There is hardly a club golfer who hasn't agonised over whether it might be more prudent not to shout "Fore!" after hitting a wayward shot. What if a player's reaction caused them to move into the line of fire, rather than avoid it? We all know that feeling.

The point is raised by the experience of American golfer, Terri Debb, who was last week awarded damages of $1.2 million for the loss of an eye - $925,000 from the club and $275,000 from the guilty player. She was putting on the eighth green at the Elks Lodge GC near Rochester, New York, when a man hooked his approach on an adjoining hole and delayed before yelling "Fore!" Her reaction was to look up; the ball crushed the bones around an eye with the result that she lost depth perception. "He should have waited until they were off the green," said her lawyer, who blamed the accident on the man's impatience and the poor design of the course.

"Most golf courses get out of paying because they argue that you assume the risk of a sporting event," he added. "We argued they still have a reasonable duty to follow the rules of safety."