Etiquette note: If someone accidentally hits too close, give them a chance to apologize.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by ajst22

Once during a golf team match, I was walking to my ball on the fairway when this guy on the hole next to us hit a tee shot that went about 6 inches above my head and stopped about 10 feet next to my ball. No fore or anything. As we were both walking to our balls, when we got close I just looked at him, and even though we made eye contact, he said nothing and picked his ball up and put it in his fairway. I was pretty angry.

I'd probably have to say something about that.

Brandon

[turtleback]

Originally Posted by ajst22

Once during a golf team match, I was walking to my ball on the fairway when this guy on the hole next to us hit a tee shot that went about 6 inches above my head and stopped about 10 feet next to my ball. No fore or anything. As we were both walking to our balls, when we got close I just looked at him, and even though we made eye contact, he said nothing and picked his ball up and put it in his fairway. I was pretty angry.

[Ernest Jones]

The few times I'e ever been hit into I've always given the hitter the benefit of doubt and have yet to encounter a true-blue a-hole. However I don't golf nearly as much as some of you (although I'd like too). Looking for fights on a golf course, seems to me, is a waste of money. You can go pick a fight on the street and save yourself the green fees!

[Hoganwoods]

Great thread!  It's sad if that one guy spat on the OP's ball.

[snapjack]

As a guy who has hit into groups ahead a couple, well maybe a bit more than that, times I always feel terrible and usually make the long march up to them to apologize and have never had anyone get really mad. My problems seem to come up when traveling on strange courses. Whatever the excuse apologizing goes a long way to making everyone feel better.

Now I did have an oriental couple, and the only reason I bring up their nationality is because they genuinely seemed clueless about proper etiquette, drive up onto the tee box when we were hitting and then whilst walking to our balls hit their tee ball over our heads. Later they were seen driving their cart around the fringe of the green. That was one ball I wanted to hit into the woods but the double fisted salute seemed to get through to them. We did watch our backs the rest of the round...

[Paradox]

What makes me feel the worst is when you don't see anyone in front of you for a while and the moment you come up onto a blind shot, you end up hitting close to another group that you hadn't seen all day.

I had another shot this year where the group had cleared the green..I could easily reach..and they were already driving off in their carts.  What do you know?  I blocked one well right and it was heading right for them as they drove to the next hole.  Luckily it didn't get too close but man it was a terrible feeling.  Gas carts so they probably wouldn't have heard me yell  from 200 yards.

Yesterday my dad and I were waiting on the 3rd tee which sits down a little and on the other side of some very tall grass from the 16th fairway.  The tees are completely blind to each other.  As we are driving up to the tee, here comes a massive hook that hits the cart path and bounces over to the far tee box.  I couldn't help but laugh because I've hit that shot before, too.

[Jmdmbike]

Agree, great post. It has happened to all of us, either we hit a shot that we couldn't have predicted or someone behind you puts it close, clearly with no intent. It happens. I remember one guy playing in the group behind us hits an absolute monster drive, rolls up right into our group. Now, we were well out of range, and frankly couldn't do anything but admire the shot. The guy apologizes - totally class act for sure - and all we could say way, "great shot!" no harm, no foul.

[ApocG10]

It happens  and its forgiveable. Nothing I get upset about if its unintentional. Most people are embarrassed and apologized. One guy did it and said 'Im sorry man, I just hit the best shot of my life by mistake", I laughed, he laughed, I congratulated him, told him it was no problem. We played on.

Ive done it once too. Just hit a great shot that I had no idea I couyld possibly hit at that time. Toom me a long time before I hit another one like it. But I guarantee I was trying, on every shot!

[Bullitt5339]

I had 2 similar accidental situations this weekend, one that was pure bad luck and the other someone who wasn't paying attention to what they were doing.

1st:  330 yard, short Part 4, but there's a tree in the center of the fairway, so the shot is to hit a slight fade around the left-hand side of the tree.  I was playing alone and waiting for the group to get all the way to the green before I tee'd off, even though I can't reach the green, I can get down to the cart pull-off signs.  I saw 2 carts up by the green and one guy in the sandtrap, which I can't reach on a miracle shot.  So I tee'd off and hit a perfect draw around the tree.  About the time the ball was landing, I see someone step out who was hidden by the tree, only about 10 yards from where my ball landed.  I walked up, trying to catch them on the green so I could apologize to the guy, but they were done before I got close enough to them.  I kept seeing them looking back at me, and figured they were upset.  I ended up pitching up and putting in for a birdie and then headed to the next teebox, where they were still at.  Before I got close to them, I identified the guy and gave him an apology and explained what happened.  He laughed and said "That was an awesome drive, I was in amazement that you hit it that far" (With roll, it was maybe 270 but that's extremely long for me, my average is 240ish).  The guy was really cool about it, I would assume because I was immediately apologetic.

2nd:  I was teeing off on #12, a Par 5 that borders #3, another Par 5, where a lot of people on #3's tee shots end up in the 12th fairway.  We were teeing off and I was 3rd to tee off.  In my downswing, I catch something moving right in front of me and try to pull out of the shot, and end up hitting a low (3 ft) line drive, fairly short.  The guys from #3 had driven their cart straight out into the 12th without even paying attention.  My line drive smacked very hard right into the side of their cart, and they slammed on the brakes and looked pissed.  They started to complain about it and get rather upset with us, but after a stern talking to about crossing into other fairways and not looking and giving precedence to players on the hole they were supposed to play on, they backed off and continued playing.  I was upset and shaken from the whole situation, I came about 2ft from seriously injuring someone, and it ruined the hole, with my tee shot that bounced back 50 yards, and not being able to concentrate, I carded a 10 on that Par 5.  I just couldn't believe that he was blaming me for hitting into him, when they came into our fairway in the middle of my shot, even coming from my blindside.

