SAN DIEGO — Shattered windshields. Golf-ball-sized dents in car hoods, on roofs, and doors. Cracked rear windshields. These are all examples of the complaints made by unsuspecting drivers whose cars were hit by shanked and sliced golf balls darting off City of San Diego owned golf courses and onto city streets.
Since 2018, the city has received 103 legal claims to pay tens of thousands of dollars in damages from golf balls flying off-course and onto city streets, splintering windshields, denting hoods and car rooftops, and other damage.
According to public records obtained by CBS 8 through a public records request, all claims were made in or around golf courses in Mission Bay, Torrey Pines, and Balboa Park.
During that time, the city rejected all but six of the requests to pay for repairs.
"It angers me because this course is on city-owned land. We shouldn't be held responsible for golf balls flying into the street when we're just out trying to enjoy the day, whether that's walking our dogs or taking kids to the park for a play date," says City Heights resident Jeff Wilson during a June 9 interview.
Moments before the interview, Wilson says while waiting for CBS 8 crews, a golf ball flew from the course and hit a city-owned vehicle that was parked along 28th Street in South Park.
For Wilson, seeing the golf ball fly over the golf course's six-foot-tall chain-linked fence was like deja vu.
On September 25 of last year, as he does often through the week, Wilson brought his dog to South Park for some exercise. He parked his car on 28th Street adjacent to the city-owned Balboa Park Golf Course. While at the park, Wilson says he heard someone yell, 'Fore', followed by a thud near where his car was parked. He went closer to his car and saw a golf ball-sized indentation in his windshield, with spider-web-like cracks running across the glass.
A fluorescent green golf ball lay in the gutter a few feet away.
"These fences are not high enough," Wilson told CBS 8. "When we come here, we don't anticipate that something is going to happen to our car, this is public parking.
Wilson wasn't sure what to do. He drove to the course's clubhouse to notify the course about the damage. He says the worker immediately reached into a nearby drawer and handed him the forms to send to the city of San Diego's Risk Management Department. Wilson says he submitted the paperwork, with the repair costs, and a Google Timeline Map to prove he was parked where he said he was.
After submitting, unbeknownst to Wilson, his claim joined over 100 others whose car was damaged by a wildly-hit golf ball.
The Claims
The types of legal claims submitted to the city vary. Some cars were parked when they were hit while a vast majority were driving when it happened.
"I heard a loud impact noise, my car shook and then it felt like I was being sprayed by water. I realized my windshield had been hit by a golf ball from Balboa Park Golf Course," reads an August 2020 legal claim from a resident whose car was struck by a poorly hit golf ball while driving on Pershing Drive in North Park.
The legal claim, the first step in an effort to get reimbursed for damages, was just one of 100 claims that were submitted to the city of San Diego in 2018 from errant-hit golf balls at three of the city's golf courses.
"The golf balls should stay INSIDE the course and not fly out endangering people and cars," reads an August 2020 request for damages from a woman whose Ford C-Max was hit by a ball from Balboa Park.
"HIGHLY DANGEROUS," reads a December 2020 complaint from a man who requested that the city reimburse him $342, the cost of replacing his front windshield that was cracked from a poorly-hit ball.
Claims Denied
Many of the claims submitted had similar stories, golf balls coming out of nowhere and hitting their cars as they drove down the road or parked on the street. Also similar, was the city's response.
The city, however, has only paid out six of the claims, stating that it is not responsible for damages from city courses.
Wilson's was among the more than 94 claims that the city rejected.
"We should feel safe to be able to park our vehicles and for the city to say, 'Well, too bad for you' is extremely frustrating. The city should take responsibility for things like this when they happen," said Wilson who paid more than $300 to have his windshield fixed.
"This is a city course, the city makes money off of these courses, courses that taxpayers pay for, and then they come up with a bunch of different reasons for denying the claim," said Wilson.
The city, however, told Wilson that he did have one other option.
"The risk management worker said, 'Oh, but you could take the city to small claims court,'" said Wilson. "But we know that most of us don't have the time and the money to hire an attorney to try to sue the city, so instead I have to eat the cost to repair my car for something that wasn't my fault."
CBS 8 reached out to the city for its policy when it comes to golf balls that veer off course and end up damaging cars and other property.
The city declined to provide a policy.
A spokesperson told CBS 8, "After a claim is received by the City's Risk Management Department, a Claims Representative investigates the claim and reviews any supporting documents. When a claim is denied, the claimant is provided with a written response outlining the remedies allowed by state law."
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