Someone Hit me With their Ball... Did I take it too far?

So I'm on the putting green. It's the 15th hole, and I'm putting for par (215 par 3. 3 iron to the right side fringe. chipped it to 4 feet.)

and I had 2 blowup holes in a row (went double bogey, bogey). Instead of being 2 over for the day, I'm 5 over. HEATED from not capitalizing on the previous 2 holes (both par 5's, misclubbed on my 2nd shot causing me to hit into the water).

I'm crouched over reading the putt to hopefully save par, and I hear the driver crack from the 14th hole... out of nowhere BOOM a ball comes flying into my upper back missing my neck by about 6". I stand up and scream out:

"WHAT THE F***" yell fore. They guy screams back, "I didn't yell fore b/c I didn't know where the ball was."

He didn't apologize, didn't say sh**...not an i'm sorry, not a you were right... just gave an excuse that was TERRIBLE as to why he didn't scream fore. So I said: "really a**hole? You could've killed me and you're giving excuses to why you didn't scream fore? If you don't see where your ball is, yell fore."

He then says when "you don't have to be a dick about it"

So I took his nice brand spanking new Ram Tour ball and thew it OB

yes I know I went a little too far, but they were hitting into us all day and not yelling sh**.

You didn't take it far enough! :) You had every right to throw is ball in my opinion, I don't think I would have reacted as well as you did

Yeah, I think you did.  Crap happens, you gotta learn to deal with it.  I suspect if you hadn't have blown up on the 2 prior holes you may have reacted differently.

I was hit 2 years ago walking up to my ball. The guy was teeing off about 150 yards up from me on a tee box on the back 9 that ran along the fairway I was hitting from on the front 9. Ball hit me off a hop, almost got me right in the junk. Hurt like a Mother f*cker. I lost my cool because like your situation, the guy didnt even yell fore. Claimed he didnt see me standing there. I told him he was full of it and after showing him the big welt on my leg, I threw his ball back at him and walked away pissed off as hell.

It is better to yell "Fore" and for nothing to happen than it is to be silent as a fellow SandTrapper gets picked off.

I only have one question for you.  Did you make the putt?

A nice soccer flop, writhing in pain would have been more effective. I wouldn't have thought of it at the time though.  Are you hinting that part of your response was because of your frustration with how you were playing? Was this a brand new golfer?  Someone who has played for awhile has a general idea where the ball is going instantly.  I can hit into a green at dusk and know where my ball is withing 15 feet even though I can't see it, and I am not very skilled. If it was a new golfer then  your response although understandable wasn't helpful. If it was someone who has played for a while, ( I realize you may not have been able to tell) then their response is almost inexcusable.  Some people when they screw up and are confronted by someone who is angry instinctively respond aggressively, especially men.  Kind of a territorial response to someone not known, not a member of your tribe so to speak.  This is where a lot of road rage comes from.  Almost everyone has honked at someone who cut them off in traffic, yet their common response is to give you the bird. Now the person cut off gets angrier and it escalates from there.  So I guess what I am saying focusing on whether you were wronged or not and not on outcomes, if there is something you want to accomplish matters more.

Sorry Ron, but this made me laugh out loud.  Almost spit my coca-cola on the monitor.

I think you had the right to be pissed off, and TBH, I probably would've taken it a step further...

I see no problems with your initial reaction after getting drilled in the back with no fair warning.  What makes it worse is the guy's reaction to you without even a "my bad". He must have been reacting to your WTF, but still, he at least owed you an apology, and to see if you were injured.  I don't see where the previous blow up holes come into play - even if you were 7 under on the 15th green, your reaction seems understandable.

You probably also did him a favor by throwing his rock OB...

Hope that the pain doesn't linger or cause longer-term problems...

It would be interesting to see a picture of the hole layout in order to appreciate this shot...

I'll be back at the course in 2 weeks. I'll take a picture. the 14th is a dog leg right par 4.. the leg is about 200 out then a 90 degree right turn....

a ton of people (myself included) will cut the corner of the leg to be within a mid iron to the green for your 2nd shot.

it's around a 220 drive to the green where he hit me.

So yes, I'm assuming he was a beginner... and I do realize that I was a beginner too.. but regardless, I always yell fore when it's a questionable shot.

and even though I was frustrated and I do have a temper when I'm annoyed, I've reacted the same exact way or even worse.... when I shot 2 under on the day..the person behind me on a par 3 14th hit into me as I was walking off the green.... I almost walked into the ball. (landed 3 or 4' in front of me). and I was 1 under at that point and I did yell wtf and threw his ball ob too.

Sorry, I just don't think there's any excuse to not yell fore...and there isn't an excuse to just say SORRY. I would've said ok, alright had he apologized.

Can you tell us what course it is? We could then just look it up ourselves.

a little to far in my opinion. and you did because of the 2 bad holes you had before. he was an a$$ hole about it. he did almost kill you. maybe he was having a bad round as well.

I think the "shit happens" argument ends when you get actually hit with a golf ball.

If you don't know where your ball is going, just yell fore. Worst case scenario... nothing happens.

I dunno Jamo, I think throwing the ball OB was over the line.  Sure, you can get upset and have some words but when you destroy someone else's property (yeah, even a Ram ball qualifies), you crossed the line IMO.

yeah sometimes you just gotta swallow your pride and yell FORE!

getting hit and almost getting hit are two different things, it easy to let it go when it dosent hit you.

I may be new to the game and may not know all of the terminology used but isn't fore yelled when you don't know where the ball is going to go and give fellow golfers a heads up that a rogue ball may hit them?

I've been hit by an approach shot into the green without warning - fortunately it was on one bounce and into my thigh.  It hurt like hell.  If you've never been hit, consider yourself lucky.  I can't imagine being hit on the fly.

Did you take it too far?  No way.  Being hit without the courtesy of the warning of 'fore' is the ultimate insult and injury.  Let's face it - THAT'S the real issue.  Anyone can hit an errant shot.  That's forgivable.  What is unforgivable is not receiving so much as a warning that you are in danger of being hit.