[bwdial]

Originally Posted by snapjack

Now I did have an oriental couple, and the only reason I bring up their nationality is because they genuinely seemed clueless about proper etiquette, drive up onto the tee box when we were hitting and then whilst walking to our balls hit their tee ball over our heads. Later they were seen driving their cart around the fringe of the green. That was one ball I wanted to hit into the woods but the double fisted salute seemed to get through to them. We did watch our backs the rest of the round...

I had a similar issue once.  Only time I've ever touched someone else's ball.  I was playing an executive course down in Tampa, and this Asian guy kept hitting into me on every par four.  I was walking and he was in a cart.  On par fours, when I slid my club back into the bag, he'd go ahead and hit.  On more than one occasion the ball would land in my vicinity.  The only saving grace was that he wasn't very good, so he sprayed them everywhere.  Pretty much every time he would hit before I had gotten out of the hitting area I would turn and glare at him with my hands outstretched in a WTF manner.  Finally, when I'm on the green of a short par three, I put the flag back in and am walking toward my bag when I hear club hit ball.  I turn in time to see his ball coming at me, and it lands about ten feet from me.

Without hesitation, I pick up his ball and walk it back to the tee and tell him that if he hits into me again, he's going to wind up eating his ball.  He backed off and wound up circling back to holes further back.

[JerryTimes]

I was playing at Maple Lane Golf Course by my home (a nice muni).  There are 3 courses here and I was playing the white course.  The first three holes one the white course are rather short, the first hole being the longest and about 275.  I made the green in two, for me, a nice start.... I've only started golfing regularly since last summer, and I was making my first putt.  I am not a slow golfer by any means, and while I am making my stroke I hear the next group make their first shot, and he hits the green and it rolls off of the back side.  I made par with two putts, didn't say a thing and walked over to his ball.  It was about 6 yards off the green, and I know this might sound bad, but I was going to step on it, until I saw it was a Pro V1, so I took it.  I know, not classy, but they didn't have to patience to warn me, or to wait.  They walked up just as I was teeing off, so they knew I was there, and it's a short hole and I'm sure the guy knew he could hit it.  They came walking over and I still didn't get an apology (I was waiting for the pair in front of me to finish the par three 2nd) so I didn't feel bad.  Usually I'm a patient person, but this made me irritated.  I've even had my golf cart struck once, but they yelled ahead to us so I understood.  Oh well....

[zeg]

Originally Posted by snapjack

Now I did have an oriental couple, and the only reason I bring up their nationality is because they genuinely seemed clueless about proper etiquette

Dude, if you're going to be racist, just be racist. "I only bring up their nationality because [stereotypical statement here]" isn't any better.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by zeg

Dude, if you're going to be racist, just be racist. "I only bring up their nationality because [stereotypical statement here]" isn't any better.

LOL

[k-troop]

There's a huge difference between a ball rolling up to the next group on a hard bounce, and flying into them.  Everyone should know (more or less) their maximum effective range with each club, and if you're going all out, wait until that range is clear.  Of course, every now and then you'll get one that flies 15 yards further, but that's still not going to hit anyone on the fly.

Originally Posted by MattM

out of the blue a ball bounces off the turf and hits my right testicle.

Ooh!  I should have yelled two!

[Sandy Trap]

Not everyone uses a range finder.  This makes it more difficult to know if they are really out of your range.

[tristanhilton85]

Absolutely great thread Sean. I think that the majority of golfers that hit into somebody do so unintentionally. They either flush one when they hadn't been all day or didn't realize how close you were or maybe you were in a blind spot and they didn't see you. If you play on busy courses, this is something that is bound to happen eventually, and more than likely it's something you'll end up doing to somebody else as well. At my home course a couple of the ladies tees can't be seen from the tees I play and I've hit into groups (usually I'm as a singe and end up catching a group I didn't know was there). Every time it's happened, I've apologized for it and nobodies made a big deal. The idea of hitting/running over/spitting on somebody else's ball because they rolled one up on you is just dumb. Period.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by tristanhilton85

Absolutely great thread Sean. I think that the majority of golfers that hit into somebody do so unintentionally. They either flush one when they hadn't been all day or didn't realize how close you were or maybe you were in a blind spot and they didn't see you. If you play on busy courses, this is something that is bound to happen eventually, and more than likely it's something you'll end up doing to somebody else as well. At my home course a couple of the ladies tees can't be seen from the tees I play and I've hit into groups (usually I'm as a singe and end up catching a group I didn't know was there). Every time it's happened, I've apologized for it and nobodies made a big deal. The idea of hitting/running over/spitting on somebody else's ball because they rolled one up on you is just dumb. Period.

I'm gonna pretend it hadn't been spat on, but it had been stepped on. When I picked it up to identify it and put it back in a similar (albeit not stepped on) lie, I could hear one of the codgers laugh and tell his buddy, "he picked it up". Maybe they were just critiquing my rules violation since I hadn't marked the spot.

[JerryTimes]

Originally Posted by zeg

Dude, if you're going to be racist, just be racist. "I only bring up their nationality because [stereotypical statement here]" isn't any better.

Just because someone brings up someones race doesn't mean that it's a racist comment.