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Passing vehicles bombarded by golf balls for years
(by Joan Demirjian - August 04, 2010)
Passing vehicles bombarded by golf balls for years
By JOAN DEMIRJIAN
Motorists would be wise to keep their eyes open for errant golf balls as they drive on Chillicothe Road (Route 306) in Bainbridge. The road passes next to the eighth hole of Tanglewood National Golf Club.
Wayward golf balls have been hit from the tee-off site onto the state highway. In the last several weeks, reports of cars being struck have been made to the Bainbridge Police Department.
It's not a new issue. Golfers have been hitting balls onto Chillicothe Road since the course opened in 1967. They tee off from a high ridge, and, golf balls hook hook to the left, passing vehicles can be struck.
In some cases, motorists make reports to the Bainbridge Police Department. Police Chief James Jimison said the department has answered many calls over the years involving golf balls hitting vehicles.
"We had people with glass shattered in the car or someone goes left of center after being struck. And we have helped pick off glass from a child," he said.
"A man used to walk along 306, looking for golf balls," Mr. Jimison said. "He picked up a lot of them. I know the club has talked in the past of netting in the primary area," he said.
"Golfers tee off for the eighth hole, and, if they pull way left, it goes to the highway," Mr. Jimison said. In the case of the eighth hole, they are teeing off from the top of a hill, he said.
It is about 150 to 175 yards to the roadway, he said. Vehicles going south on Chillicothe Road sometimes get struck in the windshield, he said, while others take dents to their bodies. "I'm sure many people don't report the dents," Mr. Jimison said.
"Most of the time, the golf balls miss the cars, but it definitely can be dangerous if they do strike," he said. "It could cause an accident."
In some cases, the balls have even shattered safety glass, Mr. Jimison said.
"I think it's like dodging a bullet," he said. "We haven't had anything serious yet, but it can happen. I don't know if the state could do something."
In some cases, owners of damaged vehicles have gone to the club to try to identify the golfers.
The golfer can claim the damage on his own homeowner's insurance, Mr. Jimison said. However, in most cases, the golfer goes unidentified.
"The club has been cooperative in locating golfers, if the person drives over right away," he said.
An option could be to put up netting in that area, Mr. Jimison said. "I've seen it on a couple of golf courses."
Some calls have involved off-the-course golf balls occurring at houses near the course as well, he said.
Bainbridge Township Trustee Jeff Markley's home is located on the west side of Chillicothe Road, across from the course and the eighth hole. "We find golf balls all the time in the yard. There are usually a half dozen a day that land in the ponds in the back," he said. He and his son have collected them on many occasions, he said.
"It's the hook on the eighth hole," Mr. Markley said. The ball goes left across the highway, he said.
"It startles the drivers when the ball hits metal or glass," he said. "They're not prepared for it."
When the golf balls hit the pavement, "they bounce and go into the windshield or into my yard," he said. While walking in the yard recently, he heard balls whacking the trees, he said. "It happens all the time."
The windshield on his brother-in-law's car was shattered while he was driving to Mr. Markley's house, he said.
A net in that area probably would require a zoning variance, Mr. Markley said.
Bainbridge Zoning Inspector Shane Wrench said the Ohio Department of Transportation could ask for a net and even could mandate it.
Marc Strauss, managing partner of Tangelwood National Golf Club, said he has not heard of any incidents of golf balls hitting vehicles recently. At this time, there is no consideration of a net, he said.
Matthew Baca is general manager of the club, formerly Tanglewood Country Club, whose 18 holes cover 130 acres.
Mr. Baca said, normally, it is an issue handled between the golfer and the motorist. The club does not have any involvement in the matter, he said. "The best thing is for the driver to call his own insurance."
He recommended that the driver call the club, and, on occasion, they do find the golfer who made the errant shot.
"It's never intentional," he said. "It's a unique situation, and the driver can file a report with the police."
Sometimes the identified golfer makes an effort to resolve the situation, Mr. Baca said.
As for netting, he said, "there isn't a net high enough" to stop a ball going off the cliff-like terrain to the eighth hole.
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