Bet you haven't been hit by someone like this!

[PappyVanWinkle53]

When I was 10 or 11, I was hitting balls in my granddad's backyard (big property) and my mom was walking down the "fairway" to shag balls for me. As I took my swing, she happened to stop and turn around....and I ended up thinning a PW that hit her right between the eyes.....didnt live that one down for years.

[Moonlightgrm]

If you’re his opponent in match play, doesn’t he win the hole? ?

[Justsomeguy]

I got cracked in the temple point blank from a driver.

Hit my drive, a good one for me, went and sat down in the cart. Playing partner is right handed. He sets up. My seat in the cart is directly behind his back. He swings and somehow ropes it directly to 9 o'clock where I'm peaceably sitting in the cart. No warning nothing but a sound and pain.

I stood up immediately and got out of the cart and started walking around kinda dazed, but not out, and adrenaline pumping. He handed me a beer to put on my head for the swelling. I drove directly to the parking lot and had my wife come pick me up to go get an x-ray.

Doc did a CT scan and no breaks in the skull, but the ear on the right side has leaked fluid into an area.

Turned out the temple was the best place to take it. Eye would have blinded me, teeth would have scattered, ear would have deafened me, and neck might have broken a vertebra.

I took some time off and wore a bump hat for awhile when I came back to avoid a second concussion within x time period.

Learned an important lesson about positioning around other players. One that was reinforced a few months later at a scramble when some guy dropped a second ball behind me when I started walking to mine and zinged one past my ear.

People are careless, and they feel oh so bad, but until you're the one who gets plunked in the skull, you don't really feel that bad.

[Roody]

I think it was about 22 years ago. I had only been playing golf for 3-4 years so I wasn't that good. Neither were the two guys I was playing with.

I tee off and I pull it left. It was far enough left that I'm on other side of the tree line and in the rough on an adjacent hole. Second guy slices right, and shorter than mine. Third guy hits his down the middle.

We all walk to our shots. I find mine, evaluate the situation, and pull out my club. I take a practice swing and all of a sudden I hear a ball hit the ground and then THWACK! Right in the back of my head. I grab my head in pain, and immediately turn around to face the tee box of the hole I am on. No one is there.

Confused, I turn back towards my own fairway. The guy who hit his drive down the middle is bent over in laughter because he watched all this unfold. The other guy has his bag on his back and is walking in my general direction. As he approaches he says "did you see my ball come over this way?"

I'm like "WTF?? You hit me!". He responds "I did??". He hit it so badly that he had no idea. Luckily for me it was a one-hopper before it hit my head.

[4x4GGG]

My reaction was identical. I took it right to face. I only remember seeing it about a foot away. Glasses went flying and my head went straight down into my partners lap. I yelled "Heck! My eye!" and just got up and started walking with my hand on my face. Took me a second to think if I can see from it. I took my hand away and looked up, covering my good eye. I remember the relief I felt that I could see, but looking at my hand it was covered in blood. Just as I realized this I get a face full of golf towel from a guy in my group. They're calling the club house as they drive me back.

Funny side note. When we get back there's a staff lady waiting with an ice bag. Shes holding it to my face. Asks me if I need anything and it just dawned on me that it had been 9 holes and 4 beers and I hadn't pee'd yet. She says "ok, lets go". So here I am standing at a urinal, she's 5 foot 1 standing behind 6" me holding an ice bag on my face. My Boss, the GM of the hotel I worked at (he was my playing partner, the outing was paid for by the hotel) is in the bathroom asking me questions to tell the ambulance, my two other playing partners are in the bathroom for moral support and out of no where another guy sticks his head into the rest room, looks at me... "Dude... I am so sorry..." .

Get out. Not mad, but get out.

[QuigleyDU]

I have luckily only been hit by a ball once. It was all the way back in high school in a tournament. Hit me in the calf never heard a thing. Didn't hit me too hard though.

[GoletaGolfer]

On 4/21/2020 at 5:01 PM, 4x4GGG said:

Don't be squeemish...

 

Day after...

About a month after...

 

The fact that I was wearing Oakleys actually saved my life. The ball impacted the center of my lens and broke the frame. Based on the impact spot the ball, without the glasses on, would have gone straight thru and liquefied the eye, and most likely made it thru the back of the socket wall. Long term is a knot on the bridge of my nose to match the 4 other times I broke it, and when I get super tired I get a pretty decent twitch that others can even notice above the eye.

What had you standing facing a driver from 60 yards out. I can't picture it. So glad you are ok!

