What's the closest call you've had on a golf course?

[bcollins]

about three years ago, i was on a public course and a friend and i had just finished up a 235 yard hole. we walked back to the cart (which was about 15 yards left of the green), sat down and i was writing down our scores when i feel something slam into the back of my seat with a resounding *THUMP!* i get out, look around, and trickling away from the back of the cart is a pink golfball. if it had been even two feet higher, it would've slammed right into the back of my skull at full speed.

There are a lot of respectable ways to for a man to die. I'm pretty sure getting taken out by a

lady pink is NOT one of them!

[flopdarock]

memorial day a few years ago... my brother had the family congregate at his house... we all decided to play golf but felt bad cuz mom would be home alone so we invited her to watch... since we had a 4some mom being the 5th we let a some ppl play thru... we pulled the carts off the path and waited for them to tee off...
1 guy hits a really fat slice and we hear him yelling fore... i watch as the ball careens in a huge arc heading right for my mom... the ball hits the plastic windshield with a loud whack... my mom screams... obviously surprised...
everyone was okay... so after the turn, mom spends the rest of the round having a nice lunch enjoying tv in the clubhouse

[mirv]

There are a lot of respectable ways to for a man to die. I'm pretty sure getting taken out by a

lol, no joke there!

[M2daRizzle]

So you lost one stroke and decided to kill a snake for what? For living in what used to be it's natural habitat?

copper heads are deadly. I had a neighbor get killed by one when it bit him in his leg while he was mowing the lawn. they are especially dangerous to kids and pets. If one ever gets within 3 feet of you like it did with the op feel free to reach out and give it a pat on the head, but if one ever gets within three feet of me I am going to make sure that its head is separated from its body.

And I dont think losing a stroke was the reason the op killed the snake, it probably had more to do with being in danger of being bitten and killed.

[denver_nuggs_15]

I have had a ball go about 3 feet directly over my head once. It was not a comfortable feeling. The guy didn't even scream FORE! What a jackass.

These happened while I was caddying:

My friend had his hat taken off once. The ball hit him directly in the brim after ricocheting off a tree. It's got to be a really scary feeling.

I was forecaddying on a hole with two other caddies and the guys pulled one right at us. It's really tough to see the ball when it's going directly at you, but we all knew it was going to be close. I ducked behind the bags I was carrying, so I was fine. The caddy between me and the golfers was holding a few clubs and the shafts were hit. It was such a bad feeling knowing the ball was headed right for us.

[Jay-Bird]

copper heads are deadly. I had a neighbor get killed by one when it bit him in his leg while he was mowing the lawn. they are especially dangerous to kids and pets. If one ever gets within 3 feet of you like it did with the op feel free to reach out and give it a pat on the head, but if one ever gets within three feet of me I am going to make sure that its head is separated from its body.

I won't be patting any snakes on the head... but copperheads are one of the most mis-identified snakes in North America. Since the op would go out of his way to kill a snake, I'm willing to bet he couldn't tell the difference between a copperhead and any other snake. Secondly, Copperheads are quite shy, and would much rather slither away than fight, especially anything it couldn't eat. It's too much of a safety risk (for the snake) to waste venom on a non-meal. I'm just saying that if you leave it alone it's going to try it's best to flee.

Kids should be under their parent's watchful eye, and pets don't belong on a golf course. I had a neighbor get killed by a semi-tractor-trailer, I haven't gone out of my way to destory any trucks, yet.

[MiniMoe]

I was part of a maintenance crew and was working on a bunker. I felt a little tick on my ear and thought it was a mosquito or a bug landing on me. I looked down and ball was embedded in the face of the bunker right in front of me. That ball just grazed my ear, but it could have killed me. I took an extended break after that.

I have also had many close calls with lightning while on mowing equipment. Storms in Fl. come up really fast sometimes and those mowers don't go very fast.

[Golf_Predictor_Guru]

Much to my chagrin, I have always been terrible at golf. Back when I was exceedingly terrible, I duffed a tee shot very short and very right. This left me facing another tee, about 30 yards ahead. For my next shot, I managed to hit the edge of the hole information sign (about half an inch thick) after which the ball came right back at me at great speed and hit me square on the jaw!

Luckily nothing was broken and I couldn't stop laughing! An inch or two higher though and I could have choked to death.

