Stray Balls From Hole Adjacent To Homes Damaging Houses - How Would You Fix This?

[nevets88]

Green line is fence, red line I suspect stray slices. The fence is pretty high, 30 feet? I've seen a few people push their drives way right, myself included.

[mcanadiens]

To look at the Course on Google Earth, it looks a lot like any inner-city course. It would seem the danger on No. 18 is really a slice, not a "hard hit" ball. The fact that its a par-5 probably makes it worse with guys over-swinging.

Judging by the photos I see, it's hard to imagine that lowering the tee boxes would really help that much. More netting is probably the best they can do and have it be at all efficient. 

It reminds me of No. 2 at Dayton's Community Golf Center's Hills Course. Seen several balls bounce off Dorothy Lane (also on the right of the hole) and one in particular that hit a roof across the street. Pleased to say they weren't mine.

 

 

[nevets88]

16 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

To look at the Course on Google Earth, it looks a lot like any inner-city course. It would seem the danger on No. 18 is really a slice, not a "hard hit" ball. The fact that its a par-5 probably makes it worse with guys over-swinging.

Judging by the photos I see, it's hard to imagine that lowering the tee boxes would really help that much. More netting is probably the best they can do and have it be at all efficient. 

It reminds me of No. 2 at Dayton's Community Golf Center's Hills Course. Seen several balls bounce off Dorothy Lane (also on the right of the hole) and one in particular that hit a roof across the street. Pleased to say they weren't mine.

 

 

Yeah, there's really no place to move the tee boxes unless they get rid of the hole before it and even then, the tee box of the hole before that is in danger of getting hit. I'm thinking higher fencing might be the only solution.

[boogielicious]

Put the fence closer to the tee boxes so an errant shot can't go that way.

[ChetlovesMer]

6 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Put the fence closer to the tee boxes so an errant shot can't go that way.

I was going to say that.

There was a course I used to play that hand this exact problem. The solution was to put the netting literally right next to the tee-boxes. You could still fade one around it, but it was much much harder to do. 

[bkuehn1952]

The course has been there since 1927 and became a city-owned course in the 1960's.  My guess is the homes were built after the course was long established.  The course, however, was re-designed relatively recently (2004) so I am a bit surprised they did not address this issue then (or maybe they tried and failed).

I'd move the back tee boxes as far to the right as possible (right next to the road) and possibly move them forward some.  Then, as @boogielicious suggested, build a high wall topped with netting, from the tee down the fairway 250 yards, minimum.  Then try to create a nice landing area to the left, without encroaching on the other hole's fairway.

I played an executive course in the Phoenix area where the right edge of the tee box was literally abutting a concrete wall.  One either hit it straight, hit a fade off to the left (right handed) or ricocheted the draw.

Edited November 19, 2018 by bkuehn1952

[DeadMan]

60 foot netting isn't going to be nearly enough to stop most golf balls that are on that path. The people that are going that way are going to be hitting a high slice, and 60 feet isn't all that high. Basically every single ball that I hit goes well over 60 feet. That fence probably needs to be 100 feet tall to catch most golf balls going that direction.

I'm not sure a fence closer to the tee box would do much good, either. The problem shot is a big slice. A lot of people hit a pull slice or a straight slice and not a push slice. The close fence only fixes a push slice.

Honestly, the best thing might be to get the trees to grow to 100+ feet so they catch most of the balls. Or building a fence that high. Getting rid of that road - or changing it to dirt - might help, too. I'd bet a lot of the balls that hit homes and cars bounce off that road. Not sure what else you can do.

EDIT: Oooh, I actually really like @bkuehn1952's idea of moving the tee box back and right next to the road. That would definitely help aim people away from the road.

Edited November 19, 2018 by DeadMan

[phillyk]

If they wanted to spend some money, they can take out the trees between the adjacent fairways, move tee boxes right and near the trees, then cut the fairway out to the left and close the that other hole, to make the hole a dog leg right.  Put a big bunker on the right corner or grow the grass to create a fescue hazard to force play out to the left.  Tall fences are fine for a short term solution but it requires maintenance as those things like to rip and balls sometimes find their way through anyways.  Aesthetically, fences look terrible too.

