Car got hit by a golf ball.....

[msd3075]

Just needed to vent a bit...

I went to the driving range today after work to work on hitting my new driver. The parking lot at the course borders the right side of the range, but it usually isn't crowded to the point where you park in a spot where you can get hit. It was pretty crowded when I got there so I had to park in a spot where I was maybe a spot or two infront of the line of golfers on the range. I stayed late enough that most people were gone when I was leaving. I guess someone hit a monster shank and nailed the passenger door of my car. Not only that but the ball bounced off and hit the side-view mirror, shattering the glass. Since no one was there on the range and the pro shop had already closed, I couldn't really do anything.

Venting done.

[microcrayfish]

I'm pretty sure at least one of the dents on my car is from a golf ball hitting it. It's just one of the risks you have to take when you play golf. Sucks about your mirror though, I don't care about the dents on my car because they're not very noticeable but the mirror's something you'll have to pay to get fixed.

[mirv]

sorry dude, that was me. :(

no, really, i did hit someone's car the other day. i was at a course i'd never played before, and the first hole is a pretty monstrous par 5 with water for the first 250 yards or so down the right side, and just opposite the water is the parking lot. well, trying to make sure i didn't lose my first tee shot, i just hit a 5-iron off the box with the intent of hitting a 3-wood up to within 100 yards of the green.

well... heh.

i guess i failed to release that 3-wood or something, because that ball sailed hiiigh and way right and went straight for the parking lot and nailed someone's car. i was grateful for at least not hearing glass shatter. so i abandoned the hole and walked over to the lot and checked things out. i had it narrowed down to three cars that i had likely hit, but i didn't see any damage on any of them, nor did i see my ball anywhere. i guess i got lucky on not leaving any damage (or at least none that i saw).

[ks8829]

I was driving out of Harding Park Golf Course and it runs along the 18 hole and as I was driving a ball hit my windshield. I stopped and exchange name and telephone number with the golfer that sliced his driver.

He was young guy in his mid 30s and he came down and paid for the windshield at the glass shop where I took the car, so his round of golf that day cost him $350.

[wrx_junki]

Sorry to hear man, hopefully the golf range might be able to do something. I worry about some of these golf course layouts where it runs adjacent to roads and highways. A car going at 60mph on the highway hit by a golf ball would be quite dangerous. The courses don't even put up a net all that high.

[madcityscott]

I just read an article in some golf magazine that made the assertion that you are assuming the risk (if you live on a golf course, park on a golf course, PLAY on a golf course, etc.) A competent attorney could argue that golf is inherently a dangerous sport, and any damage caused from someone on the course should be paid for by the course itself. (Not sure I agree, but I see the point.)

[Ed_Bighead]

  madcityscott said:

...A competent attorney could argue that golf is inherently a dangerous sport, and any damage caused from someone on the course should be paid for by the course itself. (Not sure I agree, but I see the point.)

I was watching one of those judge shows on TV, and the judge was asked about whether or not the golfer was liable after one of his shots went over the net and damaged property of someone living nearby. The judge said that the range was liable and should have had higher netting.

[David in FL]

  ks8829 said:

He was young guy in his mid 30s and he came down and paid for the windshield at the glass shop where I took the car, so his round of golf that day cost him $350.

A class act, and exactly the right response. Unfortunately the "golfer" that hit the OP's car wouldn't know class if he walked into an elementary school. Even my 9 year-old understands.......if you break something that belongs to someone else, you pay to fix it. You certainly don't try to find a way to blame someone else for your mistake.

[msd3075]

  David in FL said:

A class act, and exactly the right response.

There were 3 or 4 teenagers on the range when I first arrived. None of them could hit the ball more than 100 yards when they actually made contact. I'm assuming it was one of them that hit my car since you'd have to hit an ungodly horrible shot to hit my car where it was parked.

[kfowler]

  ks8829 said:

He was young guy in his mid 30s...

As someone who turns 35 this year, I makes me feel better that you still consider this to be young.

[Smarf]

I've never been to a range that had the parking anywhere but behind it. Most ranges have netting in places that a normal human being couldn't hit if they tried, like beyond 500 yards, so they should atleast have that.

[msd3075]

  Smarf said:

I've never been to a range that had the parking anywhere but behind it. Most ranges have netting in places that a normal human being couldn't hit if they tried, like beyond 500 yards, so they should atleast have that.

The parking lot in question is at a golf course, not just a driving range. It's the "back" parking lot that most of the golfers use since it's the closest to everything. The "main" lot is next to the 18th fairway and green and is usually used by people going to the clubhouse, tennis court, or pool (ie. it's full except for spots that are in the line of fire off the 18th tee). The main lot is maybe 20-30 feet off the fairway, so that lot always scared me thinking anyone that slices their ball the tiniest bit has a chance of hitting your car.

I guess I should just ride the bus to the course for now on.

[chigolf07]

This really does suck that your car was damaged in that way.

Everything time I drive down a specific road on the way to my local golf course, I wonder how often do cars get hit by errant balls. Frequent slicers hit off on the first tee that could easily hit oncoming traffic, but today was a little different. I went to the range this morning, and as I am approaching the parking lot (about 300 feet away), bounces on the right side of my car, flies across the windshield and hood, and bounces over to the other side. I was scared out of my mind that my windshield would be gone once it had been coming at me. Had I been in the truck or going 1MPH faster it would've been gone. I seriously could see the brand Callaway on the ball.

