Club Pro Out of Line???

[sean_miller]

The irritating thing I'm finding in this thread is the apparent sentiment that:

They must not have road rage in Australia. We do know they have golfer rage in America, but it doesn't really matter who starts what - things can escalate pretty quickly and the potential confrontation could have been handled another way. The point of the thread was whether or not the club pro should have given a stranger a power cart to chase down a golfer who

allegedly caused some damage with an errant golf ball. The whole thing just sounds totally weird.

[jonnythan]

I agree that the pro shouldn't have done quite what he did. If it was an expensive club, I'd expect the club to take care of it without ever involving me in any way. If it was a more modest club, the pro should have done something to insulate or protect the players while on the course - he should not have allowed the damaged party to search the course for the offender. This could involve taking the driver's information and catching the players when they were done, escorting the driver to the players, or having the driver wait while the pro fetched the players from their hole and brought them back to the club house to work it out there.

[Stretch]

The irritating thing I'm finding in this thread is the apparent sentiment that:

As far as I can tell, you find almost everything irritating. Here's a nauseating wink to put you over the top.

If the pro did know who it was on the hole at the time, his other option would have been to simply take down the driver's contact number and promise to pass it along to them. But that would have put him in the middle if the golfers didn't want to do the right thing, so I certainly sympathize with his decision to let the two parties conduct direct negotiations. Incidentally, if the slicers really didn't want to pay up all they had to say was: "Couldn't have been us, we both hit it in the fairway didn't we Bob? Gosh, yours was a cracker. 300 yards if it was an inch! " How is the aggrieved motorist going to prove any different? PS: I also agree that the I-pay-my-considerable-dues-I'm-untouchable argument is arrant bullshit. What's next, kill a hooker in the men's locker room and expect the attendants to dispose of the corpse?

[DaSportsGuy]

I agree that the pro shouldn't have done quite what he did. If it was an expensive club, I'd expect the club to take care of it without ever involving me in any way. If it was a more modest club, the pro should have done something to insulate or protect the players while on the course - he should not have allowed the damaged party to search the course for the offender. This could involve taking the driver's information and catching the players when they were done, escorting the driver to the players, or having the driver wait while the pro fetched the players from their hole and brought them back to the club house to work it out there.

Their's a Par 3 at a course I play every now and again right down the road from my house and if you're right handed and pull it 10-15 feet, it's on the road. I've never hit a car but I've put two in the road. I'm pretty sure if you do hit a car and the driver comes to the course, the course handels it without ever telling you.

[Shorty]

The point of the thread was whether or not the club pro should have given a stranger a power cart to chase down a golfer who

Superficially, yes, and I agree that they shouldn't have been given a cart.

The problem with the OP is that because he thinks his pro is a servant, the pro should have acted dumb and shrugged his shoulders. I think that is what has got a few backs up, including mine. And, Stretch, you are right - I do find a lot of things irritating, particularly people who claim that rules are for other people, and that golf club manufacturers' advertising tag lines should be used as evidence to recommend products

[Crey23]

PS: I also agree that the I-pay-my-considerable-dues-I'm-untouchable argument is arrant bullshit. What's next, kill a hooker in the men's locker room and expect the attendants to dispose of the corpse?

They can do that????

[ajschn06]

Why is the golfer responsible? I see it like a baseball game or something. They tell you to watch out for flying balls. It comes with the territory of driving on a road right along a golf course. Say I'm a golfer who typically hits the driver well, but my misses tend to be pushed right. It's not my problem that they built a course with a road on the right side of the hole? I don't know where you guys play golf, but around here, almost every course has a hole with a road alongside it, and it would never be the golfers problem..

[JWL1957]

I think I would politely ask the pro for a private moment and ask him if............... he were born and azzhole, or just works hard at it. But then again... I never had much use for club pro's.

[mattttt25]

1. Golfer is ultimately responsible.
2. Pro completely mishandled the incident.
3. All smart businesses carry liability insurance, golf courses included. Only the dumb would not.
4. If an altercation ensued, the golfer would have a very strong case against the golf course.
5. Speaking of insurance, what happens if the car occupants were hurt driving the golf cart? They didn't pay for golf, didn't release the course of liability.
6. Theoretical situation- car occupants head to the course, beat up golfer, get injured driving cart back. All parties sue golf course and end up owning it. Yeah, pro did a great job...

[JWL1957]

A golf pro's job is to not assist people from their legal liabilities and/or responsibilities -- your friend should take accountability for his poor tee shot (and resulting damage) and that should be the end of it.

ummmm, There are a ton of scammers out there looking for a easy dollar. To hand the keys of club property over to a complete stranger? If the guy demanded to confront a person on private property........ the

idiot pro should have called the police for assistance.

[whitetiger94]

Hitting a car and damaging it is basically the same thing as hitting a course-bordering house and smashing a window or hitting an occupant of the house. You would be responsible no matter what. Either way if the pro told the man who they were or not they still would have been held accountable in some way if they were to be found out. Sorry to hear that your pro is a snitch. XD

[ElWagonne]

If I were the club pro I wouldn't have sent the guy who's car got hit out there like that. I probably would've given up some contact information (most courses around here collect name/driver's license) and after the other folks round was complete, let them know that the guy who's car you hit would be contacting them. This way, the pro's not liable for any vigilante type justice that maybe could occur on the course, he doesn't spoil the round and he shows some responsibility.

[RC]

It's obvious, the club pro should have given a lesson and improved the couples swing plane, maybe strengthened their grip. Nah, I don't think anyone should hide the truth if they know who is responsible for damages, but how they do it is open to many options, and there were several better than the one in the example. Club pro does not get a failing grade from me, but maybe a C- or below average grade.

[DocWu1948]

Here's the deal. You don't give a non-customer, a non-member, i.e, an unknown entity the keys to a golf cart and direct him out on the course to find his fortune. He could crash the cart, disturb whoever is playing. get hit by an errant ball, and create a bad situation. Many courses I play do require the phone number of the driver, and a signature on a form, which if you ever read it, says you assume all risks for use of the cart.

Clearly, the motorist is expected to have clear and safe sailing down the road, and the golf course and ultimately the golfers are responsnsible. Yet the management at the desk,needs to manage this safely.

So I say whoever was at the desk was gutless and passed the buck.

[ajschn06]

Hitting a car and damaging it is basically the same thing as hitting a course-bordering house and smashing a window or hitting an occupant of the house. You would be responsible no matter what. . XD

How is this possible? I play courses that have greens within a 20 yard chip of a house. How can the golfer be held responsible is the course is that close to the house?

[sean_miller]

How is this possible? I play courses that have greens within a 20 yard chip of a house. How can the golfer be held responsible is the course is that close to the house?

Who else would be responsible. The oncoming lane of a two-lane highway is really close, but you're still to blame if you cross the centre line. Man up.

[Ben]

I think the pro was out of line, yes. As a head pro, particularly at a private club, it is your responsibility to act as a buffer in this type of situation. It was quite chicken-S of him to give the driver a cart to come out and confront the group. At my club we are located next to streets. People come in the shop pipping hot after their car has been hit or window broken in their home. That is where we step in to mediate. We in the golf shop go out to the course and question any possible guilty groups. Most of the time they fess up, but saved the embarrassment of some hot-headed guy coming up and confronting them on their private club. That's total BS what your pro did.

As far as insurance or liability of the golfer or golf course goes, as it stands at our course, "you break it, you buy it." There is no insurance nor clause in the membership contract that covers damage caused by an errant golf ball.

[michaeljames92]

Wrong.

I know our club does this. It takes all responsibility/insurance for any damage in situations like this.