‘Enough is enough’: Woman’s long drive for action over golf ball nightmare

Tee-reified residents claim rogue balls from a Gold Coast golf club are smashing home windows, solar panels and ornaments - along with near-miss head shots that shatter nerves.

It’s a peaceful day on the green for some - but is a daily nightmare for residents living on the edge of Surfers Paradise Golf Club who claim they are being peppered by wayward shots.

Residents in the firing line are complaining about smashed windows, near-miss head shots, shattered solar panels, chipped garden ornaments and living in daily fear - and wrangling for compensation.

Rhonda Schou, who lives in a residential community adjacent to Surfers Paradise Golf Club, said wayward golf balls have turned her Clear Island Waters home into a danger zone, narrowly missing her and causing costly property damage.

“My first problem was on the 30th of August 2022 at 2:30pm. I was standing in the back of my property with a friend and was missed by centimetres by a golf ball - and that was the start of it,” she said.

“I’m lucky to survive.”

Mrs Schou started collecting the golf balls and has amassed enough errant balls to fill multiple buckets.

But as her collection grows, so does her frustration and fear.

“It’s definitely a health and safety issue,” she said.

“It’s like a bomb goes off - enough is enough - it frightens the life out of me.”

The 77-year-old retiree said the balls had cracked her solar panels, costing her nearly $900 to replace, and have flown into her windows, her roof, and an ornate garden statue.

But she claims her requests for compensation have gone unanswered since September.

“I just want them to pay for the damage.

“They just keep ignoring us,” she claimed.

She said when she moved into the property about three years ago, she noticed a hole in the panels above her patio, and spent $23,000 to replace it - and her biggest concern is future costly damage.

“My main worry now is that they’ll keep smashing solar panels.

“Plus I put this $7700 glass veranda in to keep my little dog in, and my fear is that’s going to go next.”

Rhonda Schou: ‘It frightens the life out of me.” Picture: John Gass.

Other residents have shared similar frustrations.

A former neighbour who moved out after “giving up on the place” said she was once hit by a golf ball while driving past on Broadbeach-Nerang Road.

“Golf balls missed my daughter a couple of times when she was just out in the garden,” the anonymous former neighbour said.

“My house started to leak so I got a roofer up and there were 36 broken tiles, so I contacted the golf club, and they their response to me was they needed a date, a time and a name of the golfer.

“And basically every single time I asked for something to be done about it, they just did not get back to me.”

Rhonda Schou says she’s had windows broken and garden ornaments chipped as well as near misses to herself. Picture: John Gass.

Another anonymous neighbour said a golf ball “completely smashed” her perspex veranda.

“I’ve emailed twice, and called - I haven’t had a response yet.”

When contacted by the Bulletin in regard to the residents claims of alleged property damage, Surfers Paradise Golf Club general manager Liam Sweeney said in a statement that the Rhode Island development was approved in the early 1990s, more than two decades after the golf course was built.

“We work closely with our neighbours ... who all have spectacular views over our beautifully manicured lush green fairways and native wildlife.”

He went on to say after meeting with the building manager to discuss concerns, the club added an aiming target for golfers off the tee, re-shaped the fairway, added mounding as a visual aid, moved social tees back more than 60 metres to ensure safety netting comes into play when needed.

The two golf balls that allegedly "narrowly missed" hitting Mrs Schou. “My main worry now is that they’ll keep smashing solar panels.” Picture: Supplied.

He said they planned to implement new engineering criteria for golf balls by 2028 to reduce driving distances and had engaged with “a qualified course designer” who in September this year commenced a full course safety review.

He said the club held “many layers of insurance policies” but did not provide comments regarding compensation for property damage after being questioned.

A day after being questioned by the Bulletin - nearly 14 weeks after Ms Schou’s inital complaint - Mr Sweeney informed her on Thursday a public liability claim had been lodged with Sportscover, promising to follow up once a response was received.

Nyst Legal lawyer and director Jonathan Nyst, speaking generally, said the question of who was liable for the damage and nuisance caused was “nuanced” and dependent on the individual circumstances.

“It may be that liability falls on either the individual, the golf club, both, or neither, and could involve claims of negligence and nuisance.

Mrs Schou's smashed solar panels from an alleged wayward golf ball. Pic: Supplied.

“As it pertains to the golf club, potential defences may also arise, such as the argument that the property owner assumed the risk involved when they purchased the property.

“From a practical point of view, you would likely expect there to be some pretty significant property damage before anyone goes trudging off to court.”

As for Mrs Schou, she’s no golfer, and admits she doesn’t fully understand the game.

“It’s just amazing how far these balls go,” she said.

“I’m not a golfer, so I don’t quite understand it, but a couple of the gentlemen I spoke to that do play golf, they said they’re slicing - whatever slicing is - they’re slicing them.

“If I played golf, I’d understand it, but I don’t - just stop them hitting in the direction of our block.”