For the most part, golf is a serene, relaxing, leisurely game played in tranquil and beautiful surroundings but every now and again there are hidden dangers lurking underneath the surface. This was quite literally the case recently when a golfer in Illinois fell victim to a sink hole in the middle of a fairway.
Imagine nailing a drive, arrow straight, down the middle of the fairway and approaching it still beaming with pride only for the ground to collapse under your feet, leaving you in a crumpled heap some 18 feet below.
“I was standing in the middle of the fairway,” said the unfortunate golfer. “Then, all of a sudden, before I knew it, I was underground.”
After 20 minutes thanks to some rope, a ladder and the help of the course’s general manager and his playing partners, the golfer, dislocated shoulder and all, was pulled to safety.
Thankfully this sink hole victim wasn’t playing alone and was helped back to safety.
This bizarre incident got us thinking about other freak accidents that may have occurred on the golf course and after a bit of digging, we learned that some freaky stuff has indeed happened on the fairways.
Lee Trevino, one of the greatest golfers of all time, was famously struck by lightning while playing in the Western Open in 1975, prompting the “Merry Mex” to dish out some sound advice for golfers who find themselves in stormy conditions while playing golf. “If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron.”
When you see this clip of Mother Nature teeing off on a course in the USA you wonder how Lee Trevino recovered.
Of course it is not always Mother Nature who dishes out unexpected punishment on us golfers. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy and somehow contrive to hurt ourselves in the most unlikely of circumstances.
French golfer Thomas Levet recently broke his leg during the process of jumping into a greenside lake in celebration of a European Tour victory and Ryder Cup legend Sam Torrance almost missed the 1993 matches at The Belfry after tripping over a flower pot and breaking his sternum while sleep walking…an off course incident we know but bizarre nonetheless!
One common culprit in terms of golfing accidents is the golf buggy. There are countless accounts of golf buggy related injuries and in some cases even deaths. An accident not too long ago involving Alan Tate of Swansea City FC at The Gower Golf Club in Wales saw the vice captain of the Premiership team miss six months of football due to a fractured tibia. The driver of his buggy managed to collide with a tree.
From one type of danger to another, we head to South Africa and the Skukuza Golf Course. Located next door to the famed Kruger National Park, this golf course is seriously terror-inducing.
Health and safety signs here include warnings for “Lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos and buffaloes” and although they read like the author was running away from one at the time, running away isn’t advised. “Do not run away! … If you run, the animal will believe that it has gained the advantage and it will be more likely to give chase.”
With lions among the hazards on this hole you’d think the stroke index would be a little lower!
What does this all teach us? No matter how safe and relaxing golf may seem, there is always potential for the unexpected and things like golf insurance and an attentive, careful attitude can go a long way. Of course there are things way out of our control, hidden sink holes included, but it never hurts to keep your eyes peeled when strutting your stuff on the fairways!
