FORE – Preventing Golf Injuries

One of the suggested origins of the word FORE in golf: A warning cry of the Scottish military of “Ware before!” to signal those in front that they should “git yurrr hed duwn if ya dunna care t’be feeling’ a rright smarrrt boomp!” as guns would be shooting soon overhead. Soo what should you do if you hear FORE?  Drop and Cover!!

There is a real concern for our resident’s safety when there is the chance of you, your child/grandchild, or dog getting hit by a golf ball traveling at great speeds.

From Golf digest (June 1999):

Each year, nearly 40,000 golfers are admitted to emergency rooms after being injured at play, most by errant golf balls and flying clubheads.

Justin Tune was doing his buddy a favor — jogging back down the fairway to retrieve a dropped bottle of water — when he was drilled in the head by a ball from the tee 150 yards away.

“It hurt,” the 12-year-old from Twain Harte, Calif., recalls of that day last August. “And then I couldn’t move my right hand all that well.”

What Justin had suffered, the doctors later realized, was a cerebral hemorrhage to the area of his brain that affects muscle control. The good news: After six weeks and many test-filled trips to the hospital, Justin is back to normal.

Getting hit head-on is every golfer’s greatest fear. For good reason: The test data indicated a force of impact about a tenth of what would be expected in a head-on car crash. The likelihood of a fatality is quite small from such a blow. However, “impact at that speed could cause a concussion, cerebral bleeding or, for a child or an older person with osteoporosis, a skull fracture,”

From Yahoo: Tiger Woods generates approximately 125 MPH of club head speed and the ball (because of compression) leaves the club head at approximately 150 MPH. Tiger is not average.
The average good golfer will swing a 45″ driver @ about 95 MPH and achieve an initial launch speed of approximately 115 MPH

Golf course walker1The articles above refer to golfers need to be alert to miss-hit golf balls.  When I am walking on the streets of our neighborhood I am not as alert to the possibility of a golf ball coming my way, but after researching the web for this article I intend to be more aware of my surroundings, especially when the street I am on comes close to one of the courses and I hear someone holler FORE.  And I plan on following the rule of not walking on the golf course during the day when there are possible balls flying.

The best part about living in a golf community is the beauty that we enjoy daily.  We can enjoy this beauty and stay safe at the same time, by staying alert and remaining off the golf course unless  golfing during daytime hours.

Please share any comments below?  

Why is CHOA converting the local pools to Salt Water

aerobics-classYou may have noticed that the pool water at your local pool reminds you of days spent at the ocean. It’s not your imagination your pool may taste a little salty.

Slowly all pools in the CHOA area of Charbonneau are being converted to Salt Water pools. No more Chlorine smell. The assumption that maintaining a healthy pool requires that you buy and handle chlorine on a regular basis is not quite accurate. Many pool owners are discovering the possibility of utilizing saltwater as a means for having a pool that is safe and clean. The salt content in this type of pool is proportionately the same as that in human tears. Hence, you can safely open your eyes even while underwater.

How does a Saltwater pool work? Saltwater swimming pools draw on dissolved salt in the water to generate chlorine. The salt system utilizes a process called electrolysis to break down or separate the salt also known as sodium chloride or NaCl in the water.
The chemical reaction created by electrolysis produces chlorine in the form of sodium hypochlorite and hypochlorous acid. These sanitizing / disinfecting / oxidizing agents are the same as chlorine commonly used in swimming pools in solid and powdered form. This means a saltwater pool is not actually chlorine free. It simply utilizes a chlorine generator instead of being dependent on chlorine added in other forms.

What should I expect
You will notice a “soft water” feel. If you have a water softener in your home, you know that the addition of salt makes water feel smooth and silky to the touch – like rain water. Most people prefer this to the sometimes-abrasive feel of chlorinated water.
A practical reason why we are converting to salt water pools, is they eliminate the need for most swimming pool chemical maintenance (which translates to lower maintenance costs). Sodium chloride (the result of the electrolysis process) reduces the accumulation of fungi and algae in the water. The result is less time spent cleaning the water and the pool surfaces.

How many pools have been converted so far?
So far C pool and F&G pool have been converted. This is a process that will take time, so know that your local pool is on the schedule.
Well I am off to the pool to enjoy the last few days of summer.