Slices, hooks, flubs. It’s happened to the best of us, and we even see it happen with the pros. What usually accompanies that slice or hook is a yell of “FORE” to warn you of the errant shot heading your way. We all know it is common courtesy and proper golf etiquette to yell fore, but are we legally obligated to do it?
Back in 2002, friends Dr. Anoop Kapoor and Dr. Azad Anand were playing a round of golf together, when both of them hit errant shots on the same hole. They went in opposite directions in an attempt to find their shots, because we never want to have suffer a penalty stroke. Kapoor found his ball first, and shanked his next shot again. The ball travelled straight toward Anand, hit him in the eye, in which he subsequently lost his sight. Since Kapoor didn’t warn his playing partner, Anand decided to sue his friend for being reckless in not yelling fore.
The original decision held that Kapoor was not negligible by not yelling fore, and that his shot was so bad and that he wasn’t in a foreseeable “danger zone” so he could not have expected a warning. The appeals court upheld the decision earlier this year, stating:
“The manner in which Anand was injured — being hit without warning by a ‘shanked’ shot while one searches for one’s own ball — reflects a commonly appreciated risk of golf.”
I never would have considered golf “risky” or “dangerous”, but I guess when you think of it this way, it is. Being that this decision was in the US, I’m not sure if a decision in Canada would be any different, but it is still interesting that in the US golfers aren’t legally obligated to yell fore. Even though that’s the legal opinion, I still recommend you shout fore our of common respect and courtesy to your fellow golfers. If I ever hit an errant shot, I know I will. Do you feel obligated to shout fore? Let us know in the comments if you think this will change the way you play.
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