Golf Course Signage

Local Rules are used by operators to cover many individual items. These are often displayed on club web sites, on notice boards, at the first tee or throughout the course on signs. They can also often be found on Score Cards or Course Planners.

These opportunities allow operators to warn golfers of specific risks or club requirements.

How does signage relate to the foreseeability of an accident?

When an accident occurs, one of the important questions may be whether the risk was reasonably foreseeable. Signage can be relevant to this issue because it may demonstrate that the course operator was aware of a particular hazard.

For example, if a golf course contains a pathway crossing an area where golfers regularly drive golf buggies, a sign warning users to give way to golfers or vehicles may indicate that the interaction had been recognised as a potential risk. Similarly, a warning sign positioned near a tee may identify the possibility of golf balls travelling towards an adjacent path or public area.

The existence of a warning sign can potentially have more than one significance.

On one hand, it may demonstrate that the operator had identified the hazard and had taken a precautionary step. On the other hand, it may raise questions about whether the operator recognised the risk but failed to implement sufficient additional measures.

Signage should therefore be examined alongside the underlying risk assessment and the physical circumstances of the accident.

Is signage location and visibility important?

The effectiveness of a sign depends heavily upon where it is positioned. A warning placed several metres away from the hazard may have little practical value if a person has already committed themselves to a particular route before seeing it.

Visibility is particularly important on golf courses because users may be concentrating on playing their shots, navigating the course, operating golf buggies or carrying equipment. Signs can also be affected by vegetation, weather, poor lighting, seasonal changes and course maintenance.

An accident investigation would therefore consider whether the person taking the errant shot or the injured person could reasonably have seen and understood the sign.

Is the content and clarity of signage important?

The wording and design of a sign are equally important. A sign must communicate its intended message sufficiently clearly to the people who are expected to read it.

A vague message such as "Caution" may alert someone to the existence of an unspecified danger but provide little information about what action should be taken. By contrast, a sign that clearly identifies the hazard and provides an appropriate instruction may be more effective.

The use of universally recognised symbols can also be valuable, particularly where visitors may speak different languages. However, symbols must still be sufficiently obvious and understandable in their context.

Where an accident has occurred, an Expert Witness may consider whether the sign communicated the relevant information in a form that a reasonable course user could understand.

Is the condition and maintenance of signage a factor?

The condition of signage can be significant. A sign that was clear and prominent when installed may become ineffective through deterioration, fading, damage, vandalism or the growth of vegetation.

This means that signage requires ongoing maintenance. A course operator cannot necessarily rely on the fact that a warning sign was originally installed if it had subsequently become illegible or obscured.

Photographs taken shortly after an accident can therefore be particularly useful. They may establish the condition of the sign at or around the relevant time. Maintenance records, inspection records and reports of damaged signs may also help establish whether the signage was being adequately monitored.

Where a sign was missing, damaged or obscured at the time of an accident, questions may arise as to whether reasonable inspection and maintenance arrangements were in place.

Does signage eliminate the underlying hazard?

One of the most important considerations is that signage is generally a means of communicating risk rather than a physical control that removes the risk.

A sign warning golfers about a dangerous slope does not make the slope less steep. A sign warning of golf balls does not prevent a ball from entering an adjacent area. A sign instructing golfers to remain behind a safety line does not physically prevent them from crossing it.

Where a hazard can reasonably be eliminated or reduced through physical or organisational measures, a sign alone may not provide sufficient protection.

In the context of an accident, this distinction can be important.

If a course operator was aware of a significant risk and relied exclusively on a small warning sign when other reasonable precautions were available, the adequacy of the overall safety arrangements may require further examination.

What is the impact of the behaviour and responsibility of the golfer?

The presence of signage does not mean that the injured person is automatically responsible for an accident. Equally, a course operator's responsibility does not necessarily mean that the conduct of the golfer is irrelevant.

A golfer may have ignored a clearly visible instruction, entered a restricted area, deliberately taken an unsafe route or otherwise failed to follow reasonable safety information.

Conversely, the golfer may have had no realistic opportunity to see the sign, read instructions or rules.

The Expert Witness site investigation would therefore normally seek to establish what the person knew or could reasonably have known about the hazard immediately before the accident.

Questions may include:

• Where was the sign?

• Could the injured person see it?

• Was it visible from the approach route?

• Was it obscured?

• What exactly did it say?

• Was the wording sufficiently clear?

• Did it identify the specific hazard?

• Did it provide an appropriate instruction?

• Was the sign consistent with the actual conditions?

• Had the golfer received other safety information?

• Was the golfer required to follow a particular route or procedure?

• Were similar signs provided elsewhere on the course?

• Were all or any of the signs identified in a Risk Assessment in place at the time of the accident and in accord with the Risk Assessment?

Should signage be considered in evidence following an accident?

Signage may become important documentary and physical evidence. Photographs, witness statements, inspection records, risk assessments, course maps and maintenance records may all assist in establishing the circumstances.

The position of a sign should be recorded rather than simply stating that a sign was present somewhere on the course. Its distance from the accident location, orientation and visibility can all be relevant.

It is also important to establish whether the signage in place at the time of the accident is the same signage that exists afterwards. Changes made following an accident may improve safety but should not automatically be assumed to reflect the conditions that existed when the accident occurred.

Witness evidence may also be relevant. A golfer who regularly uses the course may have become accustomed to particular signs and procedures, whereas an occasional visitor may have been unfamiliar with the layout and may not have been exposed to signage, instructions or rules.

Further thoughts

The impact of signage in a golf-course accident is therefore dependent upon the circumstances of the individual case.

Effective signage or information can demonstrate that a hazard was identified and that appropriate information was communicated to users. It may also assist golfers in making informed decisions about their conduct.

However, signage is not necessarily conclusive evidence that adequate precautions were taken.

Warning, instructional and safety signage can play a significant role in managing risks on a golf course and may become particularly important when an accident occurs. Properly designed and positioned signage can alert golfers to hazards, communicate appropriate instructions and contribute to a broader safety-management system.

Nevertheless, the existence of a sign does not, by itself, establish that a hazard was adequately controlled. Its effectiveness must be assessed in context, taking account of visibility, positioning, wording, condition, timing and the circumstances of the individual involved.

There is often an opportunity to adequately inform golfers whilst mitigating or ameliorating risk using signage or distributing information to golfers adequately.

On a golf course, where hazards can arise from both the natural environment and the activities taking place, clear communication of risks is an important component of safety.

Safety signage should not be regarded as a substitute for considering whether additional physical, organisational or operational controls are necessary. Where it is used, it is wise to review all signage regularly especially where there have been incidents such as near misses.