27 November 2013

The Barton Putting Highway?

27 November 2013 | gentoopenguin

On the 6^th of November at 7:50am I was driving along the Barton Highway when my car was struck by a golf ball from the golf course that runs alongside there.

Given that I was driving in the left lane at the limit of 80kmph and (being Canberra) had someone tailgating me, I had little choice but to drive at speed into the oncoming golf ball. Luckily the ball was on the down bounce before impact and it hit my front bumper and not my windscreen.

Yay for me and my car but, still, how often does this happen? Should I have bought myself a lottery ticket that day? I see a guy out along the green strip there every other morning collecting golf balls so it musn’t be too strange for a ball to stray outside the perimeter.

I contacted Canberra Connect to ask why there is no adequate fencing along that stretch of road given that it is high speed. They advised that the ACT Government is unable to assist with this and to contact the golf club. I did just that over two weeks ago and heard nothing back.

So I guess this means that you can lob whatever you want from private property into oncoming traffic and nobody will say boo in the ACT?

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Alien Fiend5:40 pm 28 Nov 13

There is no way that anyone playing golf at Gold Creek could hit a ball onto the Barton Highway. Even if you hit towards the highway from any of the tees on the western side (which you wouldn’t do unless you were a knobhead or similar), you’d be flat out reaching it. So if you called the golf club and you heard nothing back, I’m not surprised. More likely kids (large or small) hitting balls near the road, which is silly and dangerous, but that’s another story.

Oh, and good luck with the “litigation”.

astrojax8:21 pm 27 Nov 13

fore!

goggles137:10 pm 27 Nov 13

I don’t understand what you mean that you had to drive at speed because someone was tailgating you.

if you stopped or slowed down in a hurry and the tailgater hit your car, then it would be very clear where fault lies and seemingly more straightforward to get compensated for the damage to the back of your car, rather than the front.

Growling Ferret3:57 pm 27 Nov 13

The golf clubs insurance should cover any damage. Contact both the Pro Shop and the Golf Club.

The tall pines stop 99% of balls and the holes have been ever so slightly re-aligned to have players hit away from the fenceline.

Its nowhere near the worst course in Canberra for balls hitting cars – the (now) 16th at Capital must have been the source of hundreds of dents over the years, and I once put a ball in the food caravan behind the 18th when there was the motorcross track on Jerrabomberra Avenue…

Rawhide Kid Part311:31 am 27 Nov 13

They’ll do something once the litigation’s start rolling in…..

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