Golf course injury claims

It is estimated that over one million individuals participate in golf, and England boasts more golf courses than any other country in Europe. Like many sports, there is always the potential for accidents, ranging from a wayward golf ball hitting someone in the face to accidents involving golf buggies, which can lead to serious injuries for players, spectators, or bystanders, sometimes resulting in life-altering consequences.

If you have suffered an injury while golfing and wish to pursue a claim, you must demonstrate that the other party was at fault, owed you a duty of care, and acted negligently.

Types of accidents on a golf course

• Golf ball Injuries – These are the most common type of accidents. Golf balls are dangerous due to their small size and the very fast speed at which they can travel before striking someone. Depending on the speed at which it was travelling and how hard it strikes, common injuries can range from minor bruising to serious head injuries and partial loss of sight.
• Golf club injuries – If a player loses their grip of the club during their swing and it goes flying in the air, it could easily strike someone or when a player attempts to take a swing while stood in close proximity to another player could result in injury. This can cause injuries similar to the ones caused by a golf ball injury.
• Accidents involving golf buggy and carts – These types of accidents can occur because of a mechanical fault with the buggy or because the individual driving the buggy was doing so without the required care and attention. These can cause injuries such as bruising, fractures, whiplash and concussion.
• Faulty rental equipment – The gold club is under a duty to ensure that equipment such a golf clubs, bags and buggies are all safe for use and in good working order.
• Slipping and tripping accidents – These types of accidents can be caused by poor maintenance of the golf course causing cracked pathways, puddles of water and other hazards exposing players and staff members to being injured in slip, trip and fall accidents.

Who is liable for accidents on a golf course?

This will depend on the type of accident and who caused the accident.

• As a visitor at the golf course, the occupiers have a responsibility to maintain a reasonably safe environment for you during your visit, as stated in the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. If the golf course fails in this duty of care and you sustain an injury as a result, you may have a valid claim. For instance, you could have slipped on a wet floor in the club’s restaurant or tripped over golf clubs left on the floor by staff in the reception area.
• What if you are walking along a public pathway adjacent to the golf course, and are struck in the face with a stray golf ball? You might think it is the fault of the player who took the shot; however, it is not always as clear cut as that because in some cases it may be the golf course that have been negligent in their duty of care to you.
• The golf course has a duty of care not only towards it’s club members and members of staff but also the general public. The club are unlikely to be found liable, if they can show they were not negligent.
• As part of their risk assessment the golf course are also required to conduct a risk assessment and assess for example the likelihood of stray golf balls leaving the course and the potential for injury and should consider factors such as layout of the golf course, proximity of public paths or roads, direction of play and skill level of the golfers.
• They are required to identify high risk areas and install suitable fences and/or netting around those areas where a golf ball may be mis-hit and cause injury. If it is not possible then the golf club must display adequate warning signs to alert people of the risk of injury. They are also required to ensure there is regular maintenance of the fencing and netting and any repairs are completed promptly.
• Signage – These should be placed on golf course and public paths, warning the public about the potential danger of stray golf balls.
• The golf club need to ensure that they have adequate policies or procedures to ensure player safety.
• Where a golf club is found to have failed in any of its duties and these contributed to the accident, the club may be found to have been negligent and (at least partially) liable for your injury, If it can be shown that the incident was foreseeable, and they failed to take adequate measures to prevent it.
• You can in the first instance intimate your claim against the golf club and they may deny liability and ask you to redirect your claim to the golfer if it can be shown he/she was particularly reckless or irresponsible.
• You may even have a claim against the local authority if the pathway is a public one and and they have some responsibility to ensure that the pathway is safe for public use if they were aware of the dangers posed by the proximity of the golf course and did not nothing to minimise or remove these risks altogether there might be some liability on their part.

Solicitor Annie Rana commented;

“We have assisted clients over the years who have suffered injuries due to golf course accidents and various other sports-related incidents. The consequences can range from minor injuries to life-altering ones. Initially identifying the appropriate defendant can be challenging, so it’s crucial to seek legal advice as early as possible”.

If you have been injured in a golf accident or other sporting accident and unsure as to whether you have a claim or even who to make the claim against then please do not hesitate to contact our office on 0161 399 1231 and ask to speak to one of our specialist personal injury solicitors.