Watch: Struggling Golfer Hurls Driver Into Tree, Loses 3 More Clubs Trying to Get it Out
CNN - His driver lodged firmly between the branches above his head, so Luiten sent a second – then third – club to the same fate in an effort to dislodge the first. Meanwhile, his caddie copied the tactic with a fallen branch, as a volunteer clambered up the tree in an effort to shake the clubs out.
Six-time DP World Tour winner Luiten then cycled through a series of other ultimately futile remedies – jumping, poking the tree with the roaming scoreboard, and throwing branches – before admitting defeat, kicking his golf bag in one final act of frustration then heading off to play his next shot.
It's a shame we're missing video of the start of this incident. It was great watching this struggling DP World Tour golfer hurl his clubs into a tree and all. Who among us hasn't lost a club in a tree, and in turn been forced to throw additional clubs into the same tree in an effort to dislodge the original club. All why some fledging 60-year old tournament volunteer climbs the tree and shakes the branches for you. It's a classic, relatable golf story.
If you lose a club into a tree, you're going to throw more clubs after it. You can't just leave your driver up there. But what I really want to see is the original throw. I need to see how the driver got there in the first place. And how terrible was the drive that led to the club toss. That tree does not seem to be especially close to the tee box. This wasn't a casual club toss over his head that happened to catch a low branch. He hurled that thing. He put his body into that throw. I'm picturing him snap hooking a drive into the water, and immediately back hand launching his club 100 mph across his body and up in to the sky.
“I was frustrated, one of those weeks [when] nothing went my way,” Luiten told reporters.
“Lost it and threw my driver and it got stuck up a tree. That sums up my week nicely … one of the volunteers got them out, otherwise it would have been a funny round to finish with 11 clubs.”
Good on that volunteer. Moments like that are what DP World Tour volunteers dream of. They're taking time out of thire schedule to work a golf tournament for zero pay, so you know these guys fucking love golf. They just want to be helpful in any way they can, and watch some high-quality golf while doing so. To have the opportunity to directly help of golfer by climbing into a tree to clean up his mess after throwing an adult temper tantrum. That's what a tournament volunteer dreams of. That gets you into the golf volunteer hall of fame. I can only hope he got a tip. Taking the effort to climb a tree for another man is worth $100 alone. The fact that he actually got the clubs out and returned them in one piece for him to finish the round. You gotta give him a few hundred for that right? Maybe throw in a signed golf glove too.