Drones on the Golf Course

[Big Ben]

It's getting a quick smile and shush followed by the bird. After that I'm rifling a few golf balls it's way. I have a pretty decent arm even in my middle age. I'm guessing it's bugging out at this point.

[RobE]

If you shoot the Drone down you can face federal charges of firing at a commercial aircraft so your best bet is to report this to the authorities

 

What if you just knock it out of the sky with a helicoptered wedge?

That all depends on how much money you are willing to part with. Lets say you knock it out of the sky with your club and you damage the drone The drone operator can sue you for the repairs even if he was flying illegally close to people.

 

Yeah, um, NO - courts generally aren't going to side with an illegal act that results in your toy being broken.

 

And drones, generally, are not really considered commercial aircraft nor are they protected under the same "you can't shoot at them" rules.

 

And the cops aren't going to respond, let alone have the time for such foolishness, to situations in which the operator is unidentifiable (like some neighborhood punk hiding behind the curtains in his bedroom).

I appreciate the debate and i didn't join this forum to argue or disagree with anyone here but as a drone operator i just thought i would give my 2 cents please let me nicely respond to your comment

!. Courts make judgments based on the legality of your argument. There is a rule of court that is called the dirty hands law. if you break the law in the course of your actions to prevent another illegal act the court will rarely if at all side with you.

2. It was not my intension to say that all drones are commercial but you have no idea of knowing and I was basically stating the worst case scenario. Shooting a weapon in the air is what the courts are concerned with not shooting at a drone.

3. the neighborhood punk in his room is just the person I am trying to keep from even flying a drone . All drones over certain weights are governed federally by the F.A.A. So yes if you shoot at them you could face federal charges ( Worst Case )

1) No court in the land is going to side with you if your defense is "I was just messing with people on the golf course."

2) I think we were down to debating "helicoptering a wedge" at an offending drone.

3) I/m in no way justifying shooting them down, but there's been quite a few court cases in recent years and in not a onedid the FAA side with the operator.

[cafguy]

Last post I promise I came to this forum for golf but this subject does capture my interest sorry..

 

1) No court in the land is going to side with you if your defense is "I was just messing with people on the golf course."

 

They will as soon as The golfers Break the law by throwing a projectile at the drone. 100% of the time. Argument==== In an act of reasonable suspition you assumed someone was breaking the law, So you decided to stop that act by breaking the law yourself, thats where the Drone operator Wins. ----Judge " you could have called the police" Case closed.

[NPVWhiz]

If you shoot the Drone down you can face federal charges of firing at a commercial aircraft so your best bet is to report this to the authorities

 

What if you just knock it out of the sky with a helicoptered wedge?

That all depends on how much money you are willing to part with. Lets say you knock it out of the sky with your club and you damage the drone The drone operator can sue you for the repairs even if he was flying illegally close to people. Now lets say you hit the drone and it crashes down on somebody car or house causing damage. Thats even more money out of pocket. On the other hand if you simply call the police and they catch the operator They can be fined hundreds of dollars and if they were flying over you an endangerment charge can also be given to the pilot I hate stories like this because I make a living with Drones and there are to many idiots out there making drone operation almost impossible.

 

Let’s say, just for giggles, that the drone operator can find a $250 an hour attorney that isn’t completely put off by the idea that the drone operator wants to sue someone that whacked their drone because they were being harrassed. Then the drone owner is going to spend $5500 to recover $450 of damages? In the real world this isn’t happening anywhere in the country.

 

Just make sure that when you fling the club at the drone and it comes down, it comes down on you. A photo will help with that. You laying prone with the drone on top of you. A bit of blood somewhere will help. Because if the drone operator can sue you while they were doing something illegal, then certainly a counter-suit would be the order of the day, right?

 

On calling the police because a drone is harassing you, remember that silly 911 calls seem to make it to the CNN news website with alarming speed. I’d much rather be the dude in the news article that took down the drone with a ninja fling of a sand wedge than the guy on the 911 tape complaining of a drone pestering them. One’s a hero. The other is a member of the null set. That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to see the liveleak of the cops tasering the drone operator, but once you’ve watched today’s “watch Las Vegas police engage in a movie style shootout with murder suspects” vid, you realize they have tougher stuff to deal with than drone flying jack wagons. Let’s not waste their time.

