Be safe Golfing

[dennyjones]

I saw this on the local news:   It's heart breaking.  

OREM, Utah (AP/Meredith) — Authorities say a 6-year-old Utah girl has died after her father accidentally hit her with a golf ball.

Police say the ball struck the girl in the back of the head on Monday morning, while the father and daughter were golfing at Sleepy Ridge Golf Course in Orem.

The ball collided with the base of her neck. Lt. Trent Colledge with the Orem Police Department says she was flown to a hospital in Salt Lake City in critical condition. She died from her injuries later that evening.

Family members later identified the girl as Aria Hill. A GoFundMe page has raised more than $11,000 to cover her funeral expenses.

"We are so grateful for all the love, support, and prayers made in our behalf during this difficult time," a statement on the page reads. "We've truly felt comforted. Aria was the sassiest girl in the world. She was silly, spunky, creative, unique, and so so full of love for everyone she came in contact with. There is a huge hole in our hearts that she has taken with her back to Heaven...Fly high my little angel"

Police are investigating but are not planning to pursue charges because it appears to have been a tragic accident. 

[David in FL]

Aw crap.  I can’t even imagine!  

[Nave]

So heart breaking.

In regards to safety; I found a few more details about how it happened:

"The child was sitting in a parked golf cart on a path to the left of where her father was teeing off, according to Orem Police Lt. Trent Colledge."

From now on I will stand far behind anyone teeing off.

[mcanadiens]

It was just a year ago I was playing with this fella.  He's a good kid just starting out and we are in separate carts. 

Off the first tee of a moderate dog-leg right, he dribbles one off to the right. I drive the left side of the fairway with a decent one.  Thinking there was no way his second would come anywhere near me, I sped ahead toward my ball. Just as I got to it, his ball drills me in the shoulder. The angle looked kind of like a reverse shank if such a thing exists.

That ball left a bruise that didn't go away for two weeks. About five inches higher and I might not be here to write this.

Lesson learned. Stay behind the hitter.

Edited July 19, 2019 by mcanadiens

[The Flush]

I almost hit my son, who would have been about 6 at the time, while he was sitting in a cart. Sounds similar to this story.

[Patch]

A tragic accident indeed. I can't imagine how the parents feel. 

In our area we have had 3 deaths attributed to folks getting hit by golf balls. This over the past 20 years or so.

 Two were cart girls, and one was a guy waiting to hit, standing in the middle of the fairway.

The golfer who hit the guy was charged with something iirc. He got tired of waiting, and hit his ball, even though the guy he hit was in plain sight. 

It happens. I have been hit a few times in the legs, torso, by bouncing balls. Had alot of balls land near me. Most were from an adjacent fairway.

My nephew in Texas was hit in the elbow. He required sergury to have it repaird. Never knew where the ball came from, and he never golfed again.  

You really need to be careful, both on the giving, and recieving ends when playing. 

[David in FL]

3 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

It was just a year ago I was playing with this fella.  He's a good kid just starting out and we are in separate carts. 

Off the first tee of a moderate dog-leg right, he dribbles one off to the right.

Lesson learned. Stay behind the hitter.

Well, at least stay behind people who dribble it off the tee...   

[pganapathy]

As a rule of thumb I stand to the side or behind a golfer on the tee box.  However, out on the course, I will go ahead if my ball is further.  What I do is turn and look at the golfer who is hitting.  I hope to be able to see the ball coming my way and avoid it.

Jokes apart, even standing behind a golfer is no guarantee of safety.  A guy I know hit his driver on the tee box and thinned it.  The ball hit a tee marker ahead and shot back, missing his head by a few inches and finally winding up many yards behind him 😮

[AlDena]

Yes, even standing behind can get dicey. Tee it up, whiff it, and then catch it on the return swing.

[pganapathy]

26 minutes ago, AlDena said:

Yes, even standing behind can get dicey. Tee it up, whiff it, and then catch it on the return swing.

What return swing.  I finish in a reverse C position with my club behind my back 😲😲😲