The Captain Answers is a regular column for Keppel members to ask questions relating to golf at Keppel Club. If you have any questions or suggestions for the Captain, email to: thecaptainanswers@keppelclub.com.sg.
Publication of the questions received is at the discretion of the Newsletter Sub-Committee.
Avoiding dangerous play and staying
safe on course
Question: What steps can golfers take to avoid dangerous play. How can we stay safe on Sime course?
Vice-Captain Wong Kok Leong says:
Personally, I have encountered a few near misses at some blind holes of Sime course, due to its terrain, shape and distance. For example, holes 2, 5, 9, 12, 14, 15 and 16. These are possible locations where dangerous play are likely to occur. There has been a recent spate of complaints of dangerous play on Sime course.
What can you do to avoid hurting the flight in front?
1. Know your striking distances. Use the furthest distance you are capable of striking as the measure rather than your average distance. Do take into account that your ball runs much further on a dry sunny day. It is the sole responsibility of the golfers behind to ensure that their balls do not land close to 30 metres under or over the flight in front.
2. Ensure that the flight in front is way beyond your striking distance before playing your next shot. This may require one of your flight mates to drive ahead to locate how far away the flight ahead is. When it is deemed safe, the flight mate can signal the golfer who is playing to proceed before returning to join the flight.
3. If by any chance your ball strays over to adjacent fairways, shout “fore” as loud as you can, regardless of whether the golfers playing at the other fairways are sighted.
4. If in an odd occasion the ball you strike falls categorically under “dangerous” play, take the first opportunity to apologise to the players ahead and undertake never to do so again.
What can you do to stay safe from the flight behind?
- It is always prudent to leave one buggy visible to the flight behind if for some reason one of your flight mates is looking for a “lost” ball within the striking distance of the flight behind.
- At times when you have to drive back to hit a provisional ball, or retrieve a club or an item left behind, the onus is on YOU, being the golfer moving into the striking zone of the back flight, to ENSURE that it is safe to do so.
We hope with the above tips, golfers wil be mindful of their own safety as well as of fellow golfers. Let us all play our part in ensuring the safety of everyone playing at our Sime course.