 

Actually, that’s probably a pretty good strategy. When the cop asks you why you flung the sand wedge at the drone, just say “well, I thought about calling 911, then I thought maybe a sand wedge was the better option”. They will appreciate it one way or the other.

[gioguy21]

have a small bag of marbles in your bag, doesn't have to be a lot. if they come close, grab a handful and throw them up...odds are you hit it, disrupt the blades and it'll fall to the ground. then, bash the living crap out of it like an OfficeSpace fax machine. chuck it in the lake to get rid of the evidence.

 

/done

[BiggErn]

have a small bag of marbles in your bag, doesn't have to be a lot. if they come close, grab a handful and throw them up...odds are you hit it, disrupt the blades and it'll fall to the ground. then, bash the living crap out of it like an OfficeSpace fax machine. chuck it in the lake to get rid of the evidence.

 

/done

 

 

The camera on the other end catches it all though. Hypothetical solutions to hypothetical problems.

[gioguy21]

have a small bag of marbles in your bag, doesn't have to be a lot. if they come close, grab a handful and throw them up...odds are you hit it, disrupt the blades and it'll fall to the ground. then, bash the living crap out of it like an OfficeSpace fax machine. chuck it in the lake to get rid of the evidence.

 

/done

 

 

The camera on the other end catches it all though. Hypothetical solutions to hypothetical problems.

Broken memory cards...no evidence...

[BiggErn]

have a small bag of marbles in your bag, doesn't have to be a lot. if they come close, grab a handful and throw them up...odds are you hit it, disrupt the blades and it'll fall to the ground. then, bash the living crap out of it like an OfficeSpace fax machine. chuck it in the lake to get rid of the evidence.

 

/done

 

 

The camera on the other end catches it all though. Hypothetical solutions to hypothetical problems.

Broken memory cards...no evidence...

 

 

Lol. Not how it works. If that’s your mindset get ready to hypothetically pay up.

[BNGL]

If you shoot the Drone down you can face federal charges of firing at a commercial aircraft so your best bet is to report this to the authorities

 

What if you just knock it out of the sky with a helicoptered wedge?

That all depends on how much money you are willing to part with. Lets say you knock it out of the sky with your club and you damage the drone The drone operator can sue you for the repairs even if he was flying illegally close to people. Now lets say you hit the drone and it crashes down on somebody car or house causing damage. Thats even more money out of pocket. On the other hand if you simply call the police and they catch the operator They can be fined hundreds of dollars and if they were flying over you an endangerment charge can also be given to the pilot I hate stories like this because I make a living with Drones and there are to many idiots out there making drone operation almost impossible.

 

Lets say, just for giggles, that the drone operator can find a $250 an hour attorney that isnt completely put off by the idea that the drone operator wants to sue someone that whacked their drone because they were being harrassed. Then the drone owner is going to spend $5500 to recover $450 of damages? In the real world this isnt happening anywhere in the country.

 

Just make sure that when you fling the club at the drone and it comes down, it comes down on you. A photo will help with that. You laying prone with the drone on top of you. A bit of blood somewhere will help. Because if the drone operator can sue you while they were doing something illegal, then certainly a counter-suit would be the order of the day, right?

 

On calling the police because a drone is harassing you, remember that silly 911 calls seem to make it to the CNN news website with alarming speed. Id much rather be the dude in the news article that took down the drone with a ninja fling of a sand wedge than the guy on the 911 tape complaining of a drone pestering them. Ones a hero. The other is a member of the null set. Thats not to say I wouldnt love to see the liveleak of the cops tasering the drone operator, but once youve watched todays watch Las Vegas police engage in a movie style shootout with murder suspects vid, you realize they have tougher stuff to deal with than drone flying jack wagons. Lets not waste their time.

 

Actually, thats probably a pretty good strategy. When the cop asks you why you flung the sand wedge at the drone, just say well, I thought about calling 911, then I thought maybe a sand wedge was the better option. They will appreciate it one way or the other.

 

You guys all realize police agencies have a non emergency number for stuff just like this right?

[gioguy21]

 

 

have a small bag of marbles in your bag, doesn't have to be a lot. if they come close, grab a handful and throw them up...odds are you hit it, disrupt the blades and it'll fall to the ground. then, bash the living crap out of it like an OfficeSpace fax machine. chuck it in the lake to get rid of the evidence.

