Last Updated: 28 August 2026
Introduction
Golf courses may appear relatively low-risk compared with many other sporting environments, but they contain a surprisingly wide range of hazards. Players, greenkeeping teams, club employees, contractors, spectators and visitors can all be exposed to different risks depending on where they are and what they are doing.
Golf balls travelling at high speed, moving golf buggies, maintenance machinery, uneven ground, water hazards, pesticides and fertilisers, electrical equipment, extreme weather and temporary course conditions all need to be considered.
For golfers, good safety largely comes down to awareness and responsible behaviour. For golf clubs and course operators, the responsibility is broader. Where people are employed, contractors are engaged or members of the public are invited onto the premises, suitable arrangements should be in place to identify hazards, assess risks and put reasonable controls in place.
The aim is not to remove every hazard from a golf course. That would be unrealistic. The aim is to understand the risks and manage them so that people can enjoy the course without being exposed to unnecessary danger.
Golf Ball Safety: One of the Most Important Risks
A golf ball can travel at considerable speed and over a significant distance. An incorrectly timed shot can therefore injure someone well beyond the golfer’s immediate surroundings.
This is particularly important on courses where fairways run alongside one another, where tees are positioned close to previous greens, or where trees and changes in elevation restrict visibility.
Golfers should never play a shot simply because the area immediately in front of them appears clear. They should consider where the ball could travel if the shot is poorly struck.
Before playing, check:
- Whether another group is still within range.
- Whether maintenance workers are nearby.
- Whether golfers are approaching from another fairway.
- Whether the landing area can actually be seen.
- Whether the group ahead has moved far enough away.
If there is any reasonable doubt, wait.
When a ball has been struck towards people, “Fore!” should be shouted immediately and clearly. Anyone hearing the warning should take appropriate action, such as moving away from the direction of the ball and protecting their head.
This is not simply etiquette. It is a basic part of preventing avoidable injuries on a golf course.
Safe Club Handling
Golf clubs themselves can cause injury if they are used carelessly.
Players should never take a practice swing when another person is standing within the club’s swing arc. This is particularly important on busy practice grounds and around the first tee, where several players may be preparing to play at the same time.
When waiting for another golfer, clubs should be handled carefully and never swung around casually.
Driving ranges require additional awareness because several golfers may be hitting simultaneously. Players should remain within designated hitting areas and follow the range operator’s instructions rather than retrieving balls or entering areas that are out of bounds.
Golf Buggies and Other Vehicles
Golf buggies introduce a different category of risk because they are moving vehicles operating on uneven terrain.
A buggy can collide with another person or vehicle, lose traction or overturn, particularly on slopes or wet ground.
Drivers should follow the individual club’s buggy policy and use designated routes where required. Speed should be appropriate for the terrain and weather conditions, and passengers should remain seated.
Course operators should also consider the condition of paths, gradients, bridges, blind corners and areas where pedestrians and vehicles interact.
Where buggies are used as workplace equipment by employees, workplace requirements may also apply. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), for example, can apply to work equipment used by employees. The exact requirements depend on how the equipment is being used and the circumstances involved.
Slips, Trips and Uneven Ground
Golf courses naturally contain uneven surfaces. Slopes, exposed roots, bunkers, steps, drainage channels, bridges and wet grass can all create a risk of slipping or falling.
Golfers should wear suitable footwear and take particular care when conditions are wet or icy.
Course operators should consider whether hazards need to be repaired, isolated, marked or otherwise controlled. This could include repairing damaged paths, improving drainage, maintaining steps and handrails, or providing warnings where a temporary hazard cannot immediately be removed.
A simple example is a path that becomes slippery after heavy rainfall. The appropriate response may involve improving drainage, restricting access temporarily or providing a warning rather than assuming that everyone will notice the increased risk.
Water Hazards and Open Water
Ponds, lakes, streams and drainage features are common on golf courses and can create serious risks.
Golfers should never enter water hazards to retrieve golf balls. What appears to be shallow water can conceal steep banks, deep areas, unstable ground or submerged obstacles.
Course operators should consider access around water features, particularly where members of the public, children or spectators may be present. Depending on the circumstances, controls could include suitable banks, barriers, warning signs or restrictions on access.
Water safety should also be considered when maintenance work is being carried out around lakes and ponds.
Weather Can Change the Risk
Weather is one of the most important variables on an outdoor golf course.
Heavy rain can make paths and slopes slippery and may cause flooding or waterlogging. Strong winds can bring down branches or make trees and temporary structures hazardous. Frost can make surfaces slippery, while prolonged hot weather can increase the risk of dehydration and heat-related illness.
Golf clubs should have arrangements for monitoring weather conditions and deciding when activities need to be modified, postponed or stopped.
Players should also take responsibility for their own safety by checking the forecast and responding to changing conditions rather than continuing simply because a round has already started.
Lightning: When Golf Should Stop
Golf and thunderstorms are an especially dangerous combination because courses are open environments and golfers may be carrying metal clubs.
The Met Office advises avoiding activities such as golf during thunderstorms. It also warns that lightning can strike as far as 10 miles from the centre of a storm, meaning golfers should not wait until a storm is directly overhead before taking action.
If thunder is heard, golfers should leave exposed areas and seek appropriate shelter. Trees, isolated structures, water, golf clubs, buggies and other conductive objects should not be treated as safe protection.
