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Golfers shuddered at the story about the University of Hawaii student who whacked practice balls from his dorm into the UH softball stadium, seriously injuring an Iolani player. Breaching golf
etiquette brings new
hazards to the gameHackers everywhere know that the first rule of golf etiquette is that you never hit while others are in your field of play. If you hit an errant shot that heads for people you didn't think were in your range, you shout "FORE!" in your most urgent voice to warn them.
There's good reason for the courtesy: A golf ball flying off the club face at more than 100 mph is a dangerous missile that hurts. The young lady from Iolani had a tooth knocked out and suffered permanent facial damage.
I was hit only once on the golf course and it was ugly. I was on the fairway waiting to play when I heard a disconcerting "thwack" behind me. I turned around and a Titleist from some guy's jumbo graphite driver hit my forehead. He didn't even nod an apology. He seemed annoyed that my head had robbed his drive of 20 yards of roll.
In a flash of rage, I grabbed my own club to drive his ball back at him. I knew I was such a lousy golfer that there was no chance I would actually hit him.
As it turned out, I didn't even hit the golf course. I shanked the ball and it flew sideways over the fence, landing near the freeway. I had given up the high ground only to end up with a red face along with the big red welt on my head. There's a lesson in that.
I was on the other end of a golf assault once and it didn't feel much better. A friend and I were playing behind a slow Japanese couple. When we caught up to them on a par 3 hole, we asked if we could play through. They declined our request and teed off, as was their right.
My partner fumed as they rode off and when they reached the green he said, "To hell with them. I'm going to hit."
Over my objections, he hit his tee shot. As fortune would have it, it was one of the rare times he was on target and hit a green. The ball landed a few feet from the wife as she lined up her putt. The enraged husband gave us the same look I gave the guy who hit me with his driver.
Then he picked up my friend's ball and threw it into the pond in front of the green. He was waiting for us when we got there.
He didn't know much English, but came up with enough to call my friend a "fat a--hole." My friend responded with some unfortunate remarks about Pearl Harbor and they were threatening each other with their mallet-head putters when the wife and I broke it up. I never golfed with that friend again.
If the university student hit his ball into the softball stadium on purpose, it was unforgivably malicious. If we take him at his word that he had no idea his shots were carrying that far, it was just plain stupid.
Either way, golfers should take it as a reminder to always look and think before hitting. You don't want some poor kid's missing teeth -- or worse -- on your conscience.
David Shapiro can be reached by e-mail at davids@aloha.net.
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