Golfers Tee Off At Own Risk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
HONOLULU – A golfer may not be held liable for mistakenly hitting another golfer with an errant golf ball, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled.
The court unanimously upheld a lower court ruling to dismiss Ryan Yoneda’s lawsuit against Andrew Tom, whose wayward ball hit Mr. Yoneda in the left eye at Mililani Golf Course in 1999.
Chief Justice Ronald Moon wrote Mr. Yoneda assumed the risk of the injury when he played golf.
It is “common knowledge that not every shot played by a golfer goes exactly where he intends it to go,” the ruling said, adding there wouldn’t be much “sport” in the “sport of golf” if golf balls went exactly where the player wanted.
“With the ruling that warning is like an option, that’s not too good,” Mr. Yoneda, who suffered permanent vision damage,said.”I know what it’s like to be hit and I don’t want anybody to go through what I went through.”
