Etiquette/safety question

[rwfastrax]

I was playing my home course a few weeks ago on a bit of a slow day. Waiting for the group ahead to clear the green on a Par 3. I see two guys emerge from the treeline in front and to the left of our green. I'm standing at the water cooler which is about 30 yards behind my teebox. They're lining up a shot for the green on their hole(the one we just finished)...a par 5, with the green about 40 yds behind me and to their right. So they're about 200 out with 40 yds of treeline to slice around and another 160 to carry and they're going to play the shot right above our heads??? yes. They hit the shot with a fairway wood right over our heads...and it ends up going to our right which places them on the 3rd hole they've played from. No "FORE!" nothing to alert us that he was actually going to try this shot..nothing. The guy has to do the walk of shame past me on the way to find his ball and I ask him "don't you think that was too dangerous to attempt?" he quips "I didn't have another play..." "how about unplayable lie...and/or chipping it back to your hole instead of endangering other golfers." Has anybody else had to call out others on the course like this? This is the first time I really thought it necessary as he obviously thought it was ok to try this

[David in FL]

I took a 3 wood off of a hanging lie over a guy's house last Sunday. Directly in line was his driveway in which there were at least $80K worth of cars, and a pair of beautiful leaded glass french doors. I have to admit, at the top of my backswing, I'm thinking, "ya know, this isn't the smartest thing you've ever done".

Ended up with a 20' eagle putt though.........which I promptly missed.

Having said that though.....the only thing I really put at risk was my own checkbook.

[case31]

Oh yeah. I was playing with my dad one time and there was a father with his young son playing a couple holes behind us. The dad was absolutely terrible, and had no idea about golf etiquette. The way this course was laid out, we were constantly in his line of fire. He hit into us the first time, no "fore"...same thing the second time he did it. I said to my dad, "Next time it happens, we're having words." Sure enough, a hole later, he hits one that literally passes between my dad and me at about chest level. Let's just say that the guy got a verbal barrage. He ended up turning around and leaving the course.
It doesn't take a deep understanding of the game of golf to know that you should alert other people of a ball flying at them. Seriously, this guy couldn't claim that he didn't see it or anything. Some people just refuse to use common sense.

[HytrewQasdfg]

Maybe someone that knows the rules better than me can clarify, but weren't they out of bounds? Is there some penalty for playing an OB ball?

[TXGolfer]

Around a month or so ago my friend and I were playing on a really really hot day. Because it was so hot we decided to get a cart and ride instead of walk. We are on a par 3 180y hole and just walked off the green (by maybe two steps) when the •••••••s behind us decide to hit. The guy pushes it right and we hear it but do not see it. We wait from them to get up to us and ask wtf and they say sorry and start looking for his ball as we drive to the next tee box. Shortly after we hit our shots they come driving up and accuse us of taking his ball as they could not find it. We assure them we did not take it and continue on. On the next hole I go to get a ball out of my bag and sure enough there is a nxt extreme in my bag (I play gamers). I had left the zipper open and this guy hit a hole in one into my bag lol. My friend and I laughed for a while then I tossed the ball in the next water hazard we came to.

[shankapotamus]

Maybe someone that knows the rules better than me can clarify, but weren't they out of bounds? Is there some penalty for playing an OB ball?

It's not OB unless it's marked as such. I believe they were just in another fairway.

[flopdarock]

if my or anyones safety is in question... i wouldnt just sit there and let something bad happen...
its amazing to me that guys would risk hitting ppl and most dont yell fore

[rwfastrax]

on this particular course, the area between the two holes is not out of bounds to either hole. If they were alone out there...with nobody else around...maybe go for it...still a very low percentage play. It brought new meaning to the risk/reward factor.