 

/done

 

 

The camera on the other end catches it all though. Hypothetical solutions to hypothetical problems.

Broken memory cards...no evidence...

 

 

Lol. Not how it works. If that’s your mindset get ready to hypothetically pay up.

 

Hypothetically I will pay nothing. Hypothetically a hypothetical laugh might do u good.

[BiggErn]

 

have a small bag of marbles in your bag, doesn't have to be a lot. if they come close, grab a handful and throw them up...odds are you hit it, disrupt the blades and it'll fall to the ground. then, bash the living crap out of it like an OfficeSpace fax machine. chuck it in the lake to get rid of the evidence.

 

/done

 

 

The camera on the other end catches it all though. Hypothetical solutions to hypothetical problems.

Broken memory cards...no evidence...

 

 

Lol. Not how it works. If that’s your mindset get ready to hypothetically pay up.

 

Hypothetically I will pay nothing. Hypothetically a hypothetical laugh might do u good.

 

Says the guy ready to pelt a harmless drone with marbles. Based on the hypothetical situation you will realistically pay up.

[RobE]

Last post I promise I came to this forum for golf but this subject does capture my interest sorry..

 

1) No court in the land is going to side with you if your defense is "I was just messing with people on the golf course."

 

They will as soon as The golfers Break the law by throwing a projectile at the drone. 100% of the time. Argument==== In an act of reasonable suspition you assumed someone was breaking the law, So you decided to stop that act by breaking the law yourself, thats where the Drone operator Wins. ----Judge " you could have called the police" Case closed.

 

Nope, not a chance.

 

Judge would say, "Tell me again why you were harassing golfers and trespassing on private property, and you want to waste the court's time with your claim?"

And police have better things to do that chase ghosts and non-existent law breakers.

[Quasimoto]

About drones on golf courses, how about a different purpose?

 

Goes like this: course has 18 drones in use every day.

When players check in with credit card they are told that drones are in use, and sign an agreement to pay, for example, $5.00 for every divot not replaced/sanded, and $5.00 for every ball mark unrepaired. It will cost you $10.00 every time you stick your putter in the hole to retrieve the ball - lazy mofo that you are.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

[BiggErn]

Last post I promise I came to this forum for golf but this subject does capture my interest sorry..

 

1) No court in the land is going to side with you if your defense is "I was just messing with people on the golf course."

 

They will as soon as The golfers Break the law by throwing a projectile at the drone. 100% of the time. Argument==== In an act of reasonable suspition you assumed someone was breaking the law, So you decided to stop that act by breaking the law yourself, thats where the Drone operator Wins. ----Judge " you could have called the police" Case closed.

 

Nope, not a chance.

 

Judge would say, "Tell me again why you were harassing golfers and trespassing on private property, and you want to waste the court's time with your claim?"

And police have better things to do that chase ghosts and non-existent law breakers.

 

 

So if I run up to you on a golf course and break all of your clubs because your hitting the ball 19 times per hole I’m not liable. Good to know. Airspace isn’t private property btw. You’re also completely wrong btw.

[BiggErn]

About drones on golf courses, how about a different purpose?

 

Goes like this: course has 18 drones in use every day.

When players check in with credit card they are told that drones are in use, and sign an agreement to pay, for example, $5.00 for every divot not replaced/sanded, and $5.00 for every ball mark unrepaired. It will cost you $10.00 every time you stick your putter in the hole to retrieve the ball - lazy mofo that you are.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

 

Makes zero sense. Guess just pay cash up front.

 

Something a bit different

 

 

[RobE]

Last post I promise I came to this forum for golf but this subject does capture my interest sorry..

 

1) No court in the land is going to side with you if your defense is "I was just messing with people on the golf course."

 

They will as soon as The golfers Break the law by throwing a projectile at the drone. 100% of the time. Argument==== In an act of reasonable suspition you assumed someone was breaking the law, So you decided to stop that act by breaking the law yourself, thats where the Drone operator Wins. ----Judge " you could have called the police" Case closed.

 

Nope, not a chance.

 

Judge would say, "Tell me again why you were harassing golfers and trespassing on private property, and you want to waste the court's time with your claim?"

And police have better things to do that chase ghosts and non-existent law breakers.

