Odd Situation...How would you have reacted?

I am on the third hole. It is a 298 yard, par 4, downhill...My dad and I both drive it under the trees on the left. We punch out, into the middle of the fairway. The group behind us is on the tee box. I look back, and they both seem to be fine waiting for us to advance after we punched out. I hurry, get my sandwedge out, and hit my approach from about 90 yards..

As I'm in the MIDDLE OF MY BACKSWING, the ball SAILS a FOOT past my head on the fly...And proceeds to bounce at least 10 yards past my dad and I. Somehow, I hit a really good shot, not sure how, so I wasn't as furious as I would've been if it was a terrible shot...but how could the guy not see me in the middle of the fairway? The hole is slightly downhill, but it is not a blind shot from the tee box. So, we finish out the hole, and I say, 'Sir, you almost hit me with your tee shot. I'd appreciate it if you yelled FORE next time...'...He comes back to me and says, 'Well, sorry but, I really didn't see you...you were down near the trees on the left...' So I say, 'I punched out to this spot, and I'm only 200 yards out from the tee box, you can't be hitting when I'm in the middle of the fairway...' so he then says back, 'Look, you were down by the trees. How am I supposed to know you moved back to the fairway?'...At this point I was PISSED. I had my life flash about a foot from me, and the guy is making a big deal about this...'I said, look, you almost killed me and didn't yell fore. If you want to make this a big deal we can.' He says to me, 'Don't be a wise guy...just go play the next hole.'

At this point, my dad is pretty much up in the guys face, and after a few more words with him, he finally apolgizes and we move on the rest of the day...but it was upsetting that it had to escalate into a heated argument...

I just don't know what the guy was thinking? How could he not see me? I'm in the middle of the fairway, give me a break. It's a hole that a lot of people can reach the green because it's downhill, and mostly downwind as well...he's nuts for me to be 90 yards out from the green and him to hit...

I was pretty upset with the way I was treated. I thought I approaced him respectfully, and then he gives me loud mouth back, so I just gave it right back to him. And because I'm 16, (he didn't see my dad) he thought he could kind of 'boss me around...' It was so unfair IMO the way he treated me, I was close to just letting loose on him, and punching him in the face...lol.

So yeah, here's another one of these stories...

You did exactly what you should've done, and your dad seemed like he did the right thing to stick up for you.

I'd definitely be pretty irritated as well. There's no reason you should be teeing up on a 298 yard hole until the people in front of you are on the green or for someone who knows they can really crush it, done with the hole.

Yeah, you are in the right here.

I almost got nailed like that a while ago, but the dude sliced his drive into my fairway and right before I began my swing, I felt and heard the ball go right past my right ear... Dude never yelled four, but he couldn't see me at all cause of the trees.... But standing in the middle of the fairway... That is ridicolous.

Wow that's crazy. You did nothing wrong. The guy who almost hit you, on the other hand, had no business teeing off like he did in this situation.

I don't like to start things, when I golfed yesterday a guy Carried his Drive 310 yards and landing 5 feet from us with his drive. We were polite about it and laughed, mistakes happen.
(Although.. I did almost hit him So i guess that was payback)

Your situation is different, Don't know what I what have done, probably just ignored it.

Ya i was gofling with Dent yesterday and the ball landed on are tee box 5 feet infront of us (could tell from the divot) And the ball shot through my feet. As scary as that is im usually cool cuz they were really good about it and yelled four as loud as they could but a hill sits between us so you can't even see them so the guys voice couldn't carry to us. Greatest round of golf tho shot my best score at the course, lowered my handicap by .8 and it was from the tips

I love he tells you where you were , then says he couldnt see you.

Even if he didnt see you, when he was watching the ball go down the fairway he had to see you.

you handled it really well, i dont think theres a chance of a polite conversation after almost getting hit in the head.

It seems like that situation could have been resolved a lot more favorably had that guy not reacted like such a dbag and just apologized.

I'm sure you're right about it having something to do with the fact that you're 16 so he thought he could just scare you and get on with it. Your dad should have punched him in the ear.

The guy shouldn't have even teed off unless you were a) on the green and he knows he can't reach you or b) waited for you to finish the hole

Luckily it wasn't me because I have the temper of a hot headed irishman and it could've escalated into a physical argument.

You did the right thing though, don't feel guilty of anything

Some people are just jerks. He is one of them. I'm impressed that you still managed to hit a good third shot.

I think you handled it well. Lately I've used a more diplomatic approach but at your age and in my 20s during the worst offenses I remember taking the offending golf ball and chucking it somewhere. And not in a favorable spot.

Recently I was in Miami for several months and had experiences like that frequently. The Hispanics in that area are notorious for being in a rush on the road, honking the instant the light turns green and running lights for at least 5 seconds after red, and it carries over to the golf course. My group was hit into many times while waiting to play to the green. Sometimes it was unfathomable.

Even more amazing was how many times the trailing group would merely skip the hole and think they could go ahead of you, without reason or conversation. There would be natural spacing and no chance to advance but the carts would zoom to the next tee. I got into one loud exchange on a par 3 tee when our group assumed our rightful position ahead of the guys who tried to pass us. It was incredible, a log jam of several groups on a long tough par 3 over water and these clowns think they can simply scoot ahead by skipping the end of the prior hole.

Escalating it to something physical can lead to an arrest and possible jail time. This advise is just plain wrong.

Yeah, I mean, this guy wasn't big at all, so I wasn't afraid to fight him, I just knew that wouldn't be the right thing to do, even though I really felt like it...lol.