The other problem is that lightning can continue even after a storm has passed. Over half of all golf course-related lightning deaths happen after a thunderstorm has passed over. Because lightning is attracted to standing objects, a golfer is usually the tallest object on the grass.
Smaller commercial golf courses are using a golf course lightning protection system. It sounds a lot more spectacular but in reality, is a little custom-built shack. It’s outfitted with a roof that collects any lightning and safely grounds the strike.
Lightning and golf do not mix. Taking a chance and hitting a few more shots or going one more hole could prove deadly. As a golf coach and instructor, some may say that I am, on occasion, over cautious. However, did you know that lightning often strikes outside of heavy rain, and may occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall?
He also said it was common practice for golf courses to provide lightning shelters in strategic places on the course and that the club should have had a siren to warn golfers.
Because lightning is attracted to standing objects, a golfer is usually the tallest object on the grass. It’s obvious that most lightning comes from a cloud by an electrical build-up and discharges to the ground.
If you are carrying metal golf clubs at the time, it could raise your risk (this is a common reason people are standing out in flat fields during thunderstorms, is to carry golf clubs. Sometimes such people get struck by lightning). The safest place to be during a thunderstorm is a building or a car.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) makes available warning posters and stickers to inform players about lightning safety tips. Golfers know that the USGA Rules of Golf (Rule 5.7) allow players to discontinue play if they believe there is a danger from lightning.
If you are caught on the course and there is no shelter near, consider the following tips:Do not stand under tall trees or sit in a golf cart. ... You must get away from your cart and away from your golf clubs quickly.Stay away from water.If you are old-school and have metal spikes on, take them off.More items...•
0:151:08Lightning strike hits golf ball in mid-air - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWhile. There we go of course that video is now blown up around the world. And they say they won'tMoreWhile. There we go of course that video is now blown up around the world. And they say they won't let this freak incident affect them from going out to play again they'll just be more careful.
A golf course is an especially dangerous place during a thunderstorm because it has isolated, tall trees and wide-open spaces where golfers can be the tallest target.
He died at the golf course. John Jensenius, a lightning safety specialist at the National Lightning Safety Council, said there have been 12 golf-related lightning fatalities in the U.S. since 2006.
There have been a dozen documented cases of golfers killed by lightning since 2006, officials say. Nine of them were hit as they actively played, while the others were standing under a tree or other unsafe sheltering spot, data shows.
The odds of being struck by lightning on a golf course is 1:3,000. The odds of becoming a lightning victim in the US is 1:700,000. Lightning can kill people or cause cardiac arrest, severe burns, permanent brain damage, memory loss, and personality changes.
Approximately 5 per cent of annual lightning deaths and injuries in the US happen on the golf course, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Even golf pros have been struck by lightning. Lee Trevino was hit by lightning at the 1975 Western Open and suffered burns to his shoulder.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A shocking moment at a Top Golf driving range in Texas was caught on camera. Tomas Gomez, 18, told KSAT-TV that he was at Top Golf with friends when stormy skies started to move in. He took one final swing and sent his ball into the green at 88 mph. Just seconds later, it got struck by lightning!
During the 1975 Western Open at Butler National in Oak Brook, Illinois, Lee Trevino was standing on the 13th green. But suddenly, as the rain started pouring down; he opened an umbrella. However, along with rain, lightning struck Trevino and left him unconscious.
Do you close due to weather? Unless it's an extreme weather event, nothing can stop a good time at Topgolf, not even rain or snow. Our venues are all-weather facilities with covered hitting bays that are fitted with fans for the summer and heaters for the winter.
There is a certain number of tell-tale signs that help you can estimate how close a thunderstorm is to a golf course. The first is the number of times lightning occurs and the proximity of how far away the storm is. Counting between the initial lightning flash until you hear the thunder tells the distance.
Over half of all golf course-related lightning deaths happen after a thunderstorm has passed over. Because lightning is attracted to standing objects, a golfer is usually the tallest object on the grass. It’s obvious that most lightning comes from a cloud by an electrical build-up and discharges to the ground.
In an immediate sense of finishing around right away without question is three shorts siren blasts. Most of the standard golf courses have adapted to this siren rule. In areas where there are last-minute warnings for a lightning storm, these three siren blasts will sound-off.
The number of golfers killed each year in the US now represents 27 golfers per year. With the popularity of golf reaching a younger audience, the age group of fatalities is getting younger.
