The golfers shout “Fore!”
Fore, the meaning of the word
Its meaning as a noun indicates the front of something, specifically a ship. Used as an adjective it indicates something located opposite. But for us golfers, “Fore!” it is simply the trusted companion to our hooks and slices.
The lifesaver of our unfortunate colleagues who find themselves, in spite of themselves, in the trajectory of our shots out of line. Sometimes it happens that someone overlooks this important detail. In case, it is up to each of us to remind him, after having made up for the lack of him.
But how did the word “Fore!” in the daily use of golfers, becoming an integral part of the label? There are a couple of theories on this. The first theory, supported by historians, attributes its origin to an evolution of the term forecaddie.
As we all know, he is a caddy who does not have the task of carrying the bag, but rather that of locating the players’ balls. If a player makes a shot out of line, the forecaddie, being in an advanced, frontal position, signals the player where to find it.
This figure became particularly popular at the end of the 19th century, when golf balls became particularly expensive. And therefore, their loss was not an acceptable option. The second theory, which has more popular origins, attributes to the term roots related to the military world.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the battle techniques provided for the advance in formation of the infantry, while the artillery guaranteed cover fire by firing over the heads of the infantry. One of the gunners ready to fire had to shout “beware before!” to warn the nearest infantrymen so that they could land and avoid the splinters.
Golf would have borrowed the term and its meaning by shortening the phrase. How many “Fore!” you shouted. And how many are still waiting for me … Every golfer of the world know it very well.
