$5 mil for Golf ball damage

[Boston-Sean]

No word on what the "solution" is. Other than fattening the homeowners bank account.

Massachusetts family awarded $5M for golf ball damage to home (https://www.wcvb.com/article/kingston-massachusetts-5-million-golf-ball-damage-home/39831073)

[villagetinker]

I read they realigned the 17th (15th??) hole and the number of ball strikes dropped to zero.

[mojoslacker]

Trying to confront the golfer who accidentally hit the errant shot and seek repair from them is never a good idea but confronting the course itself, brilliant lol. I applaud them though the cost/price is excessive yes. Just cover the repair cost, the lawyer cost and a capped "damages" for the pain/time/etc of the ordeal ($50,000 or something that actually leads to the course / owners considering redesigning the hole or the course). The villages should buffer more ground around the homes but that doesn't bring in as much income I know.... Yes once you've surrounded the course with homes you have zero options other than to keep the holes short to avoid wild shots.

Just my opinion of "course".

[Topspinmo]

I thought golfers wasn’t responsible for golf ball damage? Or is that old village tale????:)

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

That’s correct the Boston globe story was a little more extensive, they asked the course to help do something about it and they got no response, it wasn’t till they took court action did the course take notice , I thought of posting this story , but figured everyone would gang up on the home owners, in other wacky golf news a 70 year old guy in south Florida riding in his golf cart saw a dog owner walking near the edge of course , he started arguing with dog owner then pulled a gun and starring shooting as the man started running out to 15th hole hitting the man in leg , out of bullets he went back to his cart grabbed a club and started to hit the wounded dog walker , folks you just can’t make things like this up lol

[GpaVader]

Guess I always thought about like buying a house by the airport and complaining about the noise.

[Topspinmo]

Guess I always thought about like buying a house by the airport and complaining about the noise.

Better yet buy next door to gun range then complain about all the guns going off.:)

[ThirdOfFive]

$5 mil award = $1,665.000 (at least) to the attorneys.

Satan is known as the "prince of lawyers" for good reason.

[Boston-Sean]

Better yet buy next door to gun range then complain about all the guns going off.:)

A few years ago someone bought a house near an outdoor gun range south of Boston and did just that.

They kind of had a point though. Their house got hit a couple times with wild ricochets. They forced the club to shut down the range. Can't say that I blame them. It took a couple years but the outdoor range was re-built to NRA specs and reopened after it passed inspections.

[MartinSE]

I just waiting for someone to blame the Morse's

[Keefelane66]

A few years ago someone bought a house near an outdoor gun range south of Boston and did just that.

They kind of had a point though. Their house got hit a couple times with wild ricochets. They forced the club to shut down the range. Can't say that I blame them. It took a couple years but the outdoor range was re-built to NRA specs and reopened after it passed inspections.
Just like Villages buying homes near Turnpike and complaining about road noise.

[NotGolfer]

We lived in the midwest where there's farms. I remember reading in the then-local paper of folks buying a parcel and building a house in the country after which they complained about the neighbor's farm smells. Truth!!! Also have heard of some complaining about train whistles as well as airplanes going over-head. People astound me on a regular basis.

[Laker14]

We lived in the midwest where there's farms. I remember reading in the then-local paper of folks buying a parcel and building a house in the country after which they complained about the neighbor's farm smells. Truth!!! Also have heard of some complaining about train whistles as well as airplanes going over-head. People astound me on a regular basis.

In the summer I live in the Finger Lakes. Lots of Mennonite farms up there, some are pig farms. Exactly as you describe, there were instances of people moving from Downstate, to enjoy the bucolic splendor. Much to their surprise, that includes the smell of pig ****.
When I bought my lake house I had to sign a piece of paper that explained that this is farm country and I would smell it on occasion.
It grosses my wife out, but whenever she complains I tell her "that's the beautiful smell of 99cent/lb pork shoulder!"...of course, she doesn't really like pork shoulder, but I do.

