretty poor call I'll say.

If I played one of these tight courses I would consider buying one of thoses reinforced caps from the JCB plant shop.

Hope your fit for this weekends golf.


Ian.

The best thing to do is shout "FORE !" as soon as you see the ball going in the vague direction of another golfer. It doesn't do any harm and it's best to be safe than sorry.

I have been hit twice by golf balls! and I have been hit by a full driver - I was actually hit on the side of my chest by the driver!!!

The funniest of the two was about 6 months ago. I was standing teaching a young lady and she shanked the ball and it hit me just below the knee. When I say it came at me at 90* - it really was 90*!!! I fell to the ground, in fact I didn't even feel myself go down. I have NEVER been in so much pain in my life. I could hardly breathe!

The driver wasn't so funny!
I was doing a 9-hole playing lesson with 2 clients. As I was teaching one of them, unbeknown to me the other was taking "air" swings with his driver behind me like he was trying to swat a flying insect. As I stepped back, the arc of his swing collided with the side of my chest and dropped me like a stone. I really thought I would be applying for the teaching job at the Country Club in the Sky!

Aaaah, the hazards of being a teaching pro!

I was almost hit in the chest by a putt too! This is a funny story... I was doing a lesson with a beginner. He really was struggling with his putting he would hit the ball about a 3rd of the way to the hole time after time. I hadn't given up, but close! I said to him "ok, give it a full swing, hit it hard!". The idiot takes a 3/4 backswing and smashes the bloody ball, he takes a nice shallow divot and the ball wizzes straight towards me! I must have looked like a deer in the highlights!! I froze initially, it took me totally by suprise but at the last second I jumped out the way and it wizzed passed by navel and skimmed against my shirt.

We never found the ball, which seves him right! I should have charged him double!

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)