[johnfarr]

I live on a golf course in TV and we occasionally get hit by golf balls. I'm a novice golfer who has hit a house or two, and sympathize with my fellow duffers. Mostly the balls bounce off the roof and cause no damage. Some golfers are quite cavalier about hitting our house and drive by with a "who me?" expression, avoiding eye contact at all costs. I try to get outside and find the ball before the golfers pass through - and toss the ball to them with a friendly remark. The unexpected empathy melts them.

We love the evening quiet and love the location of our home and are glad we chose that location. Because we chose to live there we expect occasional accidental damage. And by living there I get plenty of extra balls.

We have gotten hit on the "golf side" of the house have had some damage. When the laundry window was broken the guilty golfer voluntarily and gladly paid the $135 repair bill. If the vinyl siding is hit dead center a small hole can result. Repair is $75-100. The last time we had to repair the siding I had the repair folks bring some extra siding in the correct color, and now I fix it myself.

I called The Villages golf office once to determine liability for home damage. They said they were not liable, and suggested homeowner and golfer "work it out." That response was what prompted me to cover my windows. Right after the broken window I went to Home Depot and bought Lexan clear plastic and installed it over all four golf side windows ($500). I placed spacers so the plastic is 1" away from the windows (can't transmit ball energy to glass, easier to clean). They assured me it would last many years.

Residents here are good, morally correct people and I would guess that most would do the right thing and pay for damage they caused - despite the laws.