[Luggage]

It's the same as when McDonald's got sued for a million dollars over hot coffee. This was extremely preventable based on the design of the golf course. And the fact that the homeowners complained for several years with a very simple solution in sight. Well over 600 golf balls hit their house and went through their windows

[tallmanf]

Live on a golf course expect golf balls. That’s like complaining you live in Florida and there are alligators.

[ThirdOfFive]

In the summer I live in the Finger Lakes. Lots of Mennonite farms up there, some are pig farms. Exactly as you describe, there were instances of people moving from Downstate, to enjoy the bucolic splendor. Much to their surprise, that includes the smell of pig ****.
When I bought my lake house I had to sign a piece of paper that explained that this is farm country and I would smell it on occasion.
It grosses my wife out, but whenever she complains I tell her "that's the beautiful smell of 99cent/lb pork shoulder!"...of course, she doesn't really like pork shoulder, but I do.
Bingo.

Same situation in prairie country Minnesota where we come from. Big farming area, mainly hogs, beans and corn. Those hog farms can surely clean out the ol' sinuses when the wind is right, especially on a hot day. Same thing when a farmer is spreading liquid piggy doo-doo on his fields.

But nothing beats the pungency of a silage truck in late winter or early spring. I had a 40 mile drive to work each day and believe me, you did NOT want to end up behind one of those things with no way to pass, especially on the narrow, winding roads I drove.

[dtennent]

I lived in farm country in Ohio growing up. One summer, I worked at a Research farm as an animal caretaker. After cleaning some chicken floor pens, I took the manure spreader out into the field. Since I wanted to get the job done, I floored the gas on the tractor which means the tines at the back of the manure spreader rotate faster. Next thing I knew, I saw a curtain on chicken manure being spread out in front of me. I stopped, let the manure come down on me and drove slower after that. At the end of the day, I met my laughing foreman as I was coming out of the shower. I thought I had gotten away without anyone seeing me! Needless to say, I know what a ****storm really feels like.

[prcrouthamel]

Ok....let's get this straight...you live on a golf course....your home gets hit by golf balls...you sue the golf course for damages. SOLUTION: DONT LIVE ON A GOLF COURSE!!! There, I feel better. Have a nice day.

[Laker14]

More on $5M lawsuit from house that got pelted by golf balls (https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/04/27/golf-lawsuit-5-million-after-house-pelted-by-golf-balls/)

this explains the situation in greater depth. Evidently, the plans to develop that homesite pre-existed the design of the golf course.
Also, according to this article, in Massachusetts, there is some responsibility on the part of the golf course, in its design, to buy, or get an easement, for the extra space that might be expected to be needed adjacent to the course, for stray shots.
Also, the website evidently encourages golfers to try to cut the corner of the dogleg that brings the home into even more danger.

It makes some sense that the course has some responsibility here. Also the article states that the plaintiffs were not asking for the punitive damages. The jury just added that in there.

It will be interesting to learn how this works out in the appeal. My uneducated guess is that the decision will hold up, but the punitive damages will be either removed, or reduced to a more reasonable number.

[Rodneysblue]

No word on what the "solution" is. Other than fattening the homeowners bank account.

Massachusetts family awarded $5M for golf ball damage to home (https://www.wcvb.com/article/kingston-massachusetts-5-million-golf-ball-damage-home/39831073)

I saw this report and just laughed. 🤣

[CharlesNT]

I wish I knew their lawyer LOL!

I lived on a golf course in MA for 10 years. I averaged 20 dozen balls a year, had 2 broken windows, and over 200 holes in my siding which I repaired before selling. I was able to take some actions which mitigated the damage, especially the windows. The total bill for the repairs and mitigation over the years was probably $7-8 grand. The course planted some trees which encouraged golfers to aim away from the houses. Neither was totally effective, but they were a big help.

