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

[k1993]

I've never been hit but I was playing in a tournament about a month ago and I hit a guy. The third hole at the course I was playing is a dog left left and my tee shot ended in the left rough after hitting some trees. I was about 180 yards away from the green so I take out my three wood. There was a few gardeners sitting on their lawn mowers on the right side of the green. I waited a while and they didnt move so I just hit my ball. My ball flew straight towards one of the gardeners and hit him right in the shoulder.

[flopdarock]

my brothers came to town on sat and we decided to play a course close by...
we were all on the fw while one of my brothers was getting ready to hit his 2nd shot...
on an adjacent fw facing the opposite direction was another group...
we hear a thwack... then a whiz... then a splash... but no fore! no apology or anything...
ball weaved inbetween the 3 of us across our fw and into the pond on our left... the guy must have super shanked it... we didnt get hit but fair warning would have been nice

[DrJeffDC]

My son and I were playing a round on the front 9, when my son put his drive into the rough near the first line of trees. I had been waiting for an opportunity to use Mother Nature's restroom, so I told him not to hit until I was through.
Needless to say, he hit the ball, it caromed off a tree and bounced back to where me and Mr. Johnson were hanging out. He was almost decapitated.

[DrJeffDC]

Another incident was not a close call for me, but a very embarrasing moment none the less. I was on the driving range of course close to my office. It was rather busy that day so I went further in than I usually do.

Being on the far right of the driving range, I was pretty close to one of the holes on the course. On one particular swing I sliced a God awful shot and actually had to yell fore---from the driving range!!

[stebed]

I was playing 2 weeks ago and we were on our 15th a par 3 that was playing 254 into the wind. My playing partner hit driver about 10 yard too long and about 10yards right. The ball hit a guy walking to the next tee right between the shoulder blades on the spine and knocked him out cold. I am pretty sure he wouldn't be to healthy if it had hit his head. My paying partner continued his round, even chipping on and paring the par 3, and he won the comp! We all called fore and the guy that was floored was fine after a visit to hospital.

[jldavis73]

I have been struck by a golf ball once, and yes, it stings a little. I caught a short-hop in the hip. However, first time EVER playing golf with two buddies, hit a 3 iron uphill, blind shot to the green. That feeling and the "pureness" of contact is why I still play. Too bad my ball hit one of my buddies ON THE STERNUM, ON THE FLY. He was having difficulty breathing and in quite a bit of pain, but recovered enough to finish the round. I also witnessed one of the most hilarious mis-clubs of all time. Played golf with this crazy guy in college, had terrible eye sight. I would have to watch his ball flight to help him find it, he had no clue. We arrive at a 165 yard par 3, with two older gentlemen putting out. He unsheathes the 3 wood, I believe as a joke. He absolutely rifles a 1st groove line drive that hits the green between the two men as they replace the flag. The ball left a mark over 1 foot long on the green, and the two guys had NO IDEA.

[jet pilot]

Having spent 8 years in the golf course maintenance business the close calls are too numerous to count. Most of the really close ones came while trying to fix irrigation leaks. You would think the middle of the fairway would be the safest place on the course, but that is not always the case.

[vel525]

this wasn't one of those life threatening instances, but the location was unique. a few weeks ago me and a friend were at a golfsmith extreme as i was in the process of getting new irons. the golfsmith extreme stores are larger and the hitting area is much larger. this one had about 8 stalls, but the last three curve around and formed an "L" shape. we were hitting on the longer portion of the "L" when a guy was trying out drivers in the last stall (end of the short section of the "L"). as my friend was hitting and i was behind him, i observed, if someone hit a hook that could hit someone on this side. well, right when i thought it i catch a ball flying right at us from the person hitting at the end. it flew past my friend and hit the divider next to him. we promptly put the irons back and left.

[Titanfann]

I have two and they both happened in the same spot:

1st when I was in 10th grade I was sitting in a cart to the right and front of a guy hitting a driver. I was close enough to his shot line that I was leaned back in the cart. He pushed it every so slightly and hit me in the mouth. Broke off one tooth and put 11 stiches in my lip. Could have been alot worse.

2nd. A friend of mine was hitting the moonshine and was going downhill on the cart path backwards. He tried to slide around on the path and the cart got up on two wheels. It was at the exact same spot as the first story. I climbed up on him and I guess the shift in weight kept the cart from turning over.

Now I'm very careful when I go between the 2nd green and the 3rd tee at my home course!!!!

[mhodar13]

Monday I was golfing and somebody on the next fairway over toed it and it brushed through my hair. No fore apology either.

[senorchipotle]

1. back when i was about 10 or 11, my cousin had got a brand new set of clubs for christmas. we go to the range to hit some balls with his new clubs. but before he could hit a ball, he takes a big backswing with his driver and nails me in the chin with it. next thing i know, i'm being shuttled off to the hospital for stitches.

2. about a month or so ago, it had been raining a lot the week before, but the water had subsided out at the course out in the woods near my moms house, which incidentally has a river running through it. there's a certain spot at the base of an uphill par three with a full water carry where i find lots of good balls that wash up and are revealed after the water goes down. checking that nobody was behind me, i take my wedge to fish out a few balls. i'm putting them in my bag when i notice a 6 foot long water moccasin about two feet away from my ankle. i froze, then swung my club at him as i promptly high tail it in the opposite direction. i HATE snakes!

[Knockglock]

Today I drove into a ball it was pretty funny. I was driving on the right side of the hole in the rough heading back to the middle of the fairway and I heard fore but kept driving since I figured that was smartest and I drove right into it and it hit the front of the cart. Then after I hit my ball I turned around and saw there was another ball behind me. No fore on the second one and no apology at all!

[flopdarock]

lol... that happened to me today also... but i was coming down 18 about 100 yrds to the green... someone on the driving range sliced a real good one bouncing off the top of my cart and it sounded like a gun went off... almost gave me a heart attack

[blue3715]

I've had three.

1. As a player, I had a drive hooked from a parallel fairway fly at me, bounce once and cut across my face as it whizzed by. It actually- by a hair, scratched my nose on the way by.

2. As a caddy, I had a player hit out of the woods, the ball carromed off a tree and darted right between my legs. If I was 5'5" and not 6' I would've been a unic now.

3. As a marshal, 2008 Barclays at Ridgewood. A player drove his ball to the right on #18. I yelled "fore right!", and as I turned towards the gallery to look for the incoming shot it flew right past my chest. I felt the wind across my check as the ball zoomed past. If I turned 1 second later it embeds in my rib cage.

[DriverTees]

I have a pretty big harden, and there's a little iron fence at the end. I hit my Pitching wedge over the fence, so I took a sandwedge and tried to punch the ball out, underneath the fence. Needless to say, it hit the fence and bounced back onto my eyebrow. My left eye was covered with a bruise for almost a month.