A Fine Stooshie at Leven

[Marty Bonnar]

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/fife/578432/stooshie-as-stray-balls-prompt-changes-at-historic-fife-golf-course/


That 16th fairway is a monster litigation waiting to happen. I’ve managed to bounce a drive the entire way up the road without hitting a house or even a car!
Others haven't been quite so lucky.


F.

[Niall C]

Martin


The guys dreaming. The law is the law. Loads of courses round the country have had to make changes due to adjacent boundaries eg. Dornochs 3rd. I've said before that if an owner adjacent to the 17th and 18th at TOC wanted they could readily get an interdict and have those holes closed.


Niall

[Marty Bonnar]

Absolutely!
I, with my mighty, ehm, ‘power fade’ in the bag, have long wished the hole was fixed. It’s a really rubbish par-4 dogleg over the most uninspiring terrain anyway.
It’s quite a fun exercise re-routing Leven in your head to be rid of the thing.
Cheery,
M.

[Ronald Montesano]

The world is better with a good stooshie.


After all, whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye! And furthermore, mony a mickle maks a muckle!


In the case of Leven Links, I'm afraid that the baw’s on the slates

[Marty Bonnar]

The world is better with a good stooshie.

After all, whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye! And furthermore, mony a mickle maks a muckle!

In the case of Leven Links, I'm afraid that the baw’s on the slates

Spoken like a native!
 

[Sean_A]

I am perplexed that folks think that people who live next golf courses have no right to safety from golfing activity.  It is the sort of attitude which gives golf a rep.  That said, much depends on how often balls land into adjacent properties.  Is it a handful of times or 100 times a year?  This makes a big difference. 

There are clubs which make purchasing insurance for the day mandatory when playing the course...West Links and Borth Y Ynslas come to mind.  If this isn't the case at Leven, it should be.  Folks selling green fees should feel as though they have a duty of care for near neighbours and provide information about the danger on the scorecard or another piece of info which is given to all visitors.  I was given the card below before playing at Reigate Heath and it did make me aware of the danger. 



I might not like changes forced by health & safety, but knowing there is a problem and not taking sufficient measures (or even very simple measures) to mitigate the risk is very foolish. Hell, hitting those dangerous shots can be the best part of a round! Below is a great example at Seacroft....but holy crap is it dangerous!



Ciao

[Jon Wiggett]

A shame on the one hand but if the hole is a poor as Marty suggests then maybe the new version might be an improvement. Part of the problem is the extra distance the ball flies these days combined with higher flight being more affect by the wind. When this is combined with the fact golfers are no straighter than in the past it will lead to a larger splay of stray balls.


However, the example of Sean's photo is one where it is only dangerous if the golfer makes it so. A golfer should not play a shot if he/she thinks it make cause danger to other people and so any damage done cannot really be down to the club but rather the golfer. The club is blamed because they are the easier target and because of this there is an element playing today that just don't give a stuff what harm they cause hence more stray shots, slower rounds, a lack of etiquette......

[Sean_A]

Jon

In the example at Seacroft I think a bit of cooperation both ways would be very helpful.  It can be hard to know if it is safe to hit because of vehicle speed and lack of visual contact from the tee.  Perhaps if there was a sign requiring vehicles to slow down to 30mph and with golfers being aware, the danger could be greatly reduced.  I know it is an inconvenience to drivers, but if safety is the main goal then it is a small price to pay.

Ciao

[Niall C]

I'm not aware of the differences between Scottish and English law in this regard but judging from my time as a member at Silloth I think they are broadly similar. Most clubs know well enough where the trouble spots are on their course and often come to an accommodation with neighbouring owners without the need to go to court. It's basically in the clubs interest to reach agreement as the other party holds all the cards. For instance at Silloth they have an agreement with the neighbours beside the 17th green so it hasn't had to be moved. In contrast they had to shift the 11th fairway over to the left in order to play away from the caravan park to the right of the hole.


Many clubs will readily reimburse for any breakages and will keep a log of incidents, making sure members and visitors alike advise when they have hit one out of bounds so that they can proactively deal with any incident. The first time I recall this was 20 odd years ago playing as a visitor at Prestwick St Nich's where the pro made a big thing of giving us our ticket and advising that we were now insured and to report any breakages. If you've ever played there you will know why.


Niall

[Kalen Braley]

They've been doing crap like this so long in the states, courses surrounded by housing and in play on several holes....I don't even know if people complain much about it anymore.