How public liability insurance saved a £1,600 repair bill

What do you do if your local golf club either doesn’t have nets or fences around it, or they are too low? If you happen to live close by, you could end up with your car’s glass sunroof shattered.

That’s what happened to Jeff Sutton, who lives right next to the 12th hole of Heaton Moor Golf Club in Stockport. Players are forced to aim left off the tee at the tricky dogleg par-4 and, after numerous close calls, he woke one morning to see a huge hole in the sunroof of his £33,000 Land Rover Freelander 2.

When he got down to the car, the damage was even more evident from inside. It was only the sliding netting underneath the sunroof that had prevented the thousands of glass pieces from being scattered throughout the entire interior of the car.

The sunroof itself, however, was a complete write-off. Not only was there a sizeable hole where the ball had gone through – but since the large glass piece was curved, the impact had caused the roof to shatter all along the edges as well.

The bill came to an eye-watering £1,600 and, incensed, Jeff stormed over to the golf club with the bill, photos and offending golf ball. Once fully explained to the club secretary, the club were extremely sympathetic and investigated themselves.

Since the club’s CCTV did not extend as far as the 12th hole, they were unable to identify the guilty golfer on this occasion. As a result, it was the club’s public liability that paid for the repairs to the sunroof.

However, in most instances, it would be the golfer who hit the wayward tee shot who would be liable for the bill. That is why so many golf clubs and golf professionals alike recommend having public liability insurance before heading out for a round – to make sure you don’t end up having to shell out £1,600 or more for hooking a drive!

With Golf Care, the UK’s largest provider of specialist golf insurance, cover starts from just £24.49 per year and ensures ultimate peace of mind on the course.