A warning can only protect us when we act on it.” You’re halfway through a hole when the siren sounds. Perhaps the rain has not started. The sky may not look particularly threatening. Your ball is only a short distance from the green and finishing the hole might take just a few more minutes.
Don’t.
At RSGC, one continuous oneminute siren means that lightning has been detected within a five-mile radius of the Club. Under the Club’s Bye-Laws, Members and guests must immediately stop play or any other outdoor activity and take shelter.
It is not a signal to finish the hole quickly. It is not an invitation to wait and see whether the weather worsens. It means stop and take shelter. And the warning is not only for golfers.
Whether you are swimming, playing tennis, jogging, practising at the Driving Range, accompanying children at the outdoor playground or taking part in another outdoor activity, the same principle applies: When the siren sounds, act.
LIVING WITH LIGHTNING
For Malaysians, thunderstorms are hardly unusual. Our tropical climate means they can occur throughout the year. But the frequency of lightning around us may still be surprising.
A global satellite-based lightning climatology published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres ranked Kuala Lumpur first among national capital cities for lightning activity, recording an average Flash Extent Density of 179 flashes per day.
The timing of this article is also particularly relevant. According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (METMalaysia), thunderstorms can occur throughout the year but are more frequent during the inter-monsoon periods of April to May and October to November.
In other words, lightning is not an occasional or distant weather phenomenon for us. It is part of the environment in which we live, work and enjoy our outdoor activities.
DON’T WAIT FOR THE RAIN
One of the dangers of lightning is that the weather immediately around you may not appear particularly threatening.
METMalaysia advises that lightning can strike outside areas of heavy rain and can occur as far as 10 miles away from the rain area.
• The rain may not have reached you.
• The storm may appear distant.
• You may even be able to see clearer skies beyond the course.
• None of these is a reason to ignore the warning. That is why waiting for rain, judging the colour of the sky or deciding to complete “just one more hole” is not a safe response.
At RSGC, the decision has already been made for us. Once the one-minute continuous siren sounds, outdoor activities must stop immediately. Technology can provide the warning. Safety ultimately depends on how we respond to it.
“The sky does not have to look dangerous for lightning to be dangerous.
IT’S ONLY ONE MORE PUTT…
Golfers will understand the temptation. You’re on the green. Your ball is three feet from the hole. Then the siren sounds. Surely there is time to finish?
The Rules of Golf are clear about the importance of responding to a suspension of play. Under Rule 5.7, players must stop when the Committee suspends play. A player may also stop independently when he or she reasonably believes there is danger from lightning.
RSGC’s own Bye-Laws reinforce that responsibility. A Member who continues playing or fails to take shelter after the warning siren may be subject to disciplinary action, while guests and visitors who fail to comply may be asked to leave the Club. But the reason behind the rule matters more than the penalty.
Lightning safety is not about completing the hole. It is about getting everyone off exposed outdoor areas as quickly as possible. So when the siren sounds, leave the ball where it is.
There will be another putt.
THE WARNING IS FOR EVERYONE
It can be easy to associate the lightning siren primarily with golf because so much of RSGC’s outdoor space comprises the courses. But the Club’s procedure applies to all outdoor activities.
A swimmer in the pool, a Member on the tennis court, someone practising at the Driving Range, a jogger and a golfer on the Old or New Course are all responding to the same risk.
METMalaysia notes that most lightning deaths and injuries occur to people who are outside buildings. Its safety guidance advises people to seek shelter during thunderstorms and to stay away from water and isolated trees. That shared response matters.
When one person continues an activity after the warning, others may assume that conditions are still safe. Conversely, when everyone responds promptly, the correct behaviour becomes unmistakable.
Lightning safety is therefore a shared responsibility. Listen for the warning. Stop what you are doing.
Help those around you understand what the signal means, particularly guests and children, and proceed to shelter without delay.
WHERE SHOULD YOU GO?
For golfers already out on the Old and New Courses, RSGC has identified shelter points throughout both courses, including the existing rain shelters and Drink Huts. Members should proceed promptly to the nearest designated shelter point rather than continuing play.
For Members and guests using other outdoor facilities, including the swimming pools, tennis courts, Driving Range, jogging areas and Children’s Outdoor Playground, the designated locations are the Clubhouse, The Rotunda or Poolside Pavilion.
At the swimming pool, Members should leave the water immediately when the lightning warning is activated and proceed to shelter.
The important thing is not to remain exposed while deciding what to do next. Do not remain on the course, beside the pool or in another outdoor activity area simply because the storm appears distant.
Move promptly to the appropriate Club-designated shelter area and remain there until the All Clear is given.
WAIT FOR THE ALL CLEAR
Just as Members should not decide for themselves that conditions are still safe after the warning siren, they should not decide independently when it is time to resume.
At RSGC, the All Clear is signalled by two siren notes of 20 seconds each. Only then may play and other outdoor activities resume.
Conditions can appear to improve before the lightning threat has passed. The rain may ease. The sky may brighten. The storm may appear to have moved away
Wait for the Club’s signal.
The system exists so that hundreds of people using different areas of RSGC do not have to make individual judgements about the same weather event.
SAFETY STARTS WITH OUR RESPONSE RSGC
has systems, procedures and designated shelter points in place to help protect Members, guests and staff when lightning threatens the Club. But no warning system can physically make someone put down a golf club, leave a swimming pool or walk away from a tennis court.
That decision belongs to each of us. And here in Kuala Lumpur, identified in global research as one of the world’s most lightningactive capital cities — that decision deserves to be taken seriously. The next time the siren sounds, don’t wait for the rain. Don’t finish the hole. Don’t assume someone else knows something you don’t.
Stop.
Take shelter.
Wait for the All Clear.
Because ultimately, “A warning can only protect us when we act on it.”
