Golfer punches pensioner on Dorset course in slow play row

James Richard Claridge was left with a black eye after coming to blows with Justin Craig Stuart Lowe in the fairway fight.

Mr Claridge had become frustrated at being stuck behind 41-year-old Lowe and his friends for 11 holes.

A court heard Mr Claridge and the friends he was playing with made remarks at the group ahead to hurry up from the 4th hole onwards.

Then on the difficult par 4, 15th hole at the Ferndown Forest Golf Club he shouted at them to 'get a move on', sparking a furious response from Lowe.

The incident took place at Ferndown Forest Golf Club

He marched over to Mr Claridge, who is aged in his 70s, and shouted at him before the pair went 'face to face'.

Lowe, a freemason, then punched Mr Claridge on the left side of his face, leaving him crumpled on the ground with a huge black eye.

Lowe walked back to join his friends on their round but the police were called and he was arrested.

The ugly incident resembled a scene in the Adam Sandler film Happy Gilmore when the hot-headed golfer is knocked unconscious by TV host Bob Barker.

The bust up won the award for 'Best Fight' at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards.

Lowe, who runs an ice cream kiosk in Swanage, has now appeared at Poole Magistrates' Court, where he admitted one charge of assault by beating.

Justin Lowe leaving Poole Magistrates' Court. Picture: BNPS

The court heard that the pair were not known to each other at the time their two respective groups teed off one after the other on August 4 last year.

Richard Oakley, prosecuting, said: "Mr Claridge was on the course behind a group that the defendant was a member of.

"That group were playing at what he perceived to be a slow pace and there were frustrations over that.

"Mr Claridge called across asking them to get a move on essentially.

"The defendant went over, he was shouting at him and his face was close to Mr Claridge's.

"Mr Claridge pushed him away and was then punched to the left side of the face with the right fist.

"Mr Claridge suffered a significant bruise under his eye as a result of the incident."

District Judge Stephen Nicholls was also shown graphic images of the injuries sustained by Mr Claridge.

When interviewed by police, Lowe claimed Mr Claridge had grabbed him by the throat and he was acting in self-defence.

However, he did not repeat the accusation in court and accepted responsibility for the attack.

Ben Schofield, mitigating for Lowe, said it was an "isolated incident" and insisted there had been an element of provocation.

He said: "This is an incident that the defendant deeply regrets. It is not a situation he often gets himself into.

"They were making remarks from the fourth hole onward and this took place on the 15th so I would say there is an element of provocation."

Mr Schofield added that his client was currently struggling financially due to the impact of the pandemic on his ice cream business.

He said: "Mr Lowe runs a family ice cream kiosk in Swanage which has struggled because of coronavirus which has had a huge financial impact.

"It has had such a negative impact on him that he is now on financial credit."

Judge Nicholls ordered Lowe, of Charlton Close, Bournemouth, to pay Mr Claridge £100 in compensation as well as £85 prosecution costs.

He also imposed a community order with a four-week curfew meaning that Lowe must not leave his house between the hours of 7pm and 7am.