Do you try to hit the ball collector?

[Medic]

[quote name='ratspros' timestamp='1441902012' post='12293726']
Not sure why people think its such a big deal to aim at these guys in a fully caged cart. I drove the ball collector for a few years back in high school and I loved taunting the members to hit me. Not once did I ever think I was in any kind of danger.
[/quote]

If it was any sort of a hazard, do you think the range/course could get insurance - if the carrier knew that their employees were knowingly being put in harms way. It is absurd to think that so many courses out there would knowlingly and intentionally send employees into a situation where there is a probability of getting injured.

As I said before, in over 30 years in the Fire Service I have never once responded to, nor do I know of any response, where someone picking the range in a fully caged tractor/rig had been injured. Not even once.

But, as the saying goes, whatever floats your boat. If you honestly believe "Oh, it's dangerous and I won't do it" knock yourself out. But just ask yourself this - if there are people on the range hitting and the picker is sent out, does the range have a sort of a "range safety officer"? Someone who calls a cease fire while the rig is out there?

Why do I ask this? Because frankly if you honestly believe that hitting the rig might endanger the occupant then you should not hit. Because a judge ruled years ago that even the best players in the world do not know, with 100% certainty, where a ball might go each and every time. So, since you cannot possibly hope to be 100% sure you won't hit that rig, even by accident, I can only assume that you cease fire. Of course dozens of others are still hitting away - but good for you! Safety first! (rolling eyes as typing this one)

[BlackDiamondPar5]

[quote name='hellodano' timestamp='1441852465' post='12291200']
[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1401323691' post='9385571']The problem comes when someone drills one into the side. The trajectory of a long iron or wood is asking for a high velocity impact and could be dangerous. Throwing a wedge shot up shouldn't be a problem to the structure since most of the balls velocity is from gravity as it descends.[/quote]

The velocity of the ball coming back down due to gravity is the same as the velocity in which it went up.
[/quote]

Incorrect. A golf ball has a terminal velocity of about 72mph and needs to fall about 10 seconds to hit that speed according to numerous sources I researched. A ball leaves the driver face, even for a modest swing speed amateur at 139mph. Huge difference.

[peachfuzz]

[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1442417033' post='12321958']
[quote name='hellodano' timestamp='1441852465' post='12291200']
[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1401323691' post='9385571']The problem comes when someone drills one into the side. The trajectory of a long iron or wood is asking for a high velocity impact and could be dangerous. Throwing a wedge shot up shouldn't be a problem to the structure since most of the balls velocity is from gravity as it descends.[/quote]

The velocity of the ball coming back down due to gravity is the same as the velocity in which it went up.
[/quote]

Incorrect. A golf ball has a terminal velocity of about 72mph and needs to fall about 10 seconds to hit that speed according to numerous sources I researched. A ball leaves the driver face, even for a modest swing speed amateur at 139mph. Huge difference.
[/quote]

Exactly correct.

However, if the ball were in a vacuum, and therefore had no terminal velocity with gravity being the only force acting upon it apart from air resistance, friction, etc, then the former would be true. Don't forget that the ball would also go much higher initially to account for this discrepancy because only gravity would be acting upon its maximum height.

However, if you impart enough initial force on an object to cause it to travel in the positive y-direction faster than its terminal velocity would allow it to travel in the negative y-direction, then that object's terminal velocity would dictate its speed by the time it hits the ground unless there was another force stronger than all positive y-direction forces imparted upon it in the negative y-direction.

tl;dr: If the ball (on Earth) goes faster upward than its downward terminal velocity, you'd have to push harder down while the ball is falling than air resistance pushes up in order to equal its initial upward speed.

[peachfuzz]

[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1442417033' post='12321958']
[quote name='hellodano' timestamp='1441852465' post='12291200']
[quote name='Andy L' timestamp='1401323691' post='9385571']The problem comes when someone drills one into the side. The trajectory of a long iron or wood is asking for a high velocity impact and could be dangerous. Throwing a wedge shot up shouldn't be a problem to the structure since most of the balls velocity is from gravity as it descends.[/quote]

The velocity of the ball coming back down due to gravity is the same as the velocity in which it went up.
[/quote]

Incorrect. A golf ball has a terminal velocity of about 72mph and needs to fall about 10 seconds to hit that speed according to numerous sources I researched. A ball leaves the driver face, even for a modest swing speed amateur at 139mph. Huge difference.
[/quote]

Also... I love the avatar. I took my college Physics classes at JCC in both Olean, and Jamestown.

