A stray golf ball from Buffalo Grove’s The Arboretum Club golf course caused damage to the windows of Mike Scher’s home, which sits adjacent to the course.
Courtesy of Mike Scher
Neighbors living near Buffalo Grove’s The Arboretum Club golf course say stray balls pose a constant threat to their property.
Mark Czerwinski, who lives behind holes 15 and 16 of the village-owned course shared his experiences with the Buffalo Grove village board.
He said his home has been struck on three out of four sides. His car and garage have been hit, with at least six incidents this year alone.
While standing outside with his family, one incoming missile struck his front window trim, missing him by about a foot.
He said he went out to the course to confront the culprit, who at first confirmed hitting the ball. Upon seeing the damage to the house, however, he denied responsibility. Czerwinski said he filled out a police report, but police said there is nothing they can do.
The most recent damage to the storm and main window at Mike Scher’s Buffalo Grove home from stray golf balls.
Courtesy of Mike Scher
Czerwinski’s neighbors said they have had similar experiences.
During his three decades living in his home, Mike Scher said errant golf balls have left their mark on his home and cars.
“I’ve had two cars lose their rear windows — the hatchback windows that basically crumple into little, tiny pieces,” he said.
He has found golf balls in a car trunk and seen divot marks in his yard where golfers have retrieved and played balls that landed on his property.
Just recently, Scher was sitting six feet from his den window when a golf ball blasted through two window panes. His dog was sitting in a nearby chair.
He confronted the golfers, who “lied through their teeth and avoided me,” he said. Even with witnesses to the event, there were no consequences for the culprits.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that golfers may pay the price for their erratic hitting with extra strokes, but they rarely reach into their wallets to compensate for property damage.
Damage to Mike Scher’s car from a stray golf ball from The Arboretum Club in Buffalo Grove.
Courtesy of Mike Scher
In the past, Scher said, the superintendent of the golf club would call up a repair shop and take care of the broken glass “and we wouldn’t be impacted by it financially.”
But in recent years, that practice was discontinued, he said.
Scher said he would like to see the village create a fund to “take care of the homes in the danger zone.”
But Deputy Village Manager Christopher Stilling said he is not aware of the village reimbursing homeowners.
“In some instances, we have put up signage reminding golfers it is their responsibility should they damage adjacent properties,” he said.
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