Golf course owner facing legal claims over stray balls

A council in Ireland is facing ‘a number’ of legal claims after stray balls from a highly-rated municipal golf course have allegedly hit nearby people and property.

Fingal County Council has been told the claims for compensation are over injuries to residents and damage to property in a caravan park located beside Corballis Golf Links.

The legal actions come as a newspaper report says many clubs in Ireland are facing legal complaints from nearby residents as bigger-hitting golfers and encroaching residential developments are forcing clubs to spend large amounts to redesign courses.

According to The Independent, members of the publicly owned Corballis Golf Links in north Dublin were warned in 2021 that there had been “a spike in incidents recently involving stray balls landing in the caravan park at the eighth green”.

The club, which is managed by Carr Golf, told members that a resident from the park was injured after being hit by a ball.

“We took immediate action following this latest serious incident and relocated the eighth green 125 yards short of the existing 8th green,” the notice said.

The normal eighth green on the course is encircled by homes located in Island View Caravan Park. In a further notice sent to members before last Christmas, Carr Golf told members it appreciated that the use of a temporary green and the shortening of the eighth hole was a source of “frustration” for many members.

“We fully share that frustration and accept it’s a less than ideal solution,” it said. “It is, however, a necessary one, given recent issues with neighbours along our boundary and the subsequent legal actions.”

The notice said a rerouting of the hole has been “costed” and that work to progress a new alignment away from the holiday homes was a “priority”.

A spokesman for Fingal County Council said: “As this matter is the subject of legal proceedings it would be inappropriate to make any comment at this time.”

It is understood that a number of legal actions have been taken against the course and the council in the circuit court seeking compensation for injuries and for damages to property.

Ken Kearney, a golf course designer, said this is a growing problem for golf clubs, some of which are ignoring the issue. He added that this could be a costly attitude if nearby residents sue for damages over stray balls.

“It would be prudent for all clubs to carry out an audit,” he said. “There are simple things that can be done, like changing the mowing line from a tee to the left side of the fairway. It doesn’t have to become a very expensive problem, but ignoring it can make it very costly.

“Members sometimes have an attitude that their club has been there since the 1890s, so why should they have to change if someone builds a fancy house near their boundary.

“That’s an irrelevance. Once a golf ball crosses that boundary, it’s a liability for that club.”