North Raleigh Homeowners Pummeled By Golf Balls

Wildwood Green Golf Club's driving range on Strickland Road is right across from several homes that are getting hammered with golf balls. Drew DiMarco lives at the end of the driving range. He says he has seen the balls hit the house, damage property and even hit his dad while he was working in the yard.

However, his main concern over the golf balls is related to the growing traffic on Strickland Road.

"It's a very busy road. People are traveling 40, 45 miles an hour. If they get hit, obviously something is going to happen," he says.

Several car windshields have been cracked. DiMarco feels the range is simply too close to the road. He says, at the very least, the manager needs to raise the net and better monitor inexperienced golfers.

A couple of years ago, neighbors did not have to worry about the golf balls because a number of huge pine trees used to grow along the range fence. The City of Raleigh later cut them down for a sewer project.

Course manager Chip Watson says since Strickland road will eventually be widened, he cannot plant new ones. Still, he is looking at several options.

"We've talked about about a full-time range attendant. We've talked about making the range irons only," he says. "We'll look at possibly raising the fence. It will be very expensive to do, but if it's a safety issue, we'll have to do that."

Five On Your Side has received a number of complaints about errant golfballs breaking car windshields. If it happens to you, the most important thing you can do is report it to course managers immediately. The longer you wait, the less chance they will have of finding the guilty golfer.

If they do not find the guilty golfer, course managers claim they are not liable, but if you are willing to pursue it in small claims court, a magistrate may rule differently.