[RRFireblade]

On 4/20/2020 at 1:49 PM, sethdavidsdad said:

This weekend a friend joins our group on the 4th hole 160 yard Par 3. Hit sculls a shot, it hits the tee marker on the next set of tees. Comes flying back towards us almost head high. I try to move out of the way but it hits me in the upper arm.

Well that's a new one for me.

I've seen that quite a bit actually. I've also seen curbs send one back, the tire on the cart, trees, ball washer lol. 

[cardia10]

Golf is dangerous

[llewol007]

That is a good one. Thank goodness it was a richochett versus a dead on hit. I have been hit directly in the back as well as in the ankle right after it hits our cart.  Good thing you still had the reaction time to move and take the impact on the upper arm. 

[bigred90gt]

I've never been hit, but I did hit one of my friends once. We teed off and I hit a horrible tee shot (I had only been playing a few months). He dropped me off with my 3 wood, and proceeded up the fairway to his ball. He just kind of sat in the cart in the middle of the fairway, about 100 yards up, with his leg hanging out. I told him to move, but he insisted on staying there. I rared back and smashed the 3 wood as hard as I could. It never got more than about 2' off the ground, and hit him square in the back of the thigh on the fly. He flopped out of the cart, laid on the ground doing the "Curly shuffle" and screaming for a few minutes. The mark it left was rather incredible. I wanted to feel bad, but I warned him and a decision was made, lol.

 

Another time, me and a buddy were out with a few of the lady members at our course. We werent playing, we were there for "moral support", lol. One of the lady hits a pitch shot from maybe 10 yards off the green, shanks it, and hits my buddy in the back. It wasnt a hard shot as you can imagine, but this picture was about 5 minutes later.

 

[platgof]

Older couple was on the course, friends of mine, and she was just riding along. She got hit in the mouth, causing serious surgery that followed, along with several missing teeth. 

[dmecca2]

Only been hit by a skulled wedge once, wasn't bad. But once I was playing behind a really slow league, and on the last hole I was waiting to hit into the green for what seemed like forever and all of a sudden one of them drops, and everyone watching (bout 10 carts) and on the green started cursing back at me and one guy even threw the ball that hit the guy back at me. Turns out someone from another hole hit at least a 100 yard slice and never yelled fore. Guy that got hit in the head ended up being ok. 

[milesgiles]

On 4/21/2020 at 1:00 AM, farmer said:

To Dave's post, why is it when a man sees another man take one in the fruits, he has to laugh? Because we've all been there? The facial expressions and the rolling around are intrinsically funny?

 

 

that ball is heavier and harder than a baseball, at roughly 95mph.. 

[iNeedMoreGolf]

On 4/21/2020 at 8:01 PM, 4x4GGG said:

Don't be squeemish...

 

Day after...

About a month after...

 

The fact that I was wearing Oakleys actually saved my life. The ball impacted the center of my lens and broke the frame. Based on the impact spot the ball, without the glasses on, would have gone straight thru and liquefied the eye, and most likely made it thru the back of the socket wall. Long term is a knot on the bridge of my nose to match the 4 other times I broke it, and when I get super tired I get a pretty decent twitch that others can even notice above the eye.

That was almost worse case scenario wow. I was standing about 100yds up and about 40 yds left on a par 3 when my dad was on the tee box... thought i was safe... i was 11 at the time... well my dad hits a Word not allowed low hooker as johnny miller would say... i see it locked in on me pretty hard so i jump back about a good 6 7 feet thinkin ill be ok here... the ball then decides too cut left even harder and just slams me hard in the forearm... blew it clean off... ok well maybe not blew it off but it hurt for a day.

[Circaflex]

I have hit myself and seen two people get hit.

 

Myself - I was in a green side bunker that is below the hole. I didnt see the concrete that supports the green was uncovered and showing in the bunker. I thinned a shot, it hit the cement, shot right back and hit me just above the eyeball. I dropped in the bunker and kind of came to; my friends were in disbelief and werent sure to laugh or take me to a hospital. We laughed and had a beer. I am still scared from that and occasionally when it pops up in conversation or anything, I am sure to hit a bunker and then cant get out. Not sure I will ever get over that.

 

Saw a friend get hit on a par three; they yelled fore but it struck him right in the buttocks. That was hilarious because we all laughed and they offered him a beer. He was a good sport and the group felt bad.

