Lightning on the Golf Course

In a recent study of private golf courses across the country, it was revealed that the majority did not have a lightning or storm warning system in place. Of those that did have a lightning warning system in place, it was noted that much of the time the systems did not work or were not recognized by the golfers as being a threat. While rare, lightning strikes are exceptionally dangerous and capable of doing a lot of damage to anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in one.

Pennsylvania is home to many thunderstorms and lightning strikes on an annual basis. The confluence of cooler air from Canada and the Rockies with the warmer air from the Atlantic coast or coming up from the south creates the potential for violent updrafts, which can create lightning and thunderstorms in general. When the storms do occur, they can spring up without much warning and pass through equally as quickly.

When a thunderstorm occurs, those left on a golf course should immediately seek real shelter. Hiding under a tree is possibly the worst thing to do, after only standing in the middle of the fairway with one’s metal clubs held above the head. Lightning is going to find the tallest thing that will get it into the ground. Trees are commonly the tallest things in the area, which makes them particularly attractive. What makes them dangerous to humans is their root system. The lightning’s electricity will spread out along the root system and has the ability to harm anything above the roots.

One of the greatest problems noted in the survey of private clubs was the lack of adequate shelter located along the golf course. It does not take much to remove the temptation of a human being from lightning, yet many courses did not have regularly spaced shelters for their members.

Contact a Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a loved one has been harmed by lightning while golfing as a result of the club’s failure to warn or to provide shelter, contact the Philadelphia personal injury lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 215-238-1130.