Golf club fined due to holes in range netting
3rd November, 2011 by Emma Williams
Branston Golf and Country Club in Staffordshire has been ordered to pay £16,000 after a woman was injured when a golf ball hit her in the face at the club’s driving range.
Rachel Davis suffered the injury last September when she was walking from the ninth hole to the car park. The ball had flown through, or over, the adjacent driving range’s fence, which had holes in it. An earlier health and safety inspection by East Staffordshire Borough Council mentioned the gaps in the fence and stated that the fence was not high enough to stop balls going over the range. However, no action was taken by the club to remedy this.
The club blamed the fence holes on vandals, but admitting that repairs had not been sufficient.
The injuries to David were so severe that her teeth were smashed, her lips were cut and body bruised when she fell to the ground.
Council prosecutor Angela Wakefield said: ‘A risk assessment on November 27, 2007, found that balls were going over the range and a higher fence was needed.
‘This recommendation was not followed through.’
She said at the spot where the victim was hit, there were gaps in the fence big enough for golf balls to pass through, but no signs warning of the dangers.
The club has since installed more ball-stop netting, and it has changed the targets on the driving range.
The club was fined £5,000 for failing to protect a member of the public and was ordered to pay £3,500 in court costs and a £15 victim surcharge on top of a £7,500 compensation award to the victim.