Sliced a ball into an expensive window. Did I do the right thing?

[mmoan2]

You sliced a ball into an expensive window? Of course that wasn't the right thing. Put it into the fairway next time.

[flopster]

I see a trend of individuals that feel no matter where they decide to live that if some outside agency causes damages either property or personal that individual is responsible despite the owner knowing about this inherent risk from the get go. So say your home is near an oil refinery and this plant has releases from time to time and your neighborhood is ordered to shelter in place every so often, god forbid one of your kids winds up with leukemia some years later do you think that big oil company is going to offer to pay all the medical bills plus pain and suffering because they have releases of petro chemicals from time to time? I know there would be the burden of proof but if there was a pattern established how inclined would these companies be to offer help or even admit the possibility they may have caused your child to be sick. Furthermore the public would probably say why the hell did you choose to live next to one of those places knowing how dangerous they could be, same sort of thing could be said about airports and train tracks where noise is the issue. I'm not going to advocate running off the course if you hear a crash, I think you should at the very least make sure there is no one who got hurt and needs medical attention before leaving but that's it, they made the choice to put their property and health in harms way by living adjacent to a golf course and as long as the golfer was not being negligent that's the end of it.

[Valleygolfer]

I was playing the other day and a guy who was about 21 yoa joins me on a hole which parallels a road. I had already hit so I said go ahead. He proceeded to push slice into the road as soon as a car was coming and nails it on the passenger side "A" pillar. He panicks and turns his back on the woman as she's yelling that he hit her GD car. He is asking "what do I do" repeatedly and then saying to her it was "hit in a great spot and no damage." He again is like, "what do I do and who's fault is this?" I say according to the golf course, it is your fault and are required to pay. He is being a little ignorant to the lady and I say you should at least start apologizing. So he goes over and apologizes pitifully and talks to her and she lets him off the hook. Two morals here, do the right thing and everything will be fine and don't hit hybrids off the tee.

[18rounds]

I am not sure on this. What I am sure of is that some of the examples used to prove a point in this thread are a little weak. :) Let's get back to this one, as I think it is the best match. If I go to watch a local beer league soft ball game I park just behind the 4' fence on the third base side. Prime foul ball area. Anyone who has been to one of these games would know there is a risk in parking there. Foul balls are just part of the game. But it is a parking spot. When the foul ball breaks my windshield who is responsible? Me? The batter? This actually happened to me.

[newtogolf]

I am not sure on this. What I am sure of is that some of the examples used to prove a point in this thread are a little weak. :)

Let's get back to this one, as I think it is the best match.

If I go to watch a local beer league soft ball game I park just behind the 4' fence on the third base side. Prime foul ball area. Anyone who has been to one of these games would know there is a risk in parking there. Foul balls are just part of the game. But it is a parking spot. When the foul ball breaks my windshield who is responsible? Me? The batter?

This actually happened to me.

There is no right answer unless we know the exact golf course and have a copy of their home owners associations policy or purchase contract.

As I stated in an earlier post, I owned a house on golf course and was required to accept responsibility for all damage incurred to my house during casual play.  I'm aware of other golf course homes that did not require such a waiver.

IMO, the issue isn't so much who's financially responsible but did the OP act like a coward by running away instead of making sure everyone in the house was okay given the size of the window he broke.

[MS256]

BINGO! Who pays for the window can be worked out and probably varies in different locations and in different circumstances. If you have to take off running because of something you did you are in the wrong. (I think I did that one time when I was about about 5 years old). :doh:

[galunga]

Just hope you don't a personalized golf balls!

[Lihu]

Just hope you don't a personalized golf balls!

Right, a return address would not be recommended.

[graham57]

I know a lot of people are fed up with this thread going on so long. But David in FL's first post about passing values on to our kids addresses some very fundamental issues for us all, not just as golfers, but as people. I remember once when I was around 10 climbing the wall to a school close to our house with a friend and just wandering around (we had no intention of damaging or stealing anything, it was just an adventure). The janitor chased us off the premises and told us he was calling the police. My dad had always taught me to take responsibiliy for your actions (he also taught me to back down to no-one, which resulted in a few bloody noses - often mine - but that's another story!), so I just stood there waiting for the police, until the janitor looked out and was astonished to see me there waiting. He told us to go home.

What I'm saying is that if we don't set ourselves mroal standards and try to live by them, where are our kids going to get their coordinates in life? My mother once told me a story which I and most people I have told it to find meaningful: Your conscience is a metal triangle in your stomache. Every time you do something wrong, it turns, and the corners prick your inside. However, if you make it turn too often, the corners get worn, and in the end you have a metal disc, which has lost its function.

To get off the high horse and get back to golf, I'll finish with one more thought: As golfers, we pride ourselves that etiquette is a large part of our game and our ethos. Respect and courtesy for others. Where does that stop - or does it only apply to other golfers?

Legally and practically, I agree that some of the responsibility should go to the homeowner, whose ignoring the obvious risk and not taking steps to prevent damage also constitues some degree of negligience in my eyes. But - as David in FL and some others have said - each of us is responsible for our own actions - we can't make those dependent on how we think other people should or will react to them.

[Michael Lee]

Well said!