Unaware of Being in the Green... 50s Golfer Fined for Hitting Player Ahead with Golf Ball

Game Proceeded Despite No Caddie Signature

A man in his 50s who mistakenly thought a golfer playing ahead had left the green and hit the golfer with a golf ball was sentenced to a fine.

According to Yonhap News, on the 13th, the Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 3 (Chief Judge Park Seong-min) announced that it sentenced Mr. A (54), who was indicted on charges of negligent injury, to a fine of 3 million won. In November 2022, at a golf course in Chuncheon City, Mr. A hit a golf ball without receiving a "go ahead" signal from the caddie, hitting the face of Mr. B, a golfer in his 50s who was playing at the hole at the time, causing injuries including a concussion with a recovery period of three weeks. Mr. A was initially prosecuted summarily at the time of the incident.

The prosecution argued that since the victim Mr. B had not yet left the hole, Mr. A had a duty of care to check his surroundings and proceed with the game according to the caddie's instructions, which he violated, and requested a fine of 5 million won.

Eventually, Mr. A, who received a summary order for a fine of 5 million won, requested a formal trial. Mr. A claimed, "I saw the golf cart of the team ahead moving outward and judged that the team had left the green," appealing for leniency.

However, the court did not accept Mr. A's claim based on the testimony of both the victim and the caddie that they were "around the hole cup on the green" at the time.

Nonetheless, considering the extent of the victim's injuries, the fact that no settlement was reached with the victim, and the circumstances leading to the offense, the court sentenced Mr. A to a fine of 3 million won, which is lower than the amount in the summary order.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.