When I heard Hurricane Ike in Tennesee had killed two golfers this weekend, I imagined a pair of foolhardy souls playing a closed course and going after personal bests oblivious to lightning and wind, like the bishop in Caddyshack

Instead, after reading about the story in The Tennessean, I realize the guys were just incredibly unlucky. Heck, something like this could have happened to me this past weekend.

As the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through Middle Tennessee on Sunday, the strong winds knocked down a tree and killed two men at the Hermitage Golf Course.

The men in a golf cart were trapped under the tree about 9 a.m. near the 16th hole, according to Nashville Fire Department spokesman Ricky Brown. Paramedics had to remove the tree to get to the men and extricated them within six minutes, but they were already dead, Brown said.

According to Metro police, the men killed were Jason Proffitt, 32, and Joseph Carter, 63, both of Pleasant View, Tenn.

The course was open for business, and the wind was threatening only tee shots, not golfers, according to another player at the course Sunday. Lawyers will undoubtedly attempt  to sort out responsibility for this accident, but two lessons stand out clearly: 1. The damage from a hurricane is dangerous long after it blows through, and 2. You can take all precautions and still never be totally safe.

We pass our sympathy along to Proffitt’s and Carter’s families and a reminder to everyone who loves this game: Be careful out there.