[billchao]

1 hour ago, nevets88 said:

The fence is pretty high, 30 feet?

30' isn't high for golf fencing. 

59 minutes ago, mcanadiens said:

It would seem the danger on No. 18 is really a slice, not a "hard hit" ball. 

I disagree. You can absolutely hit a hard push there that will damage adjacent property. 

30 minutes ago, bkuehn1952 said:

I'd move the back tee boxes as far to the right as possible (right next to the road) and possibly move them forward some.

This would be my suggestion, as well. Change the angle of the tee shot. They might even be able to rotate the existing tee boxes counterclockwise a bit and accomplish this. People seem to like hitting in the same direction the tee box is pointing. Then take out that middle group of trees left and widen the fairway in that direction. Make the landing area more left and a left miss more playable.

[upndown21]

I would not live near a golf course if I was worried about damage from stray balls. 

[iacas]

44 minutes ago, billchao said:

30' isn't high for golf fencing. 

Right on.

[Patch]

I have a home on a golf course, and in the hoa agreement it stipulates I am responsible for any damage caused by errant golf balls. Something about "implied consent". 

Once a a year I call a buddy who is in the stucco business. He sends a couple of his laborers over who repair, and paint the holes. Isupply the touch up paint, 

I also have decorative, heavy wire mesh installled to protect the windows. 

A couple of years ago, a neighbor's youngster up the street was hit in the head, while playing in their pool. The golf course settled out of court on that errant ball. The hoa agreement didn't protect the course from bodily harm caused by errant ball flights. 

[Buckeyebowman]

10 hours ago, upndown21 said:

I would not live near a golf course if I was worried about damage from stray balls. 

Yep! Reminds me of people who buy a house near an airport and then complain about the noise! 

Yes, it can suck for the homeowner, but they went into this with their eyes open! Or should have! 

[Typhoon92]

They won't do anything...the course doesn't give 2 shits.  My parents live on a course where you would think it was impossible to hit their condo from the tee, let alon OVER their condo.  The hole is a dogleg right and they live on the left.  They have balls go OVER their place.  I know... I was in their driveway once and heard, " tick, tick, tick..."  It was a ball rolling down the other side of the roof facing away from the course.

 

Dont underestimate people... They suck at golf.  People hit balls to places unimaginable.

[iSank]

We live about 225 yards down the 1st hole, House has been hit a few times but never had a broken window except once by the stoopid paper boy. I love living here, plus I get a couple free barely used balls each week. Was with a co-worker a few years ago at Waikele where he hit a house and the lady came running out asking him to pay for it, he did. 

[ghalfaire]

I lived on a golf course for several years.  I was luck in that my back yard faced the area between a green and the next tee box.  So you had to be reasonably "unskilled" to put one in back yard.  It was a busy course in winter so I did get about a dozen or so a year.  What I hadn't planned on was across the street behind my neighbor's back yard was a dog leg left par 5.  I never imagined that one could hook a drive 50 yards left (or left hand slice) and still get it over my neighbor's house (bounce off his roof) into my front yard.  But they did and so I got around a dozen or more a year in the front yard too. 

I just lived with it and repaired the stucco damage once a year of so.  Never had any broken windows.  The HOA wouldn't let you put up nets without permission and if you didn't have solar on roof or could show significant damages, you didn't get permission.  In my case it was OK as due to my location relative to the course, I never had any significant damage.  Some in my neighborhood did put in unbreakable windows and roof tiles that was more durable.  That was about all you could do. 

Have to say though, speaking only for myself, the views were worth it.

[jetsknicks1]

Sorry but the residents sound like whiners. I imagine they did not buy their houses without going into the backyard and seeing a golf course there.

[Buckeyebowman]

We play a couple of local courses that partly surround housing. At one of them (Firestone Farms) you'd have to be really bad to put one in a yard let alone hit a house. And that only on the front nine. The back nine is like playing through a nature preserve. Or a farm! They still grow soybeans and hay back there. 

The other course has a bunch of houses in jeopardy, especially on one dinky, little dogleg right par 4! There's a steep slope and a lake on the left, and houses on the right. Just an abominable design, and a hole we all hate! If anyone flares one to the right, we just listen and cringe!