Safety Evaluation | Forensic Architecture

Safety Evaluation of Errant Golf Ball Risk

An errant golf ball is a small, hard object that can travel up to roughly 170 miles per hour — and where it lands is rarely a matter of chance.
A Johnstone Forensics Safety Evaluation is an objective, forensic assessment of where balls are leaving a course, why, how serious the risk is, and what practical steps will make a property safe again.
It gives homeowners, communities, golf courses, and public agencies the independent analysis they need to resolve a problem — ideally before anyone is hurt, and before it reaches a courtroom.

Why Errant-Ball Risk Is Rising

Most golf courses were laid out decades ago, when the average drive traveled significantly shorter than it does today. Advances in club and ball technology — along with stronger, faster swings — have pushed driving distances steadily upward, while the courses themselves have stayed largely the same. Drives that once rolled up to a fence now reach pools and decks; balls that once stopped short of the property line now strike roofs and windows.

The danger grows in other ways too. Renovations remove the mature trees and landscaping that once served as buffers. New homes are built around established courses, and new courses are built around established homes. Narrow fairways, poor safety management, and changes to a hole’s design all add to the risk. The result is millions of homeowners and thousands of communities living with golf balls landing on their property — and, too often, striking people.

According to the USGA and R&A, the average driving distance for amateur male players rose roughly 19 yards between 1996 and 2019, even as the layout of existing courses stayed virtually the same.

Who It’s For

Errant-ball risk reaches far beyond the house behind the green. A Safety Evaluation serves anyone who needs an objective understanding of the danger and a clear path to reducing it:

Homeowners & residents

Homeowners adjacent to a golf course or driving range
Prospective buyers doing due diligence before purchasing near a course
Homeowner, condominium, and community associations responsible for shared homes and amenities such as pools, playgrounds, and walkways
Apartment and multifamily owners and managers

Golf facilities

Courses and clubs that recognize a problem and want to address it responsibly
Courses planning a renovation, re-routing, lengthening, or tree removal — assessing the safety impact before and after the change
Driving ranges and practice facilities weighing netting height and ball containment
Owners, operators, and management companies seeking to reduce liability

Public agencies

Municipalities and parks & recreation departments that own or operate public courses
Planning, zoning, and land-use boards reviewing a new development near a course — or a new course near homes
Schools and universities with teams, practice facilities, or campuses adjacent to play

Commercial & hospitality

Businesses and offices adjacent to courses, where employees, customers, and vehicles are exposed
Hotels and resorts with or beside golf courses
Managers of nearby parks, trails, roads, and public spaces

Real estate, development & risk

Developers and homebuilders designing communities around existing courses
Real estate professionals assessing or disclosing risk on listings near courses
Insurance carriers and risk managers pricing, evaluating, or settling exposure
Attorneys representing either side of a dispute

What the Evaluation Includes

Each Safety Evaluation is directed and analyzed by an expert and delivered as a written, illustrated report. A standard evaluation includes:

A detailed questionnaire on the history of errant balls, property damage, and injuries
An initial interview with the client
Review of the client’s documents and photographs
Review of the golf course’s history and layout
Analysis of satellite imagery, distances, and course conditions
A trajectory study of errant balls
Analysis of the Safety Envelope and the Safety Cone — the area where the large majority of tee shots can be expected to land
A follow-up interview with the client
An assessment of risk based on the likelihood of danger, damage, and injury
Remedial design suggestions

An in-person site inspection can be added to gather more detailed measurements, photographs, and insight.
It is not required — the standard report stands on its own to support discussions between the parties or to help in retaining an attorney.

Why an Expert Makes the Difference

Whether a dispute is settled across a fence or in a courtroom, it usually turns on two questions: was the danger foreseeable, and was it preventable?
Answering them takes knowledge of golf course design, ball flight, and industry safety practices that homeowners, attorneys, and even course staff generally do not have.
An independent evaluation supplies that analysis — objectively, with no stake in the outcome other than safety.

The findings serve everyone. A property owner gains a clear understanding of the risk and the standing to seek a remedy. An attorney gains a credible basis for negotiation or trial.
And a golf course gains a roadmap for reasonable adjustments that protect people without spoiling play — many of which carry little or no cost, such as revised course markings,
warning signs, target poles, and mowing patterns. Others call for investment, but head off the far greater expense of a serious injury or lawsuit.

Cost

The standard fee for an Errant Golf Ball Safety Evaluation is $5,000, which includes everything listed above along with the written, illustrated report.
An optional on-site inspection is available at additional cost. Evaluations for golf courses, municipalities, developers, and other organizations are
scoped to the specific project — contact us for a quote.