Golfer Killed In Golf Cart (Public Service Announcement)

This is somewhat of a Public Service Announcement so it's very much worth reading if you're a golfer.

Several years ago a golf buddy of mine told me of a friend of his that was killed while riding in his golf cart. It was an extremely freakish accident, but as you'll read on it could happen to anyone riding a golf cart.

If you've driven a golf cart then you're aware of the roped off sections of the golf course to keep golf carts out. You typically see these areas along side the cart paths to keep the carts from driving onto the fairway. You also so these ropes about 30 yards in front of the green to keep the golf carts out. You have all different kinds of objects supporting the rope to stay up like PVC piping, metal stakes, etc...

Now if you're like me there have been times where I needed to cross over the roped off area with my golf cart. Sometimes I'll get out and lay down one of the supports for the rope so that the cart can ride over it. There have been other times, while in the cart, I've taken a club and held down the rope while driving over it. In both of these scenarios it can be extremely dangerous.

My friend told me that his buddy drove over the rope of a roped off area on the golf course, but as he drove over it the rope got pulled up into the wheel-well and around the axle. He didn't know this and kept riding on while the rope got tighter and tighter. When all of the sudden one of the metal stakes holding the rope pulled out of the ground... and like a sling-shot the stake came flying at the golf cart and struck him in the head killing him instantly.

While this was the first I heard of someone getting killed like this, I see guys in golf carts do this all the time and I'm surprised there aren't more injuries or deaths because of it. I have noticed that more and more golf courses have been using PVC piping for the roped off areas, which will definitely help reduce the potential for injury or death.

So the next time you're riding a golf cart be extremely careful and aware of these ropes getting caught in the wheel-well.

Do you have any freakish golf stories to share?

Tags: golf, golf news, golf story

Duck, A Whirling 5-Iron

Have you ever been on the golf course or range and have the head of your golf club fly off?

It has happened to me several times and it's a very strange feeling. I remember the first time was when I was playing a match in high school. I was playing on the par 3 eight hole at Seacliff Country Club in Huntington Beach, CA. I hit a pure 5-iron, but on the follow-through the head flew off and started to chase the ball. The head went about 50-yards, but the ball landed on the green about 20 feet from the pin.

Everyone in the group for a moment was startled because as the head was flying it was making a weird whirling sound. I think at first they didn't know what it was, but as soon as they did they started to laugh. I had to laugh with them because there was really nothing I could do about it.

I ended up birding the hole and winning my match that day.

Has this every happened to you?
Tags: golf, golf story

Fore On The Tee With A 3" Bump

About 10 years ago I was playing a round of golf with some friends from work at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach, CA. The friends I was playing with weren't the greatest golfers, but they were fun to play 9-holes with after work.

We were on a par 3 and everyone hit except for Dave. Dave got up to the tee and pulled the heck out of his tee shot. About 100-yards away and to the left were a line of Cypress trees protecting the tee box on the next hole. We all yelled "Fore" as we saw the ball heading towards the Cypress protected tee box. The ball cleared the Cypress trees and we heard the ball hit a tree pretty solidly... you know that solid deep sounding noise you hear when hitting a tree.

We picked up our clubs and started walking up to the green and that's when two guys came out from behind the Cypress trees with one of them holding his forehead. The one guy yelled over to us saying that we hit his friend in the head. We all walked over their and the guy that got hit lifted his hand from his forehead and my mouth dropped open.

He had a bump on his forehead that looked to be bigger than a golf ball. The bump was so big that it didn't even look real. I was a little scared because I didn't know what was going to happen to this guy. I'm sure he had some kind of concussion because that was one wicked bump on his head.

I realized that from a 100-yards away to hear the ball hit what we all thought was a tree, but in reality it hit some guy in the head was pretty surreal. If you were there and heard the ball make the noise that it did... and know that it was someone's head. Damn!!! That's just not something you want to hear or remember.

Every since then when I hear a golf ball strike a tree with that solid sound it brings me right back to that day at Skylinks Golf Course... and the visual of that 3 inch bump rising from his head.

Have you ever experienced something like that?