 

Another time, I was playing with two buddies and were on the tee box. I am talking to one of them while he washes his ball; out of no where he like drops and I hear this thud. Well a ball hit him on a line from an elevated par 3, down to us on the tee box for the next hole. it hit him just below the neck, near the shoulder. The thud I heard was the ball hitting the grass after hitting him. Not a single word from them. I proceed to hack their ball into the near by lake and they come up to use. My friend, who generally never says anything to anyone on the course, starts hollering at them asking why they didnt yell fore, they hit one of us and couldve hit him in the head. They start mouthing off to him saying, "oh does he need a bandaid" and just being overall jerks. From that day on, I realized people are scum and most dont give two craps about another on the course. Really changed my perspective and the rest of the time we felt like they were hitting up on us, but these days who knows who has a gun on them or are flat out crazy. It just isnt worth it.

Edited December 12, 2020 by Circaflex

[Long_Left]

I didn't get hit but it would have been ugly... I was standing behind a buddy playing a shot from 140ish off an uphill lie. Springtime in New Mexico, super firm conditions.

 

He had probably 8 or 9 in his hands, swings over the top of the golf ball and grazes the top of it firm enough for it to pop straight up in the air off the hard ground, past his left ear and catches it center clubface on the follow through... the ball rockets off the clubface directly at my head maybe 8 yards back of him. I flinched HARD and can only assume the ball had some hard spin on it because I lost sight of it maybe 5 feet from me as I dove and it missed me... finished nearly 100 yards back towards the tee.

 

I was seriously shaken for a couple holes before I could laugh about it, I still tell that story on that hole at least 2 or 3 times a year 🙂

[2bGood]

On 4/20/2020 at 10:49 AM, sethdavidsdad said:

This weekend a friend joins our group on the 4th hole 160 yard Par 3. Hit sculls a shot, it hits the tee marker on the next set of tees. Comes flying back towards us almost head high. I try to move out of the way but it hits me in the upper arm.

Well that's a new one for me.

 Sadly been there (almost). More than once have I seen shots hit tee markers and fire back at the golfers. I even did it myself once and had to duck to barely be missed. It funny to say you went OB behind yourself. 

[BlackDiamondPar5]

Got hit on the the fly in the upper abdomen from about 160 yards from a parallel fairway.  The instant sting resulted in a surge of adrenalin and masked the pain.   Fortunately I'd been training with Pepperturbo so I was able to absorb the pain 🤣  (PS I do respect Pepper, I just like to have a little fun...)

 

[Dr. Block]

The worst I ever took was one about an inch wide of the jibblies from twenty yards away. Young, foolish, and I made a poor choice of where to stand while my teammates were cracking off double-ball-trick-shots from the sand trap.

 

When you do this trick-shot, you arrange two balls in the sand connected snuggly in succession. You then take a mighty whack at the first one. It collides with the second ball and goes straight up in the air with an incredible amount of backspin. It then lands, and it spins back with such force you'd swear it left skid marks.

 

Actually, it's a pretty stupid trick-shot that wouldn't amuse anybody other then a bunch of high school kids. It is, however, very important to make sure you are not standing in the path of the second of the two balls, for this ball leaves the collision traveling forward like a hooded 4 iron one would hit to escape the trees. It was the most pain I ever felt so fortunate to be in! 

 

No amount of the Mandelbaum work (displayed in the post above) could have prepared my bean-bag for that one. 

Edited December 14, 2020 by Dr. Block

[br61]

I've been hit few times, painful just once. I know not many can say they've been hit by an US Senator's shank while I was playing the other hole. Hit me in the calf but didn't hurt at all.

 

One drunk golfer in my group about 25 years ago shanked his wedge into his cart with cart cover on and it came back to his crotch, kneeling him down. We laughed so hard and he did too.

Edited January 2, 2021 by br61

[hybrid25]

I am on blood thinners for a mechanical heart valve and it definitely a concern for me. Although, driving a car is also a concern inre of an accident, along with a host of other things. Bruises get real intense for me, but I haven't been hit yet.

[Ghostwedge]

Few months ago our group is putting out and say the green is middle of a clock face, at 10:00 about 50 to 75 yrs away maintenance crew is mowing a first cut.

I'm standing there leaning on my putter waiting my turn and hear this whirring noise getting closer, I look to 10:00 and this sliced up ball is sizzling towards us.

Barely missed us head high. Got to watch out for tractors pulling mower decks too.

[dlygrisse]

I saw a guy hit a driver off the toe, hit the tee marker, didn’t hit me but it was close. So yeah the OP’s story is plausible. 
 

played golf with a guy who had his eye put out by an errant drive on an adjacent hole, know a guy who had his eye severely damaged by a skulled pitch shot while standing on a green. 

