"Damn, I forgot my divot tool!"
"Eh, no one will notice."
Posted on 08/31/2010 11:12:03 PM PDT by The Pack Knight
You can use a golf club for all kinds of non-golfy purposes -- walking stick, fishing rod, club, to name three. And now we can add to that list -- firestarter.
Over the weekend, a golfer's routine swing in the rough at the Shady Canyon Golf Course in Irvine, Calif., struck a rock. Not so different from the way you play, right? Only this time, the impact caused a spark, and the spark set off a blaze that eventually covered 25 acres, according to the Steven Buck, General Manager of Shady Canyon Golf Course, and required the efforts of 150 Orange County firefighters, writes the Associated Press.
Wow. And I felt bad the time I shanked a ball through the window of a house too close to the fairway. That was nothing compared to this!
The golfer's name is being withheld, which is probably for the best, and no charges are going to be filed. Fortunately, it all could have been much worse. As it was, the blaze required both helicopters and on-the-ground crews.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Ban golf balls. It’s the only way to save the environment. And, rocks. Rocks need banning.
:)
"You know why they named it 'golf,' right?"
"Yeah, because 'crap' was already taken."
Now I don’t as bad about my out-of-control slice.
There is an Obama or a Tiger Woods joke in there somewhere, but I will be damned if I can formulate it.
“There is an Obama or a Tiger Woods joke in there somewhere, but I will be damned if I can formulate it.”
Perhaps an A.F. Branco cartoon: Obama hits the rock of socialism with his driver, and pretty soon the whole US economy is being destroyed.
Uh... looks like a mulligan. At least.
Perhaps I was thinking along the lines of a noted African American president, swinging his club, starting the blaze, turning to face the camera, we hear (in Steven Urkel voice) “Did I do that?”
ROFLMAO!!!!!
Reminds me of an old joke that used to go around about a golf course in this area(it was well known at the time, not so much anymore). A highway paralleled one of the greens and the joke was a guy sliced the ball over and nailed a windshield with his golf ball. The driver came onto the course and told the golfer he had broken his windshield and asked the golfer what he was going to do about it, the golfer replied, “Well, if I change my grip like this....”. Not to funny to me but golfers seemed to find it hilarious.
Call me suspicious.....I’ve never heard of a golf ball hitting a rock causing a fire. What was the golf ball made of? Flint?
Some guys have all the luck...
~”Over the weekend, a golfer’s routine swing in the rough at the Shady Canyon Golf Course in Irvine, Calif., struck a rock.”
I believe this to mean: he caused the club to strike the rock that caused the spark that caused the fire.
Unaware if he hit the ball.
It’s claimed the club striking a rock caused a spark and the fire but that’s just about as unbelievable. I wonder if the fellow smoked.
Oh.. ok. Now if they’d said...”Golfer swing struck rock and he stopped to smoke out of frustration and tossed the butt on dry grass”... it would make more sense. *chuckle*
bingo!
Doesn't Obie golf so he can huff down a few Kools?
Wouldn’t happen twice in a thousand years. Let’s not make up some silly law to prevent this from happening, OK? Some things you just can’t predict.
I’m guessing a discarded cig or cigar. The rock is an excuse.
I call BS
I do too. I know enough about emergency repsonse to know that to create a fire, you need:
1.Oxygen- You got that
2. Ignition source- Possible, but unlikely with incidental metal/rock contact.
3. Fuel source.- Not plausible. Unless there was some flammable vapor or release at the time of the spark. The odds of an instaneous and minor spark, iginiting even a dry piece of (even)tumbleweed, just a'int gonna happen.
Just think how hard it is to start a fire with flint, rock, and cotton, and you'll see how unlikely this is. Like earlier posters, I think the guy is covering up his cigarette incident to avoid a law suit, or being banned from the course.
You know this is a legal defense, and a Ca jury is just dumb enough to buy it.
My golf club sparked on a rock when I swung and started the fire. Yeah, that's the ticket!
My guess is, Cigar.
Cigarette smokers know where to lay down our Cigs when shooting (and never smoke while on the green).
BUT. The 'I only smoke a cigar while golfing' dummie is clueless as they aren't regular smokers.
An old boss of mine was like that. Only smoked a cigar, and only when he golfed.
(he was a HAZARD to begin with, his ball flew verywhere but straight)
EPA mandates spark arresters on all golf clubs.
Yep. And Yahoo and ESPN and all the other news outlets pushing this instant urban legend without question just because it's a fun story that gets hits have rendered any prosecution a nightmare. They've effectively pre-empted the testimony of expert witnesses. It's in the public consciousness now, and no amount of science or reason can compete with what people already "know".
How long before environmentalists take a cue from the Chavez playbook on closing golf courses?
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