Golf clubs should have a clear procedure for suspending play during severe weather and communicating this decision to players.
Where a course uses warning systems, such as sirens or other signals, players should understand what they mean before beginning their round.
Sun, Heat and Hydration
Golfers can spend four or more hours outdoors during a round, often with limited shade.
During warm weather, prolonged exposure can contribute to dehydration, heat exhaustion and sunburn. Players should take sensible precautions, including drinking regularly, using suitable sun protection and taking advantage of shade where available.
The R&A’s recent Golf and Health work continues to recognise golf as a form of physical activity that combines movement with outdoor activity and can be enjoyed across a wide range of ages and abilities. That benefit does not remove the need to manage environmental risks.
Course staff working outdoors for extended periods require particular consideration because their exposure may be significantly greater than that of a golfer completing a single round.
Protecting Players from Course Maintenance Activities
Golf courses are working environments as well as sporting venues.
Greenkeeping teams may operate tractors, mowers, utility vehicles and other machinery while golfers are present. Maintenance work may also involve fertilisers, pesticides, fuels, oils and other substances.
Good coordination between course management and players is therefore important.
Maintenance areas should be clearly identified where necessary, and golfers should never enter areas where machinery is operating unless instructed to do so.
Where employees work with hazardous substances, workplace requirements such as the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) may apply. Appropriate assessments, controls, information, instruction and training should be provided according to the substances and work involved.
Course Design and Risk Management
Good golf course safety begins before a golfer arrives.
Course managers should consider foreseeable risks when designing, altering and maintaining the course. This could include the positioning of tees, greens, paths, maintenance routes, water features and areas where different groups of people are likely to cross.
For example, if a tee is positioned close to another fairway, the risk of golfers being struck by an adjacent shot may need to be considered. Possible controls could include changing the layout, improving visibility, providing warnings or establishing appropriate local procedures.
Risk assessment should therefore be an ongoing process rather than a document completed once and forgotten.
Changes to the course, new equipment, unusual weather conditions, incidents and near misses should all provide opportunities to reconsider whether existing controls remain effective.
Health and Safety Responsibilities at a Golf Club
Where a golf club employs people, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 provides the foundation of workplace health and safety law.
Employers have duties to protect employees and, so far as reasonably practicable, others who may be affected by their undertaking.
This means that a club should consider more than its employees. Depending on its activities, relevant people may include:
- Members.
- Visitors and guests.
- Contractors.
- Junior golfers.
- Spectators.
- Delivery personnel.
- Event participants.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also require employers to make suitable and sufficient assessments of risks to employees and others affected by their undertaking, subject to the Regulations’ scope and requirements.
The important distinction is that these are workplace legal duties. They should not be presented as a set of rules that every individual golfer must personally comply with under health and safety legislation.
Emergency Planning
Golf clubs should know how they will respond when something goes wrong.
Emergency arrangements should reflect the actual course and its activities. Depending on the site, this may include procedures for:
- Serious injuries.
- Golf ball strikes.
- Lightning and severe weather.
- Fire.
- Golf buggy collisions.
- Falls near water.
- Missing or vulnerable people.
- Chemical incidents.
- Serious accidents involving maintenance machinery.
Staff should know how to summon emergency assistance and where first aid equipment is located.
The course’s location can also present challenges for emergency services. Large sites may have multiple entrances, remote areas and limited vehicle access. Clear information about the course layout and access points can therefore make a significant difference during an emergency.
Learning from Accidents and Near Misses
A good safety system does not wait for someone to be seriously injured before making improvements. Near misses should also be taken seriously because they can reveal weaknesses in existing controls before someone is harmed.
For example, if a greenkeeper repeatedly has to move out of the way of golf balls from a particular tee, this could indicate a recurring problem with the course layout, timing of maintenance work or communication between staff and players. Similarly, repeated buggy incidents on a particular slope may suggest that the route or controls need to be reviewed. Investigating these events can help clubs identify patterns and make practical changes before a more serious incident occurs.
A Shared Responsibility
Golf course safety works best when everyone understands their responsibilities. Golfers should play responsibly, remain aware of other people, follow course rules and stop when conditions become unsafe.
Course staff should follow safe systems of work, use equipment correctly and report hazards or defects promptly. Club management should provide suitable arrangements for risk assessment, training, maintenance, emergency planning and communication.
Contractors and visitors also have a part to play by following site instructions and respecting relevant restrictions. No single group can manage every risk on a golf course alone; effective safety depends on everyone contributing.
Conclusion
A safe golf course is not created simply by putting up warning signs. Effective safety depends on understanding how the course is used, identifying foreseeable hazards and putting sensible controls in place.
For golfers, some of the most important precautions are straightforward: check before playing, keep a safe distance from other players, shout “Fore!” when necessary, take care on uneven ground, follow buggy rules and leave the course when severe weather makes play unsafe.
For clubs and course operators, the responsibility goes further. Risks associated with employees, visitors, contractors, machinery, chemicals, vehicles, weather, water and the course layout should be properly considered and reviewed.
Golf should remain an enjoyable outdoor sport. Good safety management helps make sure that it stays that way while protecting the people who play, work on and visit the course.
Content reviewed and updated for accuracy on 28 August 2026 by Glyn Hughes, BSc (Hons), CMIOSH, CMaPS, ACQI, NEBOSH (Gen, Env & Fire).