[Sean2]

On 4/20/2020 at 1:49 PM, sethdavidsdad said:

This weekend a friend joins our group on the 4th hole 160 yard Par 3. Hit sculls a shot, it hits the tee marker on the next set of tees. Comes flying back towards us almost head high. I try to move out of the way but it hits me in the upper arm.

Well that's a new one for me.

Only in golf, lol. 

[brianp123]

Oh man, glad you guys were alright and had an interesting story to share!

[Kmagnuss]

On 4/20/2020 at 4:44 PM, Buzzkill said:

Hit a set of forward tees once. I was playing from the tips on a 560 yard Par 5 - drilled the next forward tee and now was hitting my 2nd shot 590 out, lol!

If your ball was still on the tee box you could have teed it up for shot number 2.  Perfectly legal.  (I think)

[bobfoster]

On 4/21/2020 at 8:01 PM, 4x4GGG said:

Don't be squeemish...

 

Day after...

About a month after...

 

The fact that I was wearing Oakleys actually saved my life. The ball impacted the center of my lens and broke the frame. Based on the impact spot the ball, without the glasses on, would have gone straight thru and liquefied the eye, and most likely made it thru the back of the socket wall. Long term is a knot on the bridge of my nose to match the 4 other times I broke it, and when I get super tired I get a pretty decent twitch that others can even notice above the eye.

 

Holy crap man - I got a physical chill up my spine just looking at that picture. 

 

I've been hit a couple times - both times (fortunately) on a bounce. So they stung, but only really resulted in a red mark that was mostly gone by the next day. I have had countless near misses however (not surprising considering how long I've been playing).

 

Worst I saw was in a foursome - two in carts, and two guys walking. Par 5. The guys in the cart had out-driven one of the walkers, but it went into the woods, so they had driven ahead knowing they needed to spend time looking. They had kind of disappeared for a few minutes into a clump of trees. The walker gets to his ball, hits a solid 3W low, but with a slice, just as one of the guys stepped out of the trees - all of 15 or 20 yards away. Caught the guy flush in the face. 

 

It was serious - like, literally ambulance-on-the-course serious. Shattered his cheekbone. Half inch higher and he could well have lost an eye. That was the worst, but I've seen a number of other incidents that, while not as bad, still caused some pretty painful damage. 

 

I've come to have possibly an almost inordinate, extreme amount of respect for what a golf ball actually is - a really hard projectile easily (almost commonly) capable of exceeding 120+ MPH with a driver or FW.

 

I'll yell fore if my ball might come anywhere even vaguely close to people - and if its going somewhere where I can't see it land, still yell fore even if its possible no one is even there. On those occasions (that we all have) where I'm thinking "I probably couldn't hit them unless I flushed it", yeah, I'll just wait.

 

This is just a game we do for fun. While the risk of getting hit by a ball during any particular round is low, it is never zero. But there is no reason not to take all reasonable steps to minimize what risk there is. 

 

And that day after picture is a pretty freaking stark reminder of why.

 

 

[bigred90gt]

19 hours ago, bobfoster said:

 

 

I'll yell fore if my ball might come anywhere even vaguely close to people - and if its going somewhere where I can't see it land, still yell fore even if its possible no one is even there. On those occasions (that we all have) where I'm thinking "I probably couldn't hit them unless I flushed it", yeah, I'll just wait.

 

I do the same thing. It gets odd reactions from others depending on who I'm playing with, but I'd rather warn someone and not be close than to keep my mouth shut and hit them. And if there is a possibility that on only my best absolutely flushed shot I might possibly roll into someone, I wait. 

[PedronNiall]

On 1/2/2021 at 4:01 PM, Ghostwedge said:

Few months ago our group is putting out and say the green is middle of a clock face, at 10:00 about 50 to 75 yrs away maintenance crew is mowing a first cut.

I'm standing there leaning on my putter waiting my turn and hear this whirring noise getting closer, I look to 10:00 and this sliced up ball is sizzling towards us.

Barely missed us head high. Got to watch out for tractors pulling mower decks too.

Wouldn't be surprised if a sliced up ball with a jagged edge all around is capable of doing even more damage than an intact one. Really nice it didn't end up catching any of you at all, especially in the head. One more thing to dislike about course maintenance going on in the middle of the day. Half the crews seem to park in spots like they think everyone hitting into them is a pro who will miss them by miles, so there's that as well.