Susan Schmidt says she was enjoying an evening in her backyard at the Golf Villa Apartments in Manteca when a rogue golf ball from the nearby course slammed straight into her chest, sending her to the emergency room.
“I ended up with a pleural effusion on the outside of my heart,” she said. “Basically, it’s like a big blood blister, and so they went in with a needle and drained it, and I’m like, ‘This is it.’ “
For months, Schmidt has been collecting hundreds of rogue golf balls that have entered her yard from the Manteca Park Golf Course. She and her neighbor, Elizabeth Perez, have taken their concerns to the city several times, where now, action is being taken.
“With that information and all her pictures and telling her story, and the fact that my neighbors wouldn’t allow their kids to be in the yard or until after seven so they wouldn’t get hit, all of that really made, I think, made a significant difference,” Perez explained.
Last month, the Manteca City Council voted to install new concrete tees, mats and dividers at the driving range angled to the west to try to avoid hitting this neighborhood.
Then on Friday, the city announced the use of drivers on the range will be temporarily suspended as they address these concerns and issues with the community.
“They said, ‘Oh, it’s like, you know, living next to an airport and complaining about the planes.’ I don’t believe that’s the case because we’re not being hit by the planes, you know, it’s just noise,” Perez explained regarding comments left on social media. “We’re actually being hit by the golf balls.”
Schmidt and Perez said they feel confident in the direction the city is moving towards and hope more can be done.
“One thing that was brought up at the Manteca City Council by Kevin Fant is that to raise the net higher, it would be $450,000,” Perez continued. “I would be over the moon if they did go ahead and increase the net height.. I know it costs, but it’s also for the safety of us.”
“I have to replace my front door,” Schmidt said. “There’s a couple of windows I’ve not even bothered to replace at this point, so those have to be done. So a lot of us, I mean, have kind of given up at this point. I’m not going to replace them just to have them get shot out again.”
According to Schmidt, the golf course did accept responsibility for her medical bills but not for her lost work and property damage.
The driving range is still open, but players can only use irons and other clubs. The temporary suspension will be in place until city staff evaluate proposed changes and long-term safety improvements for the neighborhood and golf course.
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