EVERY lawyer I spoke with about this, and my insurance company, told me the individual golfers, not the course, were liable for damage. The golfers can put it through their homeowner's policy if they want to. I suspect this will get thrown out or significantly reduced on appeal.

Caveat emptor...

[Two Bills]

Ok....let's get this straight...you live on a golf course....your home gets hit by golf balls...you sue the golf course for damages. SOLUTION: DONT LIVE ON A GOLF COURSE!!! There, I feel better. Have a nice day.

Or better still, buy a home on golf course, get hit with golf ball, sue for millions, then move!

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

More on $5M lawsuit from house that got pelted by golf balls (https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/04/27/golf-lawsuit-5-million-after-house-pelted-by-golf-balls/)

this explains the situation in greater depth. Evidently, the plans to develop that homesite pre-existed the design of the golf course.
Also, according to this article, in Massachusetts, there is some responsibility on the part of the golf course, in its design, to buy, or get an easement, for the extra space that might be expected to be needed adjacent to the course, for stray shots.
Also, the website evidently encourages golfers to try to cut the corner of the dogleg that brings the home into even more danger.

It makes some sense that the course has some responsibility here. Also the article states that the plaintiffs were not asking for the punitive damages. The jury just added that in there.

It will be interesting to learn how this works out in the appeal. My uneducated guess is that the decision will hold up, but the punitive damages will be either removed, or reduced to a more reasonable number. thanks for the article , it goes even farther then the Boston Globe article does , which I was trying to find because the condensed article that’s posted here doesn’t tell the whole story , these people are not greedy people , they also expected some kind of help from golf course and got none until after legal action , they also in the Globe talked about how much they loved the home

[rlcooper70]

In the USA, unlike the rest of the developed world, there is no "Loser Pay" to court cases. If the loser had to pay all the court costs and legal costs would we have as many legal suits? I personally doubt it. "Loser Pay" is the solution but that takes away too many contingency cases so the legal society would not change it. Oh well.

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Wrong I don’t know about other states but fl has people pay , I know 2 people who lost accident cases and had to pay and we just game through a large court case here , where 2 realtors took the Morse family to court and lost and are now on the hook for an awful lot of money

[Michael G.]

Just like Villages buying homes near Turnpike and complaining about road noise.

Or when we live up north in farm country, the city people would build homes near
a farm, then complain about the smell.:shrug:

[Orvil]

I purchased a beautiful home adjacent to a golf course. It was at the 18th tee. Golfers couldn't hold their liquor or beer until the club house. Instead they, all males, unzipped and urinated on my yard and bushes. They would do it with me, female, standing within sight. If I said something, some of them wouldn't even pinch it off. They just kept going.

I sold the home. It's someone else's problem. I'll never own a golf course home again.

While I didn't complain to the course, I am certainly sympathetic to the homeowner in the article. Obviously, the redesign of the hole corrected a course design defect. You can't create a hazard damaging someone's safety. That's why they got a judgement. The course ignored safety.

[zigzag]

Villages responded on Tequesta # 7 by moving the green and white tee's further back (making it a much more difficult hole!). But seems to have largely solved the high frequency of home hits by errant shots off the tee boxes. Took awhile to get them to respond but in the end Belle Glade head pro Brett Stephens was very helpful. On this hole the course was put in before the homes so a perspective buyer really couldn't tell how the hole would play relative to home location and tee boxes until after construction.

[Laker14]

Villages responded on Tequesta # 7 by moving the green and white tee's further back (making it a much more difficult hole!). But seems to have largely solved the high frequency of home hits by errant shots off the tee boxes. Took awhile to get them to respond but in the end Belle Glade head pro Brett Stephens was very helpful. On this hole the course was put in before the homes so a perspective buyer really couldn't tell how the hole would play relative to home location and tee boxes until after construction.

