Canadian Judge Declares Happy Gilmore Swing Unsafe, Proves Canada is a Joke

by Ryan Ballengee on Nov 24, 2009 5:00 PM EST

Everyone's done it - tried the Happy Gilmore swing. Stand two yards away from the ball, facing it. Run toward it while swinging, and whallop the ball. A friend of mine did it and broke the head off of his new driver the day he bought it. It's hard to repeat and ineffective.

Now, thanks to Canada, we also know that if you hurt someone on a Canadian golf course by swinging that way, it'll cost you a ton of money.

Canadian Justice Aruthr Le Blanc ruled today that the swing is "less controllable than a normal tee shot" as part of a ruling in a Nova Scotia court ordering a man to pay for damages that he caused at a pre-wedding golf tourney.

From the Christian Science Monitor's David Scott:

Travis Hayter, was out on the course partying with Alan Bezanson, groom-to-be James (Jamie) Bezanson, and Marvin Weeks. In addition to loading their golf carts with clubs, balls, and tees, they brought along 28 cans of beer, a bottle of tequila, and "some marijuana." After nine holes, Mr. Hayter, bought more beer.

By this point, Hayter was sloshed enough to be practicing power slides in the golf cart, and "nearly drove into a pond," according to the court documents.

On the 16th hole, Hayter sliced his tee shot into the woods. He hit a second tee shot, which "dribbled up the fairway." At that point, his golfing buddies, not surprisingly, started to walk down the fairway toward their respective balls. But Hayter wasn’t done. He teed up a third ball and took a running start before swinging at the ball – your classic Happy Gilmore swing.

The ball struck Alan Bezanson in the wrist.

Some time after the wedding, Bezanson, a woodsman and father of three, sued Hayter for loss of income and damages due to the injury to his wrist. The case made its way through the Canadian judicial system until Justice LeBlanc ordered Hayter to pay $227,500.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that swinging in any fashion while wasted and high is probably what led to the injury moreso than the Happy Gilmore swing. I don't know what weed does for the golf swing, but I sure know what a good ten beers does for it and I will never swing a 7 iron in a public park again because of that. Or anywhere for that matter.

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Comments

Paddy Harrington said that he hit his ball significantly farther with the Happy Gilmore swing – but he wouldn’t use it because it’s hard enough to control a pro swingspeed standing still, much less running at the ball.

"this ball will fit in that fairway"

by courtgolf on Nov 24, 2009 5:37 PM EST reply actions

For $227,500, Bezanson must be one hell of a woodsman. Must have a house that rivals something on MTV Cribs. Or, he must’ve had one hell of a lawyer, who probably claimed $200,000 of that amount.

I feel bad for Bezanson. Wrist injuries truly suck, especially when you’re a golfer. But talk about Travis giving himself an extra handicap: smoking a crapload of weed and chugging a collegiate, epic level of beer while golfing. That swing must’ve been LUBRICATED. Smoothest thing anyone has ever seen, even with the Happy Gilmore.

I wonder if an underground golf league should be started, where your BAC has to be above a certain level before you can play. Your caddie carries a breathalizer just to make sure you’re being fair to everyone. I’d like to see the winning score.

by Tom Collins on Nov 24, 2009 6:57 PM EST reply actions