Do Trees make a Golf Course Safer or More Dangerous?

[Duncan Cheslett]

When I've had the opportunity to play Pasatiempo I'll pass comment...

 

[Mark_Rowlinson]

The nearest I have been to death was at a course in Birmingham, playing with Sean. The offender was about 20 feet from me and hit a shank. I could see him. He could see me. But I certainly couldn't move out of the way so quickly. Fortunately, he missed by inches.

[Garland Bayley]

Trees are not the problem. Low handicappers are! When my group of golfing misfits picked up a single digit handicapper for our regular game, he had to be taught not to walk ahead when others were playing especially since we have a habitual shanker in the group.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Wait a second, was PBGC just named the 12th best course in the WORLD by "Golf Digest" ?  ?  ?

[Duncan Cheslett]

Just read this thread from Dan Kelly detailing his experience of "protective" trees...

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,34720.msg698737.html#msg698737

Interesting contribution from Tom Doak, too:

"Dan:

Glad to hear that you are okay.  Now, I wish you would take this to court!

There are several courses for which we do consulting, where I cannot take certain trees down because they supposedly provide "protection" for golfers from errant shots.  If I take them down, I run the risk of being sued if someone is subsequently hit by an incoming shot.

If there were just one counter-example of someone WINNING a lawsuit because the trees blocked his view of an incoming shot, we'd be in the clear."



The point is that we should be able to see the golfers playing shots towards us, and that they should be able to see us.

Otherwise this is exactly what I've been talking about.