It’s obvious that most lightning comes from a cloud by an electrical build-up and discharges to the ground. It can also travel from could to cloud alternatively. In rare cases, it can travel horizontally from a cloud over 2-3 miles until it reached its target.
According to the golfing rules in 6 through 8, the golfer has the opportunity to finish their game at their own risk. They may also discontinue if they feel there is danger involved. This is where many golf courses have special waivers that don’t leave them at fault in case of wrongful death. This is possibly where the expression of play at your own risk’ comes from. But to be fair to players, each official golf course must supply safety zones for lightning.
While it’s not recommended to play golf while there is lightning, the recommended waiting time between strikes is 30 minutes. So after any strike has been seen or heard, you need to wait 30 minutes before moving from your location. This precaution is to ensure that any left-over static build-up in the cloud is spent.
Some facts you might not know about lightning: Air in a lightning strike can be heated up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many golf courses are now equipped with a lightning detection system that sets off a horn when lightning gets within a certain set distance from the course. Others have both a detection and prediction system.
A ground strike can produce somewhere between 100 million to one billion volts of electricity. The length of a cloud-to-ground lightning strike can range from two miles to 10.
You must get away from your cart and away from your golf clubs quickly. Stay away from water. If you are old-school and have metal spikes on, take them off. If stranded in the open, go to a low place such as a ravine or valley, or the lowest spot you can find.
Most lightning incidents occur when people are caught outdoors in the summer months during the afternoon and evening (between 2:00-6:00 p.m.).
Lightning and golf do not mix. Taking a chance and hitting a few more shots or going one more hole could prove deadly. As a golf coach and instructor, some may say that I am, on occasion, over cautious.
No place outside is safe if lightning is in the vicinity. Partially enclosed shelters are not safe. If no safe shelter is available ... stay away from the tallest objects (trees, light poles, flag poles), metal objects (fences or golf clubs), standing pools of water, and fields.". Stay safe this summer, and remember, golf, ...
When a golf course takes steps to protect players from lightning strikes, it must implement safety precautions properly. It added that a jury should decide whether the club did so in the way it posted evacuation notices and monitored dangerous conditions, and if it should have built shelters and provided an audible signal.
Seconds later, lightning ran up Costanzo’s legs, blowing keys and change out of his pockets and into the air, where a glowing halo of electricity circled them. McHugh ran first to Costanzo, who had also been knocked to the ground. “It’s my legs, it’s my legs,” Costanzo moaned, but otherwise he seemed stable.
The judge noted that Maussner chose to walk across an open field when he could have sought shelter or lain down. Maussner appealed to a higher court. The Superior Court of New Jersey said injuries through acts of God don’t exempt courses from liability.
Facing liability for Maussner’s injuries, the Atlantic City Country Club decided to pay him a financial settlement rather than go to trial. Eventually Maussner made it back to the links with protective footwear—and an extra dose of caution.
Do NOT seek shelter under a tree. Lightning strikes the tallest objects. If you can, move to the clubhouse or another building near your location to find shelter indoors. Avoid contact with electrical devices and metal.
The temperature of lightning reaches 30,000 °C. To put this into context, that’s five times hotter than the surface of the sun. Approximately 5 per cent of annual lightning deaths and injuries in the US happen on the golf course, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Even golf pros have been struck by lightning.
When you’re on the golf course, you should always expect the unexpected – as proven by the weekend’s events. Six spectators were injured following two lightning strikes at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, USA. Sadly, this is far from an isolated incident.
Avoid water and find a low-lying open place which is far from trees and metal objects. Don’t rush back out onto the course straight away. Wait 30 minutes after the last lightning flash before resuming play, as over half of lightning deaths occur after the storm has passed.
Rule 5.7a says you must not stop play unless it’s suspended by the committee, you’ve agreed in match play, or… because of lightning.
Despite the simplification of the Rules of Golf at the beginning of 2019, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. And as I’ve passed the R&A’s level 2 rules exam with distinction, I am more than happy to help.
It can be easy to get distracted during your golf game and forget to check the weather while you are playing the holes. However, if you know that a storm is supposed to hit, check your phone as often as possible. You can get updates as to what the weather is doing in real-time.
It is necessary to find out where the safest shelter at your golf course is before beginning your round of golf. Especially if you are golfing on a day when storms are expected to occur.