2007-07-18 01:00:13 · 11 answers · asked by rooster 2 in Sports ➔ Golf
Definition: A word of warning yelled out by a player who has hit an errant shot. If your shot is in danger of hitting or landing very close to another player or group of players on the course (for instance, if you slice a ball into an adjoining fairway), you should yell "fore!" to warn players to watch out.
"Fore" is another word for "ahead" (think of a ship's fore and aft). Yelling "fore" is simply a shorter way to yell "watch out ahead" (or "watch out before"). It allows golfers to be forewarned, in other words.
The British Golf Museum cites an 1881 reference to "fore" in a golf book, establishing that the term was already in use at that early date (the USGA suggests the term may have been in use as early as the 1700s). The museum also surmises that the term evolved from "forecaddie."
A forecaddie is a person who accompanies a group around the golf course, often going forward to be in a position to pinpoint the locations of the groups' shots. If a member of the group hit an errant shot, the thinking goes, they may have alerted the forecaddie by yelling out the term.
It was eventually shorted to just "fore."
A popular theory is that the term has a military origin. In warfare of the 17th and 18th century (a time period when golf was really taking hold in Britain), infantry advanced in formation while artillery batteries fired from behind, over their heads. An artilleryman about to fire would yell "beware before," alerting nearby infantrymen to drop to the ground to avoid the shells screaming overhead.
So when golfers misfired and send their missiles - golf balls - screaming off target, "beware before" became shortened to "fore."
This is another term, however, whose exact origin can't be stated. It does originate, however, in the fact that "fore" means "ahead" and, used by a golfer, is a warning to those ahead.
2007-07-18 07:01:32 · answer #1 · answered by SG 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They yell fore to warn other golfers that the ball is out of line and they should....duck
2007-07-18 02:33:14 · answer #2 · answered by ColeHamelsFan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To warn golfers on a different part of the course that the ball might be headed their way, so if it does head toward another golfer, they are warned, and can get out of the way.
2007-07-18 01:04:34 · answer #3 · answered by martin_rulz6 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not a bad shot............. A shot that is going to hit somebody where the ball is landing. They say it to warn the golfers to duck or get out of the way before the ball hits them.
2007-07-18 01:12:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not a bad shot, but one that is likely to hurt some one. Such as "look out" Fore means Oh my God I might just hit you with my ball!
2007-07-18 03:33:18 · answer #5 · answered by Allen N 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's quicker than yelling"duck,I've hit a wild ball and it's haeding straight towards you,Terribly sorry"
2007-07-18 01:06:43 · answer #6 · answered by bobthebrowser 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they only yell it on par 4's. then they yell 3 or 5 or whatever I guess
2007-07-18 03:44:42 · answer #7 · answered by b d 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i wish the one that hit me the other day would have yell something my arm hurt big time
2007-07-18 01:45:47 · answer #8 · answered by paulcondo 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Read the other questions already asked about this.
2007-07-18 03:16:52 · answer #9 · answered by aviator.4.life 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LOL! It's short for "Duck beFORE my ball whacks you in the head!"
2007-07-18 01:08:47 · answer #10 · answered by LadyG 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