Why Do Golfers Shout Fore?

Golfers shout Fore! to warn people that an errant shot may be heading their way. Sometimes 'left' or 'right' is added to the shout in attempt to indicate where the shot is going and so identify who is at most risk of being hit.

In the novel Summer At Tangents, Rikki, whose attitude to golf borders on contempt, has been roped in by her Godfather to accompany him as a fellow forecaddie for the final of a club competition. Her Godfather was:

roused from his thoughts by a cry of “Fore left!” from the tee, Martin’s voice carrying loudly.

“Why do golfers shout fore?” asked Rikki. “Why not ‘heads’ or ‘watch out’ or ‘duck’ or something sensible? Oh, I’ve probably answered my own question.”

“The short answer is that no-one knows.”

“I’m really glad I asked now.”

Although no-one actually knows where the word comes from, there have been various theories put forward. One is that it is a foreshortening of forecaddie. Forecaddies have all but gone from the game now outside of professional events.

They were more relevant, and more used, in the days when labour was cheap and golf balls were expensive, so players were particularly loathed to lose a golf ball. So, as well as having a caddie who carried their bags, there was one who would go ahead and spot where the ball landed, and find the golf ball if necessary, especially as, in those days, blind holes were more in vogue than we are now.

On blind holes a forecaddie would not be able to see the golfer teeing off and so a cry of 'Fore!' would alert him that there was a ball coming over the horizon.

Military origins?

The English language has adopted many phrases from martial life, particularly naval terms. For example ‘no room to swing a cat’ has nothing to do with the beloved family moggy, but refers to the whip that sailors were flogged with, the cat o’ nine tails. Floggings took place on deck because down below the headroom was so low that there was no room to swing a cat o' nine tails.

So it has been suggested that 'fore!' in the golfing context is in fact an abbreviation of 'Beware Before!' which is a shout artillerymen would give to the infantrymen in front of them that missiles were about to be launched over their heads.

The habit of crying of fore on a golf course has been dated back to the 18th century, with Scotland cited as where the practice begun. One less popular theory as to where the term originated is from the an Irish battle cry 'Faugh A Ballagh!' which means "clear the way!' and which has been adopted by military and non military organisations around the world.

But some etymologists have argued that fore is not a foreshortening of anything, as fore simply means 'ahead' and so it was an alert to those ahead on the course.

Shouting fore is more relevant on the major tours when players have galleries following their game and players on the DP World Tour and Challenge Tour who do not shout fore when they should have will face sanctions it was announced in April 2024.