It finally happened!

[John]

It's never happened to me or any of my boys but today at Gatineau i flared a tee shot with my driver way right and didn't hear anything off the tee. A couple holes go by and a guy comes running up the fairway behind us with a golfball in his hand, immediately i know who's it is and i'm not going to lie to him! Apparently my ball glazed a window(confirmed by pics) and busted it. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

So now i'm on the hook to pay for it, i think hitting driver is always a bad idea for me. Right when i was starting to hit it well again too!

[Marcos]

You did the right thing John. A lot of guys would have denied it. You stepped up and took your medicine. Although it will cost you some $$$$, you will be rewarded and something good will come from this, I guarantee it.

[Tree_wood]

Not many holes at Gatineau that you can do that. Was it 6 or 7?

[John]

Dogleg right par 4 410 from the blues to an elevated green. I started it right to hit a draw and pushed it big time.

[John]

Sorry it's not a dogleg, it's 6 or 7. It's uphill and it looks like it bends to the right but it's fairly straight.

[imozzie]

You did the right thing. It's just another piece of what the game is all about.

A couple years ago, I was coming down one of the holes at Meadows which borders the Regional Road and hooked a 5 iron...big time! As I followed the flight of the ball, my eye caught a little blue car just 'bootin' it down the road towards us. Physics being what it is, I knew that, whatever happened, it wasn't going to lead to a good outcome.

And, sure enough, I hit that little blue car right on the driver's door on the fly! It sounded like someone had taken an aluminum baseball bat to a traffic sign at full force! And the amazing thing of it......

...the young woman driving the car didn't even put her foot on the brake??????? No lights, no binders, not the slightest reduction of speed....nothing! Suffice it to say that I simply could not believe it. I am sure that she's got a Titlelist imprint somewhere on that friggin' door with a couple of hundred dimples surrounding it.

Scared the 'poop' out of me as I realized that 'manning up' could have been responding to a pretty serious accident and possible fatality. I immediately contacted my insurance company and ensured that, as an avid golfer, I had to enough coverage for any potential outcome on a golf course.

[John]

I was wondering the same thing implication wise legally. It was his baby daughters nursery window that I hit, double paned glass and it only broke the first pane and stayed outside but it shook me up. What the hell would have happened if it was absolute worst case scenario, I wouldn't think a golfer would be looking at criminal charges for an accident would they? Regardless i can thank god it wasn't any worse.

[Marcos]

That is a scary thought. Someone was looking out for you.

[triple-bogey]

Good for you John in owning up to it. You must have been pretty shaken up.

As to liability in the case of accidental death or injury, there must be jurisprudence on this (what with all the golf courses in Canada and the US that are mixed into residential projects...I would find it hard to believe that these types of accidents have never happened before). Only three potential entities are liable: the golfer, the golf course, or the home owner who knowingly builds a house next to a golf course. Any lawyers on this board?

[sebber]

I was wondering the same thing implication wise legally. It was his baby daughters nursery window that I hit, double paned glass and it only broke the first pane and stayed outside but it shook me up. What the hell would have happened if it was absolute worst case scenario, I wouldn't think a golfer would be looking at criminal charges for an accident would they? Regardless i can thank god it wasn't any worse.

Criminal charges would never apply in a case like this unless it could be proven that the incident in question was intended. Like for instance if you would have teed up aiming at the window with the intention of shattering it. A civil suit would have been an option, but again, it was purely accidental and you would be hard pressed to be targeted in such a suit even with injuries involved. I know one of my friends purchased a house on a golf course and he had to get special insurance to cover certain aspects of his property including liability for injuries caused by golf balls.

People in Rockland even petitionned at a certain point to have the green on 8th hole west moved because it was in such a spot that lots of damage was being done to houses due to golf balls.

[leafman]

I've never understood how people with children can feel good about living in houses that share property with a golf course. Can you really feel comfortable letting your kids go out and play with potential errand shots flying around?

[John]

I had to bite my tongue in this case, i wouldn't have my kids window facing a fairway and if i did I would have impact resistant glass installed at whatever the cost.

[Gropper]

I agree that its good of you to admit that it is your. But i do wonder if you should be responsible for paying for the window. They do live on a golf course, there insurance must know this and have a ryder for it. And like was said before, its not as if you intended to hit the house.

I have always assumed that if i lived on a course this would be a common thing to happen and just part of purchasing the property. But i may be just uninformed on these types of things.

[sebber]

To be honest Gropper, I am of the same mentality. Either the home owner or the Golf Course should be held responsible, especially if it was accidental. I know Jordan aka John aka Jordan is a good golfer. But I could see that a golf course with houses lining it would not be frequented by weaker golfer's if they had to pay for accidental damages for accidental shots hitting windows, gazebo's, etc.

I play in Florida every year and the course is lined with houses. I have hit a few, my father in law as well and we never really pause to see of damage was caused, we just search for the ball and keep on playing. Maybe it is wrong of us, but I think that when buying a house on a course, you have to expect this!

