Golfer slammed to ground, left unconscious in fight over golf etiquette, Indiana cops say
A fight over “proper golf etiquette” left one golfer knocked unconscious on the course with a punctured lung and broken ribs and vertebrae, Indiana authorities said.
Now, a 34-year-old Brownsburg man is facing battery and aggravated battery charges, court records show.
McClatchy News is not naming the men to protect the identities of the other people involved.
McClatchy News reached out to the man’s attorney and the golf course Sept. 24 for comment but did not immediately hear back.
A Morgan County sheriff’s deputy responded shortly after 1 p.m. Sept. 20 to The Links at Heartland Crossing Golf Course in Camby about a report of an unresponsive man, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The deputy met with the victim, who had regained consciousness, as well as witnesses who said the assault started over a confrontation about playing through, or skipping ahead, without permission, court records show.
The victim said the group behind his was “asking them to hurry up” and had played through without permission when his group went into the clubhouse for food on the turn between holes 9 and 10, the affidavit said.
Under certain circumstances, playing through at the turn is an acceptable practice in golf, some experts say.
The victim confronted and swore at a woman in the group who played through and called her a derogatory term, court records show.
Shortly after, the woman’s husband confronted the victim demanding that he apologize to her, according to the affidavit.
When the victim refused, the husband punched the man in the face several times before picking him up and slamming him to the ground, causing him to lose consciousness, the affidavit says.
The husband and wife continued playing the round and were found on one of the last holes, according to the affidavit.
Authorities said the victim had a 2-inch cut on his forehead, a punctured lung, seven broken ribs and a broken vertebrae, according to the affidavit.
The Brownsburg man was released from Morgan County Jail with a no contact order, court records show.
A jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 29, 2025.
This story was originally published September 24, 2024 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Golfer slammed to ground, left unconscious in fight over golf etiquette, Indiana cops say."
