RussUK

haha, like it. And, knowing us Brits, probably very true. I mean we are from the country that allowed school kids to play conkers as long as they wore safety glasses/goggles. Back to the drawing board it is then On a serious note i think covering the face with a helmet would contravine terrorism laws as well as H&S (unless it has a full face lift up).

For me its always duck and cover. There have been a few times my playing partner has been stood next to me wondering why im covering my head when the ball misses us. But hey, you never know. If/when i when hit a dodgy shot that is going off course i yell regardless. If the ball is heading into some trees divinding two fairways you can never be sure if there is anyone in them (for any reason). There are a couple of public courses in the Leeds area that are open to dog walkers and the like and while they stay off the fairways they do often walk through the wooded areas. Better safe than sorry.

Correct, according to the most recent reports that have come from speaking to the officials they have said that numerous shours of fore were indeed yelled, however they do understand that by the time they have yelled the ball is pretty much already on a collision course with the crowd. The more info that comes out the more the overall picture changes. The lady was an active golfer who traveled from Egypt to see the RC so would have been well aware of the risk so would/should have known what to do is she heard the call. Still a nasty accident and Koepka said he felt awful when he found out and contacted her and her family. Now you have Tyrrell Hatton hitting a lady on the head at the Dunhill Links. Left her with a right bump and stiches but she was ok and was beaming after getting a big hug off Tyrrell, kudos to him as great to golfers exhibit that human touch. If i ever go to a pro tournament i think i'll wear a full face crash helmet.....just in case

What can i say, i'm British, we are the best in the world at ruining stuff with health & safety

As always, you're the voice of reason

I think you are just being a realist. I'm just the sort of person that hates seeing other hurt and having their lives affected. I would make a crap lawyer. Im just a big o'l softy!

Breaking an ankle is not in the same league as permanent loss of sight in an eye, and while i can appreciate your point i think that due the severity of her injury the organisers will probably do something, like i said previously, out of goodwill. But also in repsonse to your post yes, i think if someone did trip over a tv cable at a tournament or fell down a hill and that trip or fall was avoidable, such as a cable not being safely secured in accordance with health and safety regs then yes, compensation could be expected. Like the saying goes "Where there's blame theres a claim"

I think the post tournement beer's they were partaking in contributed to their heated exchange.

no need, all tournaments in the future will be done on VR simulators as they will have closed most of the courses to build houses on!. At least it will boost spectator safety

Like i have said, Koepka's ball hitting her was an accident, an awful one at that. She's sueing the organisors of the event for her injury, i personally think she deserves some sort of compensation but whether or not she gets it is another question and its all down tho the powers that be. Im sure even if they have a iron clad clause they'll likely do something as goodwill. If anything it just shows that even fairly sedate sports like golf can be dangerous given the wrong circumstances.

I have been reading a few more reports from various news outlets and info seems to be conflicting. Officials stood on the tee stated that they shouted fore a number of times yet people stood near the injured party have said otherwise. Could be a case, as has been sugested, that the shout was not heard. In hindsight when we play courses we can hear shouts from a couple of holes away but we dont have cheering and what not going on to mask the yells of fore. Its sad but accidents can and do happen. in that case i'm at fault quite a lot when i play

You're not supposed run when you hear fore, you are supposed to crouch and cover your head. Thats what i've always been told anyway. If there was more info about what to do at a shout of fore, for example on the event pass, ticket or around the venue that would go some way to help at least. I cringe when i see someone look towards the shout instead of doing duck and cover.

Koepka wasn't at fault as such, and like i said he in no way intended to cause harm as it was just a very unlucky incident. I just hate seeing some golfers sticking an arm out but staying quiet, seems to happen far to often. Re insurance i'm sure the tournament organisers will have some form of public liability insurance, I know most (if not all) golf courses the likes of us everyday golfers play at dont cover injuries (as far as i am aware), hence those ads for insurance in the golf mags with Tony Jacklin. I suppose, because of the nature of the sport in regards to spectating, there will always be the chance of this thing happening no matter how remote that chance may be. I do think Koepka made the wrong decision to offer (picture in the news looked like he just tossed) a glove to the injured party. If you get hit by a bouncing ball and not hurt too much then fine it's a nice gesture but if the person you hit is laid out with blood pouring down their face then maybe just stay back till they are treated.

This came up on my news feed: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/oct/01/brooks-koepka-ryder-cup-spectato The lady that was hit by Brooks Koepka's errant drive has permenantly lost the sight in one eye. She apparantly suffered an broken eye socket and and an "exploded eyeball". She is holding the organisers responsible for not shouting, however this is another case of the players possibly not doing enough to warn specators of a incomming ball. I find that often players just hold their arm out in the direction the ball is traveling and if they do shout it's likely it cannot be heard 280+ yards down the hole. I know Koepka had no intent of harming the lady but his offer of a signed glove just wont cut it this time. More needs to be done to aid the safety of spectators. Whether its a fine for any player that doesn't shout "fore" or a more audiable way of notifying the crowds (or both). Freak accident im sure but one that should'nt be happening these days. It just concerns me that some players appear to be more worried at where their shots end up than if it hits a spectator. The lady has a long road to recovery and i wish her well.

I dont agree with this as such. If a team "wants" it more than the other team, i.e. they are more motivated, more energised etc. then that is going to have an effect. Think football (soccer), the amount of times a team has a player sent off and its 11 v 10, the full team has the advantage, however its often the case that the 10 men play harder, they have to but they also have to want to win more than the other team. That extra motivation they get by being at a disadvantage or the underdog can go a long way to helpeing them win. Sure, its a lame saying when you here a coach/manager say "They just wanted to win more" but it's true, if you dont want to win then you're not going to.