 

 

So if I run up to you on a golf course and break all of your clubs because your hitting the ball 19 times per hole I’m not liable. Good to know. Airspace isn’t private property btw. You’re also completely wrong btw.

 

Let's put it this way, I got legal advice from my brother-in-law the judge and my wife the cop.

And what cracker jack box did you get your law degree out of?

[BiggErn]

Last post I promise I came to this forum for golf but this subject does capture my interest sorry..

 

1) No court in the land is going to side with you if your defense is "I was just messing with people on the golf course."

 

They will as soon as The golfers Break the law by throwing a projectile at the drone. 100% of the time. Argument==== In an act of reasonable suspition you assumed someone was breaking the law, So you decided to stop that act by breaking the law yourself, thats where the Drone operator Wins. ----Judge " you could have called the police" Case closed.

 

Nope, not a chance.

 

Judge would say, "Tell me again why you were harassing golfers and trespassing on private property, and you want to waste the court's time with your claim?"

And police have better things to do that chase ghosts and non-existent law breakers.

 

 

So if I run up to you on a golf course and break all of your clubs because your hitting the ball 19 times per hole I’m not liable. Good to know. Airspace isn’t private property btw. You’re also completely wrong btw.

 

Let's put it this way, I got legal advice from my brother-in-law the judge and my wife the cop.

And what cracker jack box did you get your law degree out of?

 

 

Lol. I’m sure you did. I’m guessing not where they did.

[Quasimoto]

About drones on golf courses, how about a different purpose?

 

Goes like this: course has 18 drones in use every day.

When players check in with credit card they are told that drones are in use, and sign an agreement to pay, for example, $5.00 for every divot not replaced/sanded, and $5.00 for every ball mark unrepaired. It will cost you $10.00 every time you stick your putter in the hole to retrieve the ball - lazy mofo that you are.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

 

Makes zero sense. Guess just pay cash up front.

 

Something a bit different

 

 

By pay up front do you mean you intend to pay for 18 or more divots, and 18 pitch marks, and 18 putters in holes before you play? That is what would make no sense. Credit card only.

[BiggErn]

About drones on golf courses, how about a different purpose?

 

Goes like this: course has 18 drones in use every day.

When players check in with credit card they are told that drones are in use, and sign an agreement to pay, for example, $5.00 for every divot not replaced/sanded, and $5.00 for every ball mark unrepaired. It will cost you $10.00 every time you stick your putter in the hole to retrieve the ball - lazy mofo that you are.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

 

Makes zero sense. Guess just pay cash up front.

 

Something a bit different

 

 

By pay up front do you mean you intend to pay for 18 or more divots, and 18 pitch marks, and 18 putters in holes before you play? That is what would make no sense. Credit card only.

 

 

I’ll just end it and say the premise makes no sense. Absurd actually.

[justbringit5151]

Just throw golf ball at it, who ever was controlling the drone will get the idea.

[NoTalentLefty]

I liked the shotgun option.

[mo_golf_joe]

one of the funniest and best threads I’ve read on Golf WRX in quite some time. Edit: I may also be delirious from wacky sleep schedule because, well Carnoustie duh! ;)

 

these are the times though aren’t they?

following someone with a drone on the course for whatever reason. bored, just opened it, or funny shenanigans to them. I’d imagine if they live nearby they may continue to fly it there.

 

used to be someone passing by a course’s tee box or green, would honk in someone’s backswing or while they prepare to putt. course I play frequently has a couple of boxes and greens right off I-10. occasionally, well I’d say once every 10 rounds or so I get a honk or hear one on this stretch of holes. the mathematician in prev posts can tell me what percentage of my play has

had a honker in it. lol jk math is hard.

 

OP, if you play the course again would you please let us know if you see it again? and if any action has been taken by you or anyone else. this is sort of a cool thread. following this and getting a reasonable solution for yourself and others who may have had identical experience would be cool. although it probably will still allow for more hypothetical professionals to continue to hypothetically post what they would do...and so on and so forth...the internet never loses!

 

 

 

Joe

[ltjackson]

Didn't read every comment so if this has been said I apologize.

 

Best thing to do is inform local law enforcement if the drone is thought be be flown close enough to cause harm. But throwing a 4I at it with the intention of damaging it is not the call.

