The European Tour has decided to take action and rightfully so on an increased number of complaints and injuries due to players not shouting “FORE” upon hitting wayward balls. It has been well known for sticking to its guns and following the rules of the game to the letter.
It issued a note at the Turkish Airlines Open to its players to shout 'FORE” whenever they feel that an awry shot is heading towards the galleries after errant tee shots:
“Members are reminded that the use of the word 'fore' remains the traditional and expected warning/etiquette when there is a danger of hitting someone (see page 26 of the rules of golf) and that regulation D 1 (b) 2 (page 48 of your handbook) requires you to 'comply with normally accepted standards of golf etiquette.”
In recent years, players have stopped yelling and have started pointing in the direction where they seem to have missed the ball. Failure of cautioning the galleries and ball watchers has seen a rise in the number of fan injuries and has thus led to this note being circulated which asks players to yell “fore” whenever in doubt as a precautionary measure.
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The fact that the European Tour has had to issue a note on the non-compliance of a basic etiquette of the game which is one of the fundamentals taught to a beginner is astonishing and goes to show that it is not taking the issue lightly.
At the end of the note, the tour makes it clear that it won't let up on its stance by reminding the players that they would face being disciplined if they don't comply with the “fore” rule.
While the tour did not divulge any details on the severity of the punishment faced by non-compliers, going forward the players will definitely have the warning in the back of their minds whenever they hit a wayward shot.