Good point. I did some Googling trying to find out if the Indian Pond course in the suit was designed and developed by the same people, and in fact it was. I think when you have the same entity designing the holes and selling the homesites, there is some liability there. Of course, that liability can be mitigated somewhat by language that says "if we screwed this up, you still can't sue us"...It's not a bulletproof strategy, but it helps. Evidently in the Massachusetts case, the course did not get the proper easements that are commonly got in these circumstances, and that was a factor.

One can argue anything, and win something from a jury that judge will later reverse or reduce, so the game isn't over on this one by a long shot.

[Funkman]

Played that course a few times but I have a slice and the house is on the left so I can honestly say "I didn't do it"

[Laker14]

Played that course a few times but I have a slice and the house is on the left so I can honestly say "I didn't do it"

it looks like a pretty course. Is it a nice course to play?

[kcrazorbackfan]

Guess I always thought about like buying a house by the airport and complaining about the noise.

……or the Turnpike.

[joelfmi]

That’s correct the Boston globe story was a little more extensive, they asked the course to help do something about it and they got no response, it wasn’t till they took court action did the course take notice , I thought of posting this story , but figured everyone would gang up on the home owners, in other wacky golf news a 70 year old guy in south Florida riding in his golf cart saw a dog owner walking near the edge of course , he started arguing with dog owner then pulled a gun and starring shooting as the man started running out to 15th hole hitting the man in leg , out of bullets he went back to his cart grabbed a club and started to hit the wounded dog walker , folks you just can’t make things like this up lolThat why I don't golf

[OhioBuckeye]

When people buy a home on a golf course they should know golf balls will very often hit your home. I don’t blame the golfer, if they hit a ball straight all the time they would be playing on the pro tour. I say why did you buy a home on the golf course, to show people that I have enough money to buy there. Don’t want to sound rude but, MOVE. You spent more money to buy there so move or put up a 50 ft. screen to protect your home but don’t blame the golfer. Also if you don’t want golfers to come in your yard to get their ball, MOVE! Golf course homes are nice but this is one of the headaches. You bought there & all you did is make enemies!

[Bilyclub]

If you read the more complete article it states the owner of the golf course is also the developer of the homes. Seems like the golf course owner didn't properly follow the laws up there in regards to golf courses and houses on the course.

[DAVES]

A few years ago someone bought a house near an outdoor gun range south of Boston and did just that.

They kind of had a point though. Their house got hit a couple times with wild ricochets. They forced the club to shut down the range. Can't say that I blame them. It took a couple years but the outdoor range was re-built to NRA specs and reopened after it passed inspections.

These issues are common. The family that does those amazing fireworks for the Macys parade were on Long Island for years. People built homes around them and then forced them to move. A hog farm. It STINKS, for people who build a home near a hog farm and then claim it stinks? We have the rail road, others the prison, an amusement park etc etc etc

[Topspinmo]

I just waiting for someone to blame the Morse's

Ok, I’ll blame them :faint:

[Topspinmo]

When people buy a home on a golf course they should know golf balls will very often hit your home. I don’t blame the golfer, if they hit a ball straight all the time they would be playing on the pro tour. I say why did you buy a home on the golf course, to show people that I have enough money to buy there. Don’t want to sound rude but, MOVE. You spent more money to buy there so move or put up a 50 ft. screen to protect your home but don’t blame the golfer. Also if you don’t want golfers to come in your yard to get their ball, MOVE! Golf course homes are nice but this is one of the headaches. You bought there & all you did is make enemies!

I blame the golfers, they elected to hit the ball, it didn’t go where they was aiming . Would be same it I was driving car I let it veer cross center line hit somebody. I had control, but didn’t concentrate enough to keep in my lane.

[dewilson58]

No word on what the "solution" is. Other than fattening the homeowners bank account.

Massachusetts family awarded $5M for golf ball damage to home (https://www.wcvb.com/article/kingston-massachusetts-5-million-golf-ball-damage-home/39831073)

Will never be paid.