Sanderson Farms Championship

C.C. of Jackson



    Do The Right Thing?

    Owner of golf course home posts sign asking for reimbursement for broken window. Do they have a case?

    September 20, 2023

    Life is full of risk. Every time you cross the street, start a new job, try a different restaurant or book a flight, you’re rolling the dice. You never know what might happen. Maybe you find you’re new go-to dinner spot, maybe that plane goes down on an uncharted island in the South Pacific. Sometimes, however, the outcome is a little more predictable. For instance, if you buy a house on a golf course, there’s a very good chance that house will one day be hit by a golf ball.

    Just ask this homeowner, whose fairway-adjacent abode was recently struck by an errant golf ball, breaking a window in the process. Instead of chalking it up as an inevitability, however, the owner posted this sign, along with the responsible balls, along the course in hopes to recoup their losses.

    “Please do the right thing and text me” it implores while also requesting $400 in restitutions. The sign made its way to r/golf this week, sparking an array of reactions. Unfortunately for the homeowners, most echoed the same thought:

    “Looks like two free balls to me.”

    But what really is the right thing to do here? On one hand, you bought a house on a golf course. You made your deal with the devil and ol’ Lucifer doesn’t cover repair bills. On the other hand, the golfer in question broke another person’s window. In almost every other imaginable window-breaking scenario, they would be liable, so why wouldn’t they be here? If you don’t want to fork over $400, hit it straight.

    It's a tricky one to be sure. In the end, being a golf publication and general subscribers to Action (buy home on golf course) and Consequence (home gets hit by golf ball), we’re siding with the golfer here, but what do you think? Should they balance the karmic checkbook or move quietly on with their life and never look back? Ask yourself that question now, because some day, on some course, you may have to answer it.