X-OldHeader: From hahn@unetix.com-DeleteThis.com Fri Jun 22 00:33:10 2001 Return-Path: <hahn@unetix.com-DeleteThis.com> Received: from opus.labs.agilent.com (root@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com [130.29.244.179]) by jr.labs.agilent.com (8.9.3 (PHNE_18979)/8.9.3 AgilentLabs Workstation) with ESMTP id AAA00411 for <wind_talk_ls@jr.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com>; Fri, 22 Jun 2001 00:33:10 -0700 (PDT) Received: from msgbas1.cos.agilent.com (msgbas1.cos.agilent.com [130.29.152.58]) by opus.labs.agilent.com (8.9.3 (PHNE_18979)/8.9.3 AgilentLabs Workstation) with ESMTP id AAA02715 for <wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com>; Fri, 22 Jun 2001 00:33:09 -0700 (PDT) Received: from unetix.com (unetix.com [209.237.2.194]) by msgbas1.cos.agilent.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1BC472183 for <wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com>; Fri, 22 Jun 2001 01:33:09 -0600 (MDT) Received: from unetix.com (adsl-216-101-184-123.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net [216.101.184.123]) by unetix.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id AAA26565; Fri, 22 Jun 2001 00:31:37 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from hahn@unetix.com-DeleteThis.com) Sender: hahn@unetix.com-DeleteThis.com Message-ID: <3B32F358.B80493B@unetix.com-DeleteThis.com> Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 00:27:20 -0700 From: Jonathan Hahn <hahn@unetix.com-DeleteThis.com> Organization: Unetix Incorporated X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.76 [en] (X11; U; FreeBSD 4.1-RELEASE i386) X-Accept-Language: en To: wind_talk@opus.labs.agilent.com-DeleteThis.com Subject: golf balls at 3rd
I finally had an encounter with a golf ball at 3rd (actually my car
did). Tuesday at around 6:15 I was parked along the side of the golf
course near the corner. I was inside the car and heard a loud impact.
At that time I couldn't find any damage to my car because of the sun was
too bright and too high overhead. When I came back after sailing at
around 7:45, I found the impact right away. It was a large depression
on the driver's fender about 2 feet from my head.
I went to Mariner's Point Golf Course, and the guy behind the desk took
my info. Today I got a message from Chris Aliaga the manager. He said
he takes down the info and submits a report to Foster City. He said
there'd be no reimbursement since the golf ball hazard is clearly
marked. (I would say there's no voluntary reimbursement, but I do not
believe those signs eliminate their liability.) They also have a sign
for the golfers which says the golfers are responsible for any damage
their golf balls cause; but I'm not aware that the golfer can be
identified by the ball, so this is merely another effort to protect the
golf course. If the balls could be used to identify the golfers (which
is possible, but probably a pain for the golf course), then that would
definitely serve to reduce the intentional balls over the fence.
I called my insurance company and I have a $100 deductable on
comprehensive. They said they'd take the information about the golf
course, but they weren't overly interested. I doubt they would pursue
it for a few hundred dollars, and I would not pursue it for my
deductable.
So in this case I will eat my deductable and that will be the end of
that. But what is the larger solution to the problem? I believe it is
a certainty that someone will be seriously injured or killed sooner or
later. Is that what the city and golf course are waiting for?
A precedent setting event?
A windsurfer was injured by a golf ball a while back (Pierre?)... what
ever happened with that?
Wasn't there an issue about the city restricting the height of the
fences? What ever happened with that?
It seems to me that the city is ultimately responsible for situating a
golf course next to a public beach access & parking lot, and also it has
the deepest pockets on the line. I thought I heard that the city leased
the golf course the land. If I was Foster City, I'd want to eliminate
one or the other and the golf course produces tax income, probably spent
millions to develop the area, and I believe has a lease. So I'm not
sure it's in the interest of windsurfing to be reporting golf ball
impacts to Foster City... or is it? I don't hold out any hope for a
solution to the conflicting uses of the area. I believe that as soon as
there's a serious accident, the parking lot will be closed. That will
be the most expedient solution to the problem.
-Jonathan Hahn
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