[finalist]

no, I go to the range enough that I often know the person running the cart. That sort of humanizes the whole thing and I don't want to be an a*hole. It's not that it's a danger (some carts I've seen are pretty shabby BTW) but they say the impact sound is annoying to them.

[moose557]

My home course has a water range and they send people out to hand pick up the balls on the island greens, during hours while people are on the range hitting. Every two seconds someone is screaming fore!! While everyone else is cringing hoping the guy doesn't get hit. It's absolutely insane and I have mentioned to the clubhouse that there going to get someone killed out there, but I still always see them out there.

[paforeleft]

Yes, of course. Never point blank with a driver but if i am hitting a 7 iron or a wedge, sure. I recently took a lesson at a reputable course and the ball collector started picking up balls. I asked the pro if it was ok to aim at the collector, he responded enthusiastically "absolutely, in fact it is recommended".

They are very hard to hit, you probably have about the same chance of hitting one if you are aiming for it as you would if you completely ignored it. I believe it is a fallacy that it poor etiquette to aim at the ball collector.

[Colin L]

Some thread this.   An  appalling litany of self-entitled  justifications of the unjustifiable.   I must ask the guys at my local range if they ever have to put up with being used for target practice.  

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2024 by Colin L

[st1800e]

2 hours ago, Colin L said:

Some thread this.   An  appalling litany of self-entitled  justifications of the unjustifiable.   I must ask the guys at my local range if they ever have to put up with being used for target practice.  

 

 

 

Maybe they’ve stopped doing it 8 years later…….

 

However I agree with your take.  

 

 

[Colin L]

4 hours ago, st1800e said:

Maybe they’ve stopped doing it 8 years later…….

 

However I agree with your take.  

 

 

I only noticed the dates afterwards  but how does a thread turn up like this  without my asking?

[st1800e]

1 hour ago, Colin L said:

I only noticed the dates afterwards  but how does a thread turn up like this  without my asking?

No idea how it turns up, never happened to me. Unless you were searching for something.  A 2015 thread would’ve been buried many pages back.   

[Colin L]

1 hour ago, st1800e said:

No idea how it turns up, never happened to me. Unless you were searching for something.  A 2015 thread would’ve been buried many pages back.   

Exactly.  But I've never searched for anything on this forum.  In the Rules, yes, but never in the history of the forum.  Must have hit on  a link  somehow without noticing.  But why would there have been a link?   Just another of life's little mysteries I'll have to live with.  🤔

[MountainKing]

No cause I'm not a child.  

 

I range picked in my teen years,  it's jarring and ear ringing loud when it happens.   No way to avoid being hit unintentionally, but it takes a special level of dumb for a grown adult to intentionally fire range balls at some kid making minimum wage. 

Edited May 19, 2024 by MountainKing

[naval2006]

That was the main reason to go to a driving range when I was a kid.  I grew out of it now.  

[Orchardist]

One of the local kids used to hang a bullseye on the right side when he picked. His family owned the place.  He figured he got hit about the same amount either way and always got a laugh.  Nobody there picked without ear plugs.

[bobfoster]

Silliest thread on WRX this year. 

 

But, no. I'd never try to do that. Go out of my way to miss them. In fact, wait to hit. These are people, not machines, most doing a minimum wage job. 

 

I get (I think) the fun it it. But no. 

[Sp4zRX]

Since it looks like this thread is being revived….

 

No I do not try to hit them. I will aim at the opposite side of the range to avoid hitting him. 
 

When I was like 14 years old and didn’t know the first thing about golf etiquette or even general life etiquette, yes, regretfully I did try to hit him but lucky for him I was so terrible that if I was aiming for him there was no chance he would be hit.