[johnfarr]

I live on a golf course and have had windows broken. I bought 4' x 8' sheets of Lexan, cut them to the window size (easy with a Skil saw) and used stainless steel screws to hold them up. I bought plastic tubing and cut into 3/4" lengths to space the Lexan away from the windows (when Lexan is in direct contact with glass the energy of a golf ball would be transferred, potentially breaking the glass). Since then we've been hit but no breaks.

We have 3 windows on the golf side and the materials cost a bit less than $500. Lexan is much tougher than vinyl or acrilic and will handle the the sun's UV rays better.

The only problem is these windows are impossible to clean, now.

Also, our vinyl siding gets broken once in a while. Get the exact color and keep a few 12' lengths of siding around (it is very cheap). After wrestling with it the first time it is easy to replace after that.

John