The horrible thing is, this ball wasn't coming from the range, someone overshot #9 by 100+ yards to get in the road!

And this is why I chose the farthest parking spot today.

[Mizzy57]

  madcityscott said:

I just read an article in some golf magazine that made the assertion that you are assuming the risk (if you live on a golf course, park on a golf course, PLAY on a golf course, etc.) A competent attorney could argue that golf is inherently a dangerous sport, and any damage caused from someone on the course should be paid for by the course itself. (Not sure I agree, but I see the point.)

On this note, what really is the law? I live in California and have heard it both ways. My Dad hooked one into someone's backyard last year. We heard it hit, sounded like a door or the patio, and when we got there the old man said we busted his window. Dad had the man send estimates and paid for it. I told him I'd research who's liable but he said didn't matter, he hit into the man's house (i don't think he broke the big ass window looking into the course, but w/e). Found this and alot of others on the WEB (so it must be true, it's on teh internets) Author Bio: George K. DeHaven is a partner in the Uniondale, Long Island law office of Rivkin Radler LLP. He litigates a variety of commercial cases, including construction site accidents, products liability, and personal injury defense. He can be reached at: (516) 357-3415, or at george.dehaven@rivkin.com .] You are out early, the sun is shining, and you have warmed up on the range and practice green. Out comes the Big Bertha and you confidently step up to your teed ball . . . swing . . . and you see your ball launched skyward, only to slice into a stand of trees separating your fairway from another. You hurry out to find your ball, cursing your poor luck, and come upon it in the next fairway lying next to the prone and unconscious body of another golfer. What happens if he decides to sue you for his injuries. Generally, a golfer preparing to drive a ball has no duty to warn persons who are not in the intended line of flight on another tee or fairway. The essence of liability for the injuries inflicted on another is the failure to take reasonable steps, where possible, to minimize the chance of harm. Thus, to establish responsibility to pay damages for the injuries sustained, there must be a recognizable risk and some basis for concluding that the harm flowing from it was reasonably preventable. The Courts recognize that even the best pro golfers cannot avoid the occasional "hook" or "slice," and the risk of a miss-hit golf shot is not a fully preventable occurrence. Even with the utmost concentration and the tedious preparation that often accompanies a golfer's shot, there is no guarantee that the ball will be hit onto the correct path. For that reason, the mere fact that a golf ball did not travel in the intended direction does not establish a viable negligence claim. A person injured by a miss-hit golf ball must establish that the golfer failed to exercise due care by proving, for example, that the golfer aimed so inaccurately as to unreasonably increase the risk of harm to others. Clearly, though the object of the game is to drive the ball as cleanly and directly as possible to the intended goal (the hole), the possibility that the ball will fly off in another direction is a risk inherent in the game. The onus on the golfer, therefore, is limited to taking reasonable precaution to protect those in the intended flight of the ball. The law, therefore, requires that if you observe another golfer, maintenance worker, or other person within the fairway and within the range of your shot, you had better make sure that they know you are hitting, or wait until they are out of range. If the ball fails to go where you want it to (and who among us mere mortals has not hit such a shot) golf etiquette may dictate that a warning be shouted, but the law does not. A poor shot, standing alone, is not sufficient to impose liability for the injuries sustained by the unfortunate recipient of the errant ball. Cases have also been brought by occupants of houses adjoining the course and motorists driving on roadways adjacent to them. Whatever the extent of the duty owed by a golfer to others in his immediate vicinity, that golfer ordinarily may not be held liable to individuals located entirely outside the boundaries of the golf course who happen to be hit by a stray, miss-hit ball. It has been suggested that one who deliberately decides to reside in the suburbs on very desirable lots adjoining golf clubs and thus receive the social benefit and other not inconsiderable advantages of country club surroundings must be assumed to have accepted the risks and annoyances that go along with it. With respect to motorists, it appears accepted by the Court that any warning the golfer could give would be ineffective to someone in a car, who likely could not hear nor timely react even if they had. So while your errant shot may cost you the match, it will not cost you the shirt off your back if it accidentally injures someone not in the line of fire. So what's your opinion?

[2bGood]

  kfowler said:

As someone who turns 35 this year, I makes me feel better that you still consider this to be young.

Ditto! nice call

[kfowler]

  Mizzy57 said:

If the ball fails to go where you want it to (and who among us mere mortals has not hit such a shot) golf etiquette may dictate that a warning be shouted, but the law does not. A poor shot, standing alone, is not sufficient to impose liability for the injuries sustained by the unfortunate recipient of the errant ball.

Interesting. I always thought you had to yell fore and if you didn't, you could be lible.

[Greg]

One course i play at has the clubhouse right behind the par 5 2nd hole and sometimes people park in the gravel in front of it if its busy. Ive never hit a vehicle yet, but once I actually hit a ball under a truck that was parked there and had to go get it since there is basically no room behind the green to hit the ball long, 10 yards over the green and you're in the gravel, im sure the clubhouse has been hit before many times.

[rockrobinoff]

If I parked my car at a range, and in advance took note there was some chance an errant shot could hit my car, I certainly wouldn't insist the person responsible was anyone but *me* if my car got damaged. I either wouldn't park there, or accept the risk.