Anybody wanna play 17 holes today?

[Eracer]

Neighbor Says Golf Is a Sport Too Close
By COREY KILGANNON

Boasting famous members like Donald Trump and Frank Gifford, the Winged Foot Golf Club in Westchester has played host to multiple U.S. Opens and is one of the world’s most renowned courses. On the club’s East Course, the sixth hole is a seductive par 3 with a few private houses off to the right of the green, so that a towering slice might find its way into someone’s property, or even plunk a house. One neighbor, a restaurant owner named Anthony Pecora who owns one of those houses, says far too many people playing Winged Foot have a propensity to hit such a towering slice. Mr. Pecora is suing Winged Foot, claiming that the club has opened him up to so many errant golf balls that it has caused a “life-threatening condition” for him, his two young children and his dog, according to court papers. The lawsuit was reported on Tuesday on Page Six of The New York Post.

Last week, a State Supreme Court judge in Westchester issued a temporary restraining order against the club, banning play on the sixth hole until further notice. Outings have been disrupted, as has competitive play among members at what has become, in effect, the most famous 17-hole championship golf course in the country.

“Everybody at Winged Foot is very surprised, and people want to fight it,” Mr. Trump said on Tuesday. “I’m very surprised something couldn’t have been worked out. To close a hole, it’s a sad day for the club. I’m thinking maybe I’ll visit the gentleman. I’d love to go and mediate it.” Mr. Pecora has suffered $14,000 in damage to his home from errant golf balls, including five broken windows this year alone, said Julius Cohn, his lawyer. He said Mr. Pecora, who moved into the house in 2003, began complaining about the errant shots in 2006, when the club cut down several trees between his house and the sixth green.

“Since they cut down the trees in 2006, my client has been getting bombarded with golf balls,” he said, adding that Mr. Pecora fears for the safety of his children, ages 6 and 11, who often play in the backyard. “He has golf balls raining down on his home his children can’t even walk on the property." The club spent $70,000 to plant three large trees in September, but Mr. Cohn said the club refused to put up a net protecting Mr. Pecora’s house. He said golfers routinely walk onto Mr. Pecora’s property to hit a ball back onto the course. “He has pails and pails of golf balls,” he said, adding that Mr. Pecora’s 14-year-old dog ate a golf ball last year and required emergency surgery, costing $3,344. 40.

Michael Malone, a spokesman for the club, said, “Winged Foot has always tried to be a good neighbor. In this instance, Winged Foot went to great effort and expense on a voluntary basis to try to work out the plaintiff’s concerns,” he said. “We believe the decision to grant a temporary restraining order to shut down the sixth hole is not supported by the law, by the facts or by the equities.”

Jeff Bollig, a spokesman for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, said he had heard of lawsuits brought by homeowners over errant golf balls but that “I’ve never heard of a court order closing down a golf hole before.”

Five U.S. Opens have been held at the West Course, but the East Course is also renowned and has been the site of prominent championship play including two U.S. Women’s Opens, and a men’s senior open. On the East Course, the sixth has been widely regarded as a great golf hole, and has remained basically unchanged since designed by the golf course architect A. W. Tillinghast in the 1920s. William O’Shaughnessy, who owns a pair of radio stations in New Rochelle, and is a member at Winged Foot, said, “If you buy a house on a golf course, you have to assume there may be a couple of errant shots that are going to land in your yard. It’s part of the charm of living on one of the most famous golf courses in the world,” he said.

[warbirdlover]

Lawyers suck.

[MCDavis]

People, if you don't want golf balls in your yard, don't live on a golf course!!!!

[Eracer]

"Pails and pails" of balls sliced to the right - on a par 3?

Those guys must really SUCK!

[slickpitt]

Pails and pails of golf balls... man that would be heaven... never have to pay for a ball again! But I guess if you have a house on Winged Foot the cost of golf balls is hardly a concern

[Adam Pettman]

Two words to describe this guy, Idiot.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Another interesting concept is that if they end up closing the hole in a redesign effort, the guy is basically destroying any property value. Is he then going to sue the course for hurting his property value if they move the hole. Should have just admitted his mistake and moved, or put up his own net and buy unbreakable windows.

I seriously think that if I owned a home on the same hole, I would be filing suit against the idiot for ruining the property value of my home.

Course ought to ask for approval to construct a 40 foot wall in front of the guys home, see how important it is then.

[JEFF4i]

What a shame.

[Pa Jayhawk]

It is even more amazing a judge would do this.

If I buy a home in the area on a major highway, would I then have the right to sue the state to close the highway out of fear that a car may run over my kid or throw crap in my lawn.

Seems like a great way to make money if the judge rules in their favor. This is basically legalized blackmail.

[ClairefromClare]

[Pa Jayhawk]

That picture is probably not to far out of the question if they open the hole back up. I don't slice the ball, but you can bet if I ever play that course I will have a hard time getting the clubface closed.

Can you even imagine what this guy has likely opened himself up to if he loses. **** refer to picture****

[DaveE]

Originally Posted by Pa Jayhawk

It is even more amazing a judge would do this.

If I buy a home in the area on a major highway, would I then have the right to sue the state to close the highway out of fear that a car may run over my kid or throw crap in my lawn.

Seems like a great way to make money if the judge rules in their favor. This is basically legalized blackmail.

Just for fun I'm going to take the other side.

It sounds like he didn't really have a problem until the course cut down some big trees that protected his house and yard. Wouldn't that be like buying the house on the highway and then having the state remove the concrete barriers that protected your home?

Just saying.

On the other hand, if he was really concerned for his kids he should have put up a net. Then if he wanted to go to court he could have sued for the cost of the net instead of having the hole closed.

[LyleG]

Ok, let me get this straight.

This is a par three?
This means most players will be hitting an iron?
Irons are harder to hit off line, especially huge slices correct?
Winged foot is one of the hardest course in the country?
A 10hdcp there is like scratch anywhere else. DIdnt we all read that during the US open?
So how the hell is the membership of this club hitting pails, and pails of ball that far offline on a par 3?

Something dont jive with me...................

[warbirdlover]

This is similar to people buying houses near a long established shooting range and then bitching about the noise. (Bristol Gun Club, Bristol Wisconsin).

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by DaveE

Just for fun I'm going to take the other side.

It sounds like he didn't really have a problem until the course cut down some big trees that protected his house and yard. Wouldn't that be like buying the house on the highway and then having the state remove the concrete barriers that protected your home?

Just saying.

On the other hand, if he was really concerned for his kids he should have put up a net. Then if he wanted to go to court he could have sued for the cost of the net instead of having the hole closed.

I had that same thought, although the trees were not put up for that purpose (as would be the concrete blocks), and they did pay $70k to put up new trees in September and he indicated that was not enough because they would not put up a net to protect his home. Which is basically saying how it was before was not adequate in his opinion.

So in that scenario it would be more like cutting down trees by the road and when the neighbor complains, they then they then put a wall up.

Which even if that were the case, do you think the guy is deserving of say on what the course does with their trees? They basically did all they could, if a tree dies and falls down and they put up a new tree, should they be punished for the tree dieing?

There is also a reason I imagine that coursed do not put up nets. One, they are not really responsible, two, if they put the net up you will likely have the neighbor suing because the net is an eyesore.