By Fred Cromartie, Ed.D. |
We have heard about and seen people attending major golf tournaments hit and injured by wayward shots. The injuries have varied, many followed by news that the spectator will be fine and in many cases the famous professional golfer who hit the errant shot provided the injured person with the ball that hit them or another memento for the inconvenience of being hit.
The question is: Should people who want to be in attendance at a major golf tournament be concerned about being hit and the dangers posed from being hit by a golf ball? From this writer’s perspective the answer is definitely yes. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford the cost of a ticket to a major golf tournament you also have to be aware of the fact that the potential and odds of being hit are statistically low, but still exist. You should also check over the ticket and make sure that you read the fine print to see if they issue a written warning about the possibility of being hit and the tournament not accepting any liability or responsibility for you being hit while in attendance.
At this past Ryder Cup, a spectator was hit in the head by an errant shot which blinded her in the eye from the wayward shot and being hit. “Corrine Remande, 49, was treated on the scene at the side of the par-4 sixth hole at Le Golf National in Paris, before being taken to hospital where scans revealed an explosion of the eyeball.” http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/24890023/spectator-blinded-ryder-cup-tee-shot-says-died
I’ve heard some say that she should have been listening to the tournament marshals and their warning calls of “Fore”. According to Remande, she says that she didn’t hear any warning from the marshals before being hit. From a statement issued by Ryder Cup officials following the incident they state that “Fore” was shouted as the ball traveled towards the crowd.
The key here is that if you are fortunate enough to be able to obtain a ticket to attend a major golf tournament you better be listening and on the lookout for the possibility of any golfers errant wayward shot potentially hitting you in the crowd.
The following contributed to the writing of this article. http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/24890023/spectator-blinded-ryder-cup-tee-shot-says-died
Dr. Fred Cromartie is the Director of Doctoral Studies at the United States Sports Academy.