This is the biggest problem...most errant shots are going to be hit into a strong headwind which could make your primal scream hard to be heard at even 200 yards away. Just 2 weeks ago a member of the group I was playing with hit a wicked push slice against a 35 mph headwind directly at a group on the next fairway. Even though we were all screaming at the top of our lungs, the group didn't respond at all and the ball hit the cart of one of the female players. Thank god she didn't get hit. Both of the male Alphas ran up to us with murder in their eyes, and no amount of explaining could rectify the situation. I myself was happy not to have got my lights put out...it was just an unlucky chain of events, and nobody (except the guy who hit...he went home directly after the incident) was really at blame.

I've only had 2 balls come at me un-announced, and I wanted to kill the guy (yes, it was the same guy on 2 different holes on the same course). The first time was the first hole, which is an easily drivable par 4 at about 265. We're putting out, and the guy hit's his tee shot that hits just short of the green, and rolls to about 3 ft from the hole. No warning. We nicely let him know that he should have yelled, and told him great shot, and went about our business. On the back nine, there is another hole that is about 280. We were on the green, just finished putting out, and putting the flag back in, when a ball sailed over my head, missing me by about a foot or so. Again, no warning, same guy. I yelled every obscenity in the book at the guy at the top of my lungs, which I know he heard, because they stayed at the tee box until we were at the next box. As they finally made their way to the green, one of the guys in our group, who I'm guessing was a retired Marine drill sergeant (he just had that look to him, and the way he wore his Marine Corps cap was kind of a giveaway) got in his face and let him know what he thought about hitting into us, and what he was going to do with the ball AND a club of choice if it happened again. Needless to say, they hung out and put some space between us and them, and we didn't see them again for the remainder of the round. Every other time I've ever been hit into, we got a warning.

I'm the one in my group (regardless of who I'm playing with) that will yell fore for any shot that has any chance of coming anywhere near anyone on the course. I have a loud voice that carries, and even into a headwind, people duck. I have played with guys that seemed embarrassed to yell, and let out a puny fore, and I covered them with a primal scream, then let them know they need to use their big boy voice so people can hear them, as we on the tee box with them are not the ones in danger.

As someone else mentioned, I have to give Tiger credit, as he is the one person that stands out as the pro who has no problem yelling fore when an errant shot is heading for the crowd.

One thing I would like to add is while people should yell Fore, if someone does and the ball lands near you, you should cut them a break 1 time. We all have bad shots, or shots that "aren't gonna go that far". I'll forgive someone for hitting into me once. I know I've hit a ball and it went further than I anticipated. But I won't forgive a 2nd time, or if they don't yell Fore.

Errant shots are errant shots, as long as they are not coming from the group behind, and I am warned, I'm ok with it. The group behind gets one time, then they get an angry response. A group on another hole, so long as they let me know the ball is heading my way, is ok. I know I used to hit a nasty slice and quite frequently my next shot was played from the other fairway.