What do you do when you hear FORE!?

[rogerw]

Went to a new public course over the weekend that was the first course to open in the area for the new season. It was really evident that the dust had yet to wear off of everyone swings as it seemed like every hole I played I kept hearing "FORE!!" at some point either while on the hole, or walking to next hole. The closest ball landed next to me probably 10-15 feet away, not a big deal, and appeared to be an approach that was shanked by someone on the previous hole. I can't remember ever hearing "fore" it so many times in one day though and was beginning to be a bit shell shocked by the end of the day.

After about the 4th or 5th time I started to wonder what everyone does when they hear this. I was going to create a poll, but thought it might be more interesting to hear explanations rather than provide options.

Personally every time I hear it yelled, I found myself tending to stop moving, crouch slightly... like that will help, and look around waiting for the ball to land, hopefully not on me. I figure that looking up is probably a really bad thing if one wants to keep their orbital lobes in tact, so I avoid doing that. Not sure what else can be done though, as I think if the ball has your name on it, you're going to get it and its unlikely that you will see it coming.

[laxbballgolf]

I cover my head with my arm, crouch down a little, and see if I can spot the ball in the air before it gets to me. I figure my head is the place a golf ball would do the most damage.

[senorchipotle]

i crouch down and cover my head with my arms.

[Crey23]

Hit the deck, roll on the ground a few times....get up and scream..."I'm all right!"

If it gets too close, I tipicaly pocket the ball....JK

[rubbery]

It's not very smart, but I look around and try to see the ball. It actually saved me one time. I was on a green, and I heard someone yelling it in a panic so I knew it was coming for us. I turned to the voices and saw a little white sphere flying at me at about shin level. I did some strange matrix move and somehow dodged the ball.

The guy who shanked it at me even complimented my evasion skills.

[James_Black]

i crouch down and cover my head with my arms.

same as me.

I go behind my golf trolly.

[Ignorant]

It's not very smart, but I look around and try to see the ball. It actually saved me one time. I was on a green, and I heard someone yelling it in a panic so I knew it was coming for us. I turned to the voices and saw a little white sphere flying at me at about shin level. I did some strange matrix move and somehow dodged the ball.

You're right, that is NOT smart. Next time bend down and cover your head and neck with both hands. You were really lucky to see the ball but next time things could be different. I have heard some ugly stories when people have started to spin their heads trying to see if the ball is coming towards them and caught the flying ball spot on in the head with messy consequencies.

Hiding behind a bag or a cart is also a good idea, as already mentioned. On the green this would naturally be a bit difficult.

[halcon]

I hide behind my push cart

[groovezilla79]

I normally turn, locate the ball, open my mouth and try to catch it with my teeth. One time, I went all "classic villian in an action flick" and pulled the beer cart girl infront of me and ducked behind her.

Seriously though, I also try to get behind a tree, my bag, or if I've got one that day, the golf cart. My stand bag definately saved me once.

[ks8829]

I cover my head with my arms crouch down away from where I heard the fore comming from.

[DaSportsGuy]

I just duck and prepare to be impacted...

[muzz]

I try to hide behind a tree if near one, the cart if near it, bag if not in a cart....on the green I tend to duck my head between my forearms.

[alf174]

I look up with the deer-in-the-headlights look on my face.




j/k, I lower my head & duck.

[Lefty-Golfer]

freeze and cover head as well as possible.

[GDWindowpane]

Be thankful they yell... At my course I hear the ball land before I hear anything else...

[leezer99]

I turn my back towards the direction from which fore was yelled. Thankfully I've never been hit.

[JetFan1983]

I ALWAYS look up to find the ball. Maybe I've just been blessed with good instincts, but I always find it in time before it lands, and I've saved many a playing partner by spotting it in the sky and yelling at him to dive out of the way if it's landing towards him or her.

I've had more than one person thank me for spotting it in time, and I usually always get a compliment about "wow you picked that thing out of the sky immediately- Very impressed." I may suck at golf, but when it comes to hearing "FORE," you want me there in your group.

Oh yea, if you respond to this telling me not to do this anymore, it's not going to work. It's all instinct. I can't stop it. It's just what I do. It's a split second thing.

[iacas]

Why would anyone look up to find the ball? That seems like the dumbest thing you could possibly do - the ball is more likely to smack you in the nose, teeth, or eyes if you do that.

I duck behind something or cover my head and jog sideways quickly. I figure if they've yelled fore the ball is coming towards where I am, so I try to change where I am. It's part of the reason I don't yell "fore" when I know a ball I've hit is going to miss someone - I don't want them to run into it when it would have otherwise missed them by five yards (and, frankly, I don't remember the last time I had to consider whether to yell fore. Maybe once when a group invited me to play through on a par three and didn't really clear the green?).