Why do golfers yell, "Fore" before striking the golf ball?

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   MarleneBposted 11 years ago

   Why do golfers yell, "Fore" before striking the golf ball?

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   boothe56posted 11 years ago

   Golfers don't yell "fore" BEFORE they hit...they yell it afterwards if their ball is flying in the direction of other golfers...they say it to warn people...if you hear Fore! out on the golf course, you should be aware that there is a ball coming near your location.

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      MarleneBposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, I like your clarification of when the golfers yell. I watch too much TV and it always looks like they're yelling it before. I don't play golf, so I really wanted to know. Thanks!

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   Golfgalposted 11 years ago

   I was going to answer but then i read boothe56, so I just say DITTO.

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      MarleneBposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's confirmation. So, thank you Golgal, for your input.

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   Lupine Robposted 11 years ago

   Not got any proof of this, but think years ago on old practice grounds players would hit balls and their caddies would be at the other end of the practice ground, sometimes a caddy would be known as a fore caddie, so I suspect that any time the player felt it might hit the fore caddie and he wasn't looking, the player would shout 'fore' to warn him. So now anytime a player hits a ball and thinks it may hit someone, they shout 'fore'.

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      MarleneBposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Lupine Rob. Now, I know the reason why they yell, and also why they use that particular word.

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   copywriter31posted 11 years ago

   Fore comes from a military word meaning, "look ahead." The military shouted this word when being attacked from the rear.
   In golf, the word 'fore' is shouted after a golfer hits a wayward shot that may endanger the group ahead, or in the case of professional golf, when the gallery is in danger of being hit by an offline shot.
   Actually, the word is shoted immediately AFTER the golfer strikes his ball . . . never before. (Unless the player is a hack, he/she knows it, and wants to warn the players on the course they will be in danger the entire round! LOL!)

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      MarleneBposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Ah! Thank you copywriter31. You have added even more to the explanation, and "look ahead" totally makes sense, especially when combined with all the other answers. I'd be the one yelling before each swing. I'm not a very good golfer by any standards.

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   Jaspalposted 11 years ago

   Just saw the question and all the preceding answers. Each is right ... however, I just wanted to clarify that, as explained by Boothe56 and Copywrite31, 'fore' is usually called out after a ball has been hit. But, there is sometimes a need to shout the word to warn someone who is on your fairway and within hitting distance. That could be a forecaddy - yes, they are still there and even mandated on courses like the FRIMA in Dehradun, India, where ravens keep swooping down and picking up balls - or it might be someone who has shot his ball in front of you from another fairway, or it might even be a maintenance staff member. In such a case, a golfer would call out 'fore' and wait for the person to get out of the way and then take his shot.

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      boothe56posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You could just wait for them to move on before hitting...yelling at them is pushy

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      Jaspalposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You are right Boothe56, and one does usually wait. However, sometimes, the person in front is preoccupied with his de-weeding or chatting with other forecaddies, and unaware that you are waiting ... and then one does call out after a small wait.

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      MarleneBposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I was with an impatient golfer one time, so I think that is why, after seeing it a lot on TV, I thought "fore" was yelled out "before". Now, I get the gist of the word and it makes sense. It also makes it more comical when I see it on TV and jokes.

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   Kaili Bissonposted 11 years ago

   Hi Marlene...I was told when I first took up the game that it is a warning to others ahead of you, "fore" meaning ahead like "fore" and "aft" in a ship.

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      MarleneBposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Kaili. It all makes sense after analyzing the word itself. I am so grateful to you and everyone who stepped in to answer this question. It really was a question that made me ponder every time I heard it. I'm grateful for all the input here.

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   Larry Wallposted 11 years ago

   I always thought that the score they were claiming on a Par 5 hole.

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      MarleneBposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Aw! Be-FORE five. I get it!

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      Jaspalposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hahaha! Good one! )

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   mjkearnposted 11 years ago

   Yes I know I'm a mechanic but my first job was as a trainee green keeper and I played golf left handed for 20 odd years before 3 crushed discs put an end to that.
   While all of the proceeding answers are perfectly correct, I prefer to think that golfers yell "fore" after hitting a wayward shot becaucse they are not allowed to yell another  " f "  word,
   MJ.

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