How Often Do You Yell Fore?

[iacas]

I would have made this a poll, but there are too many variables.

I shared somewhere that I yell "fore" maybe 2-4 times per year, either for myself or for golfers in my group. I also said I don't yell "fore" if I know my ball will not hit someone (i.e. if it's going to land far enough away from them, I don't yell it).

Others were incredulous at this, and acted as if I was not yelling fore when a ball might land ten feet from someone else. This isn't the case at all.

So, here is my multi-step, multi-variable poll:

1. How many times per year do you yell "fore" (either for yourself or someone else in your group)?
   1. 0
   2. 1-4
   3. 5-8
   4. 9-14
   5. 15-20
   6. 20+
2. What is your handicap level and those of the people you play with?
   1. 0-5
   2. 6-10
   3. 11-15
   4. 16+
3. How holes on the course(s) you play most often have "danger areas" where a shot played from the tee or an approach shot that's hit off-line can land near an area where other golfers commonly are?
   1. 0
   2. 1-3
   3. 4-6
   4. 7-9
   5. 10-14
   6. 15+
4. How likely are you or the people you typically play with to yell "fore" when a ball has a chance to hit someone?
   1. Highly likely
   2. Likely
   3. Average
   4. Unlikely
   5. Highly unlikely

I could think of some other questions, but basically, that covers most of it.

My answers would be 2, 1 or 2, 2, and 1 or 2.

(The higher the numbers for questions 2, 3, and 4, the higher the number will likely be for question 1.)

[Piz]

1-3-2-2.  It never happens.  We do not play a shot if there is even a remote chance of endangering the group ahead.  There is one hole on which it is possible to land a tee shot on the next teeing ground; but you would have to miss 40 yards left and that hasn't occurred.

[Mr22putt]

6, 2, 2, 3.....this year is low....but in past few years about 100 rds/year....and the guy I often play with is wild off the tee.....I yell FORE often because of his drives.

[Missouri Swede]

2, 3-4, 2, 1-2.

The danger areas mostly involve par 3 holes (either on the “giving” or “receiving” side of danger).

[Patch]

1-3-1-1. I don't think I've yelled "fore" in several years. 

[Bonvivant]

6-4-5-1.

I am in a sort of unique situation where I play 2 courses on the same grounds where many holes are parallel to each other, and often there is nothing to block a ball going into an adjacent fairway. Sometimes it is on holes in the same direction, but there are a couple instances where it is head on, on the righty fade/slicing side for both holes. I would say that within the normal guys I play with (many are casual golfers), I normally yell fore (right) 2-5 times per round....and I am on 60 rounds this year.

I am attaching an overhead with all holes that I believe near fairways are in danger on each course. All of the Xs are spots where you could hit onto the other course, or onto the same course but a different hole and have to yell fore. These courses used to have mature ash trees all throughout, but have mostly been cut down due to the EAB. The numbers placed are on the tees where a fore might be necessary. If anyone wants to view this for themselves in higher quality, its "Community Golf Club" in Dayton,OH

Edited October 1, 2020 by Bonvivant

[Darkfrog]

6, 2-3-4, 6, 1

I yell fore at least once a round, usually on my own shot, but I’ll yell for others too.

I’m a 14-15 hcp but I play solo, so I’m paired with players of all abilities, but not too many low single digit hcp where I play. When I do play with friends, they’re all 25+ hcp.

My home course has 18 holes where an offline tee shot or approach can land in an adjacent fairway, another green, or teeing ground, so a chorus of “fores” is common. There are some areas that I call “landing zones of death”, where slicers frequently hit the ball.

I always yell fore, but my voice doesn’t project or carry well, so I usually have to yell 2-3 times to have any effect. 

[boogielicious]

3-3-2-3

I play as a single a lot and most of the people I play with are higher HC. A lot of the courses I play have adjacent fairways that can have potential issues with errant drives because the landing areas of the parallel holes are in the same general area.

[krupa]

4, 4, 5, 1

My course has a lot of opportunities for going into parallel fairways. I usually play late in the day so the course is less crowded but if my ball goes into another fairway, I yell.

[dagolfer18]

2-3-2-2. I rarely have to yell fore, because at my home course, you’d have to miss pretty badly for it to be a danger to other golfers. When I do play with others, I play with golfers of all levels. We have at least one guy on our team per category in the OP. 

My brother is in the bottom category. He doesn’t technically have a handicap yet, but he’s usually shooting around 50 or 55 for nine holes, so I’d say his handicap is 25 or 30. He doesn’t spray the ball, and nor does anybody else I play with, but he just chunks and tops a lot of shots. Luckily, there’s no hole on my home course where a thin would endanger others.

[mcanadiens]

6-4-2-2.

Have really sucked myself this year and am playing with players that are generally worse than the ones I played with at Kittyhawk, so there's a lot more yelling this year.

My new course (Miami Shores, Troy, OH) really only has a couple of places I regard as dangerous and that's only because of my tendency to hit giant hooks with irons. The greens for No. 2 and No. 12 at Miami Shores are pretty close to the tee boxes on the next hole. So when I snap over on one, that's where those suckers are heading. I guess a third dangerous place is a par five with a gradual dogleg right over the first 200 yards or so with pine trees lining the fairway. It easy to slice or push one into the trees and have it shoot out toward an adjacent green.

We know the drill, watch each other's shots and call out if there is a real risk.

 

 

[Fairway_CY]

1.3
2.2
3.3
4.2

Just because of the layout of the course I play at most frequently, I yell more often than if I'd play elsewhere.  A lot of parallel holes early and late in the round.  Early... people haven't warmed up and are figuring out their swing (plus the second green is reachable from the tee and is directly next to the third tee).  Late... people are tired (or not as sober as when they'd started). 

I hit someone about two weeks after joining this club.  He was walking out of the trees down the left side... I hit a quick hook... I yelled... he tried to jump over the ball and it caught him in the shin.  Two days later, I almost hit someone else on another hole.  It's made me very vigilant and a little 'quick on the draw' when it comes to yelling fore!

CY

[Bucki1968]

2,1,1,2. The only time we are yelling "four" seems like when we are playing through another group. And about half of that time is because the group we are playing through decides to stand somewhere where they might have a chance to get hit. Get the hell completely out of the way.

[David in FL]

2, 2, 3, 1 or 2.  
 

A poorly positioned beverage cart can sometimes be an issue, especially for long hitters.

[hunterw297]

5-1-4-2

My home course is very wide open not only with several holes running alongside each other, but a few holes have mounds so you can't see part of the landing area in the fairway. Thankfully I've never seen anyone injured, but there's been some close calls.

[DaveP043]

3-2/3-3-2

We only have two parallel holes at our home club, close enough so you can accidentally hit into the adjacent fairway, 1 and 10.  However, we have a couple more blind tee shots, occasionally we realize someone is "in play" while a ball is in the air.  

Like @iacas, I'm hesitant to yell when it seems clear that the ball will miss people.  I've seen enough folks move in unexpected directions when they hear "fore", I don't want someone to go the wrong way when startled.  I've also seen too many start looking for the ball coming at them, which scares me.  I turn my back to the shout and cover my head.  I'd much rather take one in the back than in the face.

[colin007]

We have many parallel running holes, so it's almost always possible to bean someone

[jsgolfer]

1.    3

2.   1/2/3 I play mostly with 6-10 HC's but play with lower or a little higher at times.

3.   2  Our 2nd/17th holes have lots of errant balls as there is a steep hill and hazard to the left and the 17th FW is not a bad place to play your ball from for the 2nd hole which is a par 5.

4.   1

Edited October 1, 2020 by jsgolfer