I was just cruising around the internet the other day and came across this article on a law site that discusses a law suit that is local to my area but could be an issue for anyone that golfs in the United States. Apparantly one golf buddy is suing another because his eye had been injured by a ball struck by his partner. In the article it explains that the courts in New York found that any golfer on the course has assumed a certain amount of risk just by playing the game. If you are struck by a ball, it is in a sense, your own fault for being on the course. [Read more →]

I’m not sure how I feel about this, I think that making an attempt to notify the person before they are hit should be the legal responsibility of the person hitting the ball. I understand that there are golfers of all skill levels on the course and that many people will hit an errant shot off the hosel or grab the wrong club and hit it longer than expected, but shouldn’t they at least have to make an attempt at rectifying the situation by yelling fore. I have never been hit by a ball but I have been with people who have and it isn’t fun. I am positive that if you were struck in the head you could be killed by a golf ball. What would happen then, would the person be brought up on charges?

This idea of taking a risk by being on the course is the same thing as being in a car on the road. There are drivers of different skill levels and no matter what skill level they are it is up to them to steer their car on the right path and do everything they can not to injure others. Shouldn’t the same be true when playing golf where there is usually a lot of time after hitting to ball to notify someone of impending doom? I understand that the two people in this particular case seem to be fairly close based on the information in the article and there might not have been time but I am focusing more on the impact that this verdict would have on the common incidents that I have witnessed when playing a round.

One caviet to puting the onus on the person hitting the ball is when you are in the same group. There isn’t any reason that people should be rushing out to their balls. If you have out driven your foursome by a good distance wait until they hit their shots. Always abide by the 90 degree rule, you can’t get hit if you are behind someone. Always watch your shot land and roll, you’ll save time looking for it later as well as be able to warn anyone of impending danger. Regardless of the law lets all make sure we are in the habit of good golf ettiquette including yelling fore on a shot anywhere near other people.

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