(InvestigateTV) — Some homeowners living near golf courses say they are facing thousands of dollars in property damage from errant golf balls, with limited legal options for compensation.
Jewel Montgomery and Ronnie Pope, neighbors who have lived across from the Marietta Country Club golf course in Georgia for almost 25 years, said they have endured broken windows, dented gutters and damaged vehicles from golf balls landing on their property.
“I came out with my baby in the garage, and glass was all over my car,” Montgomery said. “I’m scared to go out in my yard.”
She said she has spent more than $70,000 replacing windows damaged by golf balls over the years.
“I was out in my driveway one afternoon, sitting in my truck, and I heard this ‘boom’ sound,” Pope said. “All of a sudden the ball came here, so boom, it hit the top of my truck.”
Golf course liability varies by state
The neighbors live across from a par-four hole with 453 yards from the farthest tee box to the hole. Depending on the golfer’s skill level, a 20- to 30-degree slice can send balls to Montgomery and Pope’s homes.
Ronnie Miles, with the National Golf Course Owners Association, said this is a growing problem across the country.
“We get a lot more golfers today than we had five years ago, before Covid and many of these golfers have, let’s just say a little wilder skills, are hitting the ball rather with a little less accuracy,” Miles said.
He said the laws vary by state.
In Georgia, the state recognizes the assumption of risk doctrine, meaning anyone who moves into a home knowing a golf course is nearby should consider themselves “fore-warned.”
Easements provide limited protection
Miles said homeowners can reference land records called easements to understand their rights.
“There’s an easement that goes around the perimeter so many feet out from the property line of the golf course, so balls can penetrate and travel into that area,” Miles said.
The Marietta Country Club’s easement from 1989 protects their golf ball liability within 30 feet of the property. Montgomery and Pope’s homes are more than 60 feet from the club’s fence.
The neighbors said the country club’s insurance company paid for the first broken windows more than a decade ago, but nothing since.
Montgomery said she received a voice message saying the club was not responsible for damage. She said she has called lawyers, but they tell her they will only take a case if there are injuries.
Potential solutions
Miles said course owners should consider changes to help minimize problems, such as moving tee boxes or adding trees around the perimeter.
“They need to put up a net and not have the balls coming over here in this neighborhood because we don’t live on the golf course,” Montgomery said.
Individual golfers could be held responsible for damage from bad shots, especially if there was intent behind the damage.
The Marietta Country Club did not respond to requests for comment.
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