[schapman]

When I was young I was in a summer golf school. Out on the 9 hole course for a practice round. Just about to hit an approach to the green and I hear my brother yell lookout. Turn around to see a ball bounce once off a drive then hit me in the temple. Laid me out flat and I was out for about 10 seconds or so. Lucky for me the guy driving it was younger too and couldnt put as much on it as an adult would have.

[Par Fore]

Buddy and I were walking 18......well, on about 15, slow play had ended the day, both had to get back to a work function that night......we are walking back to the clubhouse on a par 5 at about 7pm in the summer, we are outside the cart path and just short of being OB.....we're talking, but also watching for errand shots....out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a hot shot.....never really saw the shot, but at the angle it hit, it had to be one of those low burners.....

Luckily, it caught me right in the trap (muscle right between the neck and shoulder) and left a good bruise.....guy was about 200 or so out, never yelled fore or anything.....just glad it didn't hit my collar bone, nose, eye, or anything else that would have offered permanent pain....

Other than that, a few close calls and bouncing balls to the shin, but that one caught me with a low trajectory and it could have gone a lot worse....scariest story I've heard - guy hit a complete shank, cart girl was serving beverages about 15 feet in front, 15 feet to the right....anyway, catches her in the head - causes permanent damage and she is disabled....I cannot confirm nor deny first hand, but he seemed pretty upset and ashamed when it was told....

[chipper2]

I have had several. A alligator on a course in Florida, a snake go across the tee box as I was ready to hit my driver in Thialand (no I don't know or care what kind of snake it was) and a full grown Moose about 30 feet from me in Alaska as I stood on a tee box. I love nature and these were all up close.

[LongballGer]

I was sitting in a golf cart. Suddenly the dude in my group shanks his 3 wood and the ball fortunately hit my driver head which was in my bag at the back of the cart. The driver head broke off. If he didn't hit the driver head, I wouldn't be typing this right now because the ball would have hit me right in the head.

[McGolf-Doggie]

copper heads are deadly. I had a neighbor get killed by one when it bit him in his leg while he was mowing the lawn. they are especially dangerous to kids and pets. If one ever gets within 3 feet of you like it did with the op feel free to reach out and give it a pat on the head, but if one ever gets within three feet of me I am going to make sure that its head is separated from its body.

I went to remind myself of what a copperhead looked like, and read this interesting nugget.

"Note: Snakes maintain some degree of reflexive muscular activity up to a few hours after death. Dead snakes can bite just as sure as live ones can." http://www.floridaadventuring.com/florida-snakes.html My only snake stories involved standing a Balinese guest house about 18 years ago, and having the live snake removed by hand by one of the local kids. They have the technique down pat. The critters were an everyday yawn-type problem for them.

[bogeyhitter25]

My playing partner in a match told me to just put move his bag onto the other side of the tee box, as I was moving it he took a practice swing that ended up going right next to my face, and it took my hat off.

[Brer Hog]

Today, I was walking across a par 5 fairway, about to hit my second shot at about 240 yards in and I felt something brush my pants leg near my ankle, then I noticed a ball hotly rolling past out of the corner of my eye. The foursome behind me had hit into us and missed my ankle by less than an inch. Ouch! Could've been, anyway.

[flopdarock]

today i played with a few of my buddies... 6 of us total... we split up 2 and 4 due to the fact that 4 arent very good... the course was backed up... im talking every hole had ppl waiting to shoot... teebox wait... fairway wait... ppl on green... it was a mad house... well 2 of us played ahead and were waiting for our 2nd shot... we stepped into the woods to let our buddies in the 4 some hit... "fore!!!" slice headed right for us... i ducked behind a tree... the ball bounced off a tree and hit the friend i was paired with right in the foot... hahaha

[whip_it_out]

Not me specifically, but I played with a friend who, hits the ball really hard, nailed a guy square between the eyes.

Got him the nickname, the "Assassin"

[billysandy]

Last year, i had been playing for about 2 months, and i started 18 holes by myself. I shanked my drive on the first tee, and went into the rough on the right hand side to play it. The 18th runs along side the 1st, but split by 15-20 meters of light rough and tall scattered trees. Just getting a club out my bag when i heard 'fore!'. I didn't react and just looked around. A second later a ball whacked me on the shin straight from a drive from the 18th, having not bounced or hit anything to slow it down.
Honest to God, it hurt for a split second and then i was perfectly OK. Didn't even leave a bruise. The guys on the 18th hadn't seen it hit my shin, but i definitely didn't want to mention it to them to save the embarrassment!