Houses and golf courses...

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

An article in the local news came up today regarding people's houses getting constantly hit by golf balls at a local course. They think golfers should pay up.

 

What do you guys think? Has anybody ever been confronted after an errant ball his a house?

 

I understand their angle, but this course in question was there for at least a decade before houses.

 

I always thought one would have insurance to cover that. Seems it's a sticky situation,  but deciding to live on a golf course seems to come with risks when you're steps away from a fairway....

 

Honestly, I have hit a few houses... not a ton... but if I had to suddenly shell out thousands of dollars because of a bad shot.... not that I'd have to because they'd have to price that I did it on purpose...

 

But still.....

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

[mshills]

How could a ball cause thousands of dollars of damage unless it was a totally wild freak thing?

 

Worst case you break a window, and even that has to be quite rare. If it’s a huge plate glass window I suppose that could be the costly example. 
 

I’ve hit houses before, everyone has. I never try to retrieve the ball. I do go along the OB line and if the homeowner is there, apologize. There’s never been a confrontation, not once. 

[Volnut]

I prefer a 6/12 roof pitch to help direct my ball back onto the course. 

 

Jokes aside, if you decide to live on a golf course, it should be expected. One can mitigate the chances with a net or similar. 

[third-times-a-charm]

The general public are idiots so that needs to be the primer for this discussion.

 

Specific to me; In Florida a golfer is not liable for hitting cars of houses with golf balls as its a no fault state so anything more than an 'Oops, sorry!' is not needed from the golfer.

 

Other states further North which have some funny laws and odd ways of doing legal business may favor the people with the asset being hit and different precedence set for houses/courses "being there first".

 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

Legally there no recourse, it's mostly a philosophical question really.

 

I just never really thought of it beyond the oops part, lol.

 

I've always figured they decided to live in a golf course, and they should be insured for it.

 

Edit: And yes, if you break a window, depending on the type and size, replacement can get into the thousands. For siding depending on replace or repair, the same.

 

So if folks aren't insured for that, shame on them....

Edited July 28, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[mshills]

If you've got a non-standard sized plate glass window or something like that facing a tee box, that is a risk you should be willing to take as a homeowner.

 

Now, I've never broken one with my Titleist.  I've hit houses, lost my ball in backyard pools, and pinged one off a wrought iron fence that rang so loud it sounded like the Liberty Bell. 

 

If I did cause major damage, I might feel differently and be inclined to work something out with the homeowner.  Not sure really -- I don't hit it far enough any more to put someone's McMansion in danger.

[MtlJeff]

I don't believe golfers should have to pay for damages to homes. Anyone who buys homes on a golf course needs to know the risks involved with this, just like there are risks to living in flood zones etc. 

 

Typically the houses along the fairway sell for less than ones that are safer from balls. The market adjusts for this inconvenience, plus you have insurance. 

 

It's rare that golf courses come AFTER the houses. Usually other way around. So while it sucks to get a window broken, i don't have a ton of sympathy either.

[dfeldss]

I'm in a FB group of a neighborhood my folks live in that has 6 golf courses, and it's hilarious seeing the posts from people that willingly chose to live on a golf course complaining about it. 

 

I understand it's a s$%^y situation if something gets damaged, but that's part of the deal. If i damaged something, I'd go over and see if the owner came out and apologize, but I'm not knocking on the door or leaving a note or anything like that. You accept the risk 

 

Off topic: but it's also funny seeing the complaints about maintenance in the mornings. Who could have foreseen that they'd be working on the course early in the mornings???

[Kai Slater]

If I lived on a golf course, I would go all-in with the understanding that getting hit with errant golf balls is just part of the risk involved in choosing to live there.  It's not like golfers are intending to hit my property and do damage.  It's just part of the golf-life, right?

 

For this reason, I will not play a course in a housing development unless my game is pretty much on point.  If I'm struggling with my swing, I stay away from those type of courses.

[Jeri6gt]

I used to want to live off a golf course.

I thought that would be cool.  Until I started

hacking things up at in my 20s.

 

Now I have ZERO desire to be overlooking one.

 

 

[drgolfaholic]

I never understood the reason to live along golf holes.  Getting peppered by errant golf shots and unwelcomed views of occasional pissers.

 

[mshills]

Nah don’t rule it out, it depends totally on the specific setup. There are many courses I’ve played where the homes have a sweet view of the golf course and would never be threatened by even the foulest of foul balls. 
 

Now, would I buy that new construction home 25 yards right of the fairway and 190 yards from the tee box? Don’t be silly! 🤣

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

There are good places to live by a course. My wife's family has a place down in Hilton Head in a gated community that's not on the course.

 

You have two golf courses in there, and it's a simple golf cart drive away for both. That's where I'd want to be. The houses on the course are generally well protected.

 

The ones that make no sense to me are the ones that actually stick out into a dog leg left so carrying the corner with a hook puts them all at risk. Those folks have nets for that reason.

 

Personally, if I lived by a fairway, there after material choices that come into play.... You gotta side it with something a golf ball can't easily damage.... windows should also have some sort of protection on the tee side. (There are lots of potential ideas there)

 

The trouble is, a lot of these homes on courses around me are built to the minimum cost standard. Material choices are by cost, not durability.....

Edited July 28, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[Triple Lindy]

4 hours ago, mshills said:

Now, would I buy that new construction home 25 yards right of the fairway and 190 yards from the tee box? Don’t be silly! 🤣

Exactly where one of my golfing buddies lives. One of the more popular public courses. It’s hard to sit in his backyard during the day. But I get lots of free golf balls!

[jordan2240]

If you buy in a golf course development, then I would hope there is no liability to the golfer who hits your house, but what if you never intended to live on a course, but one gets built near you that puts you in firing range?

[Roejye]

If the course was there before the house, caveat emptor. Now, if a course was built after the house then you would think the golfer would have more liability.

 

This is remember me of the couple in Massachusetts that bought a house on a golf course and ended up suing. After some digging it was actually bad course design and with some modifications the problem was greatly reduced. 

[mshills]

I’d think that with a course built after the fact, it would be really strange for a house to really be in the firing line, but I’m sure there is an example!

 

A while back I was playing with my uncle at his club in Jesup, GA. Nice house to the left and in close in front of a par 5 tee box. Lot kind of sticks out a bit like a thumb as the hole has a gentle R to L sweep. He’s out there picking up pine cones and I hit the most violent quick snap hook in years. My uncle screams FORE!!! with a lot of panic….my man belly flopped into that sandy soil like he was in basic training. I was pale and trembling and ran over there….he was the nicest guy ever, he’s shaking sand off of his hair and thanking us for yelling fore!

[MK7Golf21]

 Course I play has a sign up that you are responsible for your errant shots that cause damage to houses. 

[buckeyevalley]

I hit a full shank and broke window several years ago.  Ball went thru with enough velocity that the size of the hole was about the size of my ball.  Owner came out, told him I would come over after my round and we would discuss.  I figured if I damaged it I should pay for it.  We agreed I would pay $500.  Brought him the cash the next day.  

Edited July 30, 2023 by buckeyevalley
Misspelling.

[JessWilder711]

In most states, golfers aren't liable for damages caused by errant tee shots. If you decide to live along a golf course, you are assuming the liability for foreseeable damages that occur as a result of people hitting bad golf shots. If there's any evidence for intent though, then the homeowner would have a basis to sue, but that's going to be hard to prove most of the time. As with everything legal though, you'll want to check local and state laws for your jurisdiction.

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

I bet Florida probably has the most lawsuits for this. It's supposedly the most litigious state in the Union. 😄 (So said a guy I knew from WPB)