 

For one reason, drones fall within FAA guidelines. It's a felony and has been treated as such is past cases. Also even if you destroy it and remove the card (saw someone mention that) you aren't doing much. The drone, or at least the Mavic Pro which I own, maintains flight records in the controller and if enabled will record low res video to the local screen. I use an iPad mini and should something happen to it I'll know the last GPS position and some footage of what happened.

 

A quick Google search provides all drone laws.

 

As a side note I've used mine on the course, got approval through the GM/Pro and it was early. Didn't stop all the members with a 4I up their *** complaining (I'm also a member, so they will never complain directly to me apparently). Then again I'm the same person that plays quiet music in my cart and people can't even hear it but will complain at the clubhouse that my cart had music playing while I'm inside eating lunch.

 

Golf is way to uptight, I love the game. But if we want to grow it this is a good start. Stop running people off because of something you don't agree with. Find a compromise.

 

 

Edit: Spelling

[BiggErn]

Didn't read every comment so if this has been said I apologize.

 

Best thing to do is inform local law enforcement if the drone is thought be be flown close enough to cause harm. But throwing a 4I at it with the intention of damaging it is not the call.

 

For one reason, drones fall within FAA guidelines. It's a felony and has been treated as such is past cases. Also even if you destroy it and remove the card (saw someone mention that) you aren't doing much. The drone, or at least the Mavic Pro which I own, maintains flight records in the controller and if enabled will record low res video to the local screen. I use an iPad mini and should something happen to it I'll know the last GPS position and some footage of what happened.

 

A quick Google search provides all drone laws.

 

As a side note I've used mine on the course, got approval through the GM/Pro and it was early. Didn't stop all the members with a 4I up their *** complaining (I'm also a member, so they will never complain directly to me apparently). Then again I'm the same person that plays quiet music in my cart and people can't even hear it but will complain at the clubhouse that my cart had music playing while I'm inside eating lunch.

 

Golf is way to uptight, I love the game. But if we want to grow it this is a good start. Stop running people off because of something you don't agree with. Find a compromise.

 

 

Edit: Spelling

 

 

There’s a difference between being harassed and someone simply flying around near you. Heck it could’ve been someone that works at the course taking pics to advertise or something and decided to have a little fun. I agree people take a game way too seriously when others don’t yet the ones who do take offense to what the ones who don’t do even though it has no effect on what they do. Lol

[Canoe Paddler]

OP here. Really appreciate most of the feedback. For those wondering which route I took, I thought I’d chime back in. As usual, I took the less sexy route and simply shared the experience with the head pro and assistant pro. I was obviously joking, but both liked the flop shot idea and said they’d be glad to speak to the police if I actually hit it. I’m pretty sure they were making fun of my wedge game more so than being supportive here.

 

Their plan was ask around and see if it’s been a problem for other golfers as well. Enough of the members live on the course that eventually the owner would be found.

 

To my surprise, I haven’t seen the drone since this one instance. There are enough rednecks around here that would probably find more entertainment in downing the drone than finishing their round, so that’s one possibility, although I’d like to think the owner simply came to their senses.

[foxy222]

I hear your grips are a little worn. Damn 7 iron slipped right out of your hands and hit the drone.

[cafguy]

My crackerjack law degree was given by texas A&M

[BB28403]

If you shoot the Drone down you can face federal charges of firing at a commercial aircraft so your best bet is to report this to the authorities

 

What if you just knock it out of the sky with a helicoptered wedge?

That all depends on how much money you are willing to part with. Lets say you knock it out of the sky with your club and you damage the drone The drone operator can sue you for the repairs even if he was flying illegally close to people. Now lets say you hit the drone and it crashes down on somebody car or house causing damage. Thats even more money out of pocket. On the other hand if you simply call the police and they catch the operator They can be fined hundreds of dollars and if they were flying over you an endangerment charge can also be given to the pilot I hate stories like this because I make a living with Drones and there are to many idiots out there making drone operation almost impossible.

 

What if say my buddy the bald eagle takes that sucker down? Eddie the Eagle usually does not make court dates. Unless there is a nice trout or delectable bass involved.

[SelahVi]

I hear your grips are a little worn. Damn 7 iron slipped right out of your hands and hit the drone.

 

I could put some "stick-um"

on there for you. It's my fault.

[BB28403]

I hear your grips are a little worn. Damn 7 iron slipped right out of your hands and hit the drone.

 

You really can’t blame yourself. These things happen.