[imozzie]

Years ago when playing with my Dad at Cedarhill, he pushed a drive on 3 that moved into the dogled on 4. As it so happened, a young man teaching his girlfriend to play golf was in that dogled on 4 with her. He taught her everything about the game except what it means when people yell...check that...SCREAM 'FORE!' She looked right at it as it hit her dead centre in the middle of her forehead and knocked her out cold. Ambulance was called and, fortunately, she came to in hospital.

He immediately went out and had a separate ryder attached to his insurance policy as he too played, and continues at the ripe old age of 81, golf just about every day. I'll never forget it...that very, very sinking feeling as she went down.

It is reminders such as your incident, John, and my incident smacking that car at Meadows described previously, that cause me every few years to call my broker and '...just checkin'" - ensuring that I am fully covered. God forbid I ever have to use it...

[John]

Do I have any rights here? Or am I fully liable when golfing and hitting something like a house?

[triple-bogey]

Do I have any rights here? Or am I fully liable when golfing and hitting something like a house?

Only true way to find out is to let the person sue you and see what a judge has to say. Is that a route you want to take?

[John]

Definitely not a route i'd want to take, i would think there would be more realistic and sensible ways of finding out?

[triple-bogey]

Definitely not a route i'd want to take, i would think there would be more realistic and sensible ways of finding out?

Perhaps, but I would hazard to guess that even if you determine that you are not at fault, the person whose house you hit will probably not see things the same way, and may sue if you do not pay. I wasn't trying to be facetious, I am trying to put myself in your shoes and wonder how I would handle it.

[triple-bogey]

Perhaps, but I would hazard to guess that even if you determine that you are not at fault, the person whose house you hit will probably not see things the same way, and may sue if you do not pay. I wasn't trying to be facetious, I am trying to put myself in your shoes and wonder how I would handle it.

I should specify that a couple of weeks ago, I played the Gatineau with my 14 yo son and his friend and dad. On the last hole (#14), my son sliced his drive right onto Edey street. As the ball was flying away, I was cringing and waiting for the ''crash'' that I felt certain would inevitably come (it didn't). Although it happened really fast, it felt like an eternity, and all kinds of thoughts of ''what if'' crossed my mind. Scary moment indeed.

[sebber]

so Jordan, please tell me you told the guy ur name was John and you gave him 613-237-7000 as ur phone number! ahahah

[DenisO]

Yea, being responsible for hitting anything on a golf course is ridiculous. Golf course + insurance should take care of it. It's golf for crying out loud, it's like lining a baseball stadium with houses and then not expecting to get a broken window from a foul ball.

[triple-bogey]

The following, although from NY state case law, may give an idea of how courts view such incidents.

http://www.mlesq.com/GOLF-COURSE-LIABILITY.shtml

Particularly interesting are the following excerpts (quotes from the court):

"[O]ne who deliberately decides to reside in the suburbs on very desirable lots adjoining golf clubs and thus receive the social benefits and other not inconsiderable advantages of country club surroundings must accept the occasional, concomitant annoyances."

and

"the court determined that a homeowner who has decided to reside on property abutting a golf course is not entitled to the same protection as a traveler on a highway."

[sebber]

Good Point Denis... plus you reminded me of somehting. I was playing a in baseball tournament a few weeks back. A guy on our team hit a foul ball that went over the netting and landed right onto the hood of a car. Never did the player go see the car owner and never did the owner attempt to get paid for the damage. I guess it's a known fact that if you park near a baseball field, you should expect damages, shouldnt it be the same for a house on a golf course!

[Gropper]

To be honest John, and some will not like this, i would not be paying. More then likely the owner can and will claim this through his insurance, but i'm sure like most insurance claims he gets screwed because of the claim and his rates end up increasing. This would be the reason he went after you to pay. But there has to be some reasonable expectations that your House that backs onto a golf course will see the odd ball hit at it. Its like buying a house on a busy street and then complain that there are too many cars driving by your house all the time.

this is just my opioning but in my quick google search i do not beleive you are liable for the damage.

[dbleber]

If you live on a golf course, you or the course should be legal obligated to put up a net. Any damage that comes without a net should be the owners responsibility. This is what insurance is for and your premium should represent the risk.

[DenisO]

I would've gone to the Clubhouse after to settle it. Do they have signs on the course saying that players are responsible for any damages they do, like some courses have?

[XTOUR]

Yea, being responsible for hitting anything on a golf course is ridiculous. Golf course + insurance should take care of it. It's golf for crying out loud, it's like lining a baseball stadium with houses and then not expecting to get a broken window from a foul ball.

Denis, At HP aren't you responsible if you hit a house? I played a tournament there the last 2 years and there has always been a marshall sitting on the par 5 closest to the snack shop after the par 3. We were told any damage was our responsibility.

[DenisO]

They say that, but I've talked to a couple of members that actually busted windows or were with people that busted windows. They went to the clubhouse and HP took care of it each time apparently. Now I'm not going to go break a window to verify this, but that was their claim.

Denis, At HP aren't you responsible if you hit a house? I played a tournament there the last 2 years and there has always been a marshall sitting on the par 5 closest to the snack shop after the par 3. We were told any damage was our responsibility.

[XTOUR]

You play boring straight down the middle golf...I would never expect you to hit anything but fairway and greens!!!!!! By the way nice round today.