Living near a golf course is a luxury for those who love the links, but for a Guelph resident who lives next to The Guelph Country Club, it’s become a huge headache.
Dave Ostyn says a ball smashed the back windshield of his car. Now, he says he’s out hundreds of dollars.
It was Saturday morning when the man found the ball sitting next to his car. It's an odd shot: Cathy Densmore plays golf at the course often and says the ball going through the windshield is almost impossible because it's behind the tee box.
She says that golfers should carry golf insurance for themselves in case they hit a car or a house.
On Tuesday, Ostyn took his car to get fixed, and it wasn’t cheap: he says it will cost him $541.
“I did call the insurance company, and it’s under comprehensive, $500 deductible,” he explains. “So there’s no point in me going through insurance because it’s 541, so I’m just going to pay it myself and try to get the money from the golf course.”
He says he went to the course immediately when he noticed the window. He says the board got back to him on Monday night, telling him it was the golfer’s responsibility, not the course’s.
The course wouldn't speak to CTV on camera, but a representative says they aren't liable. It's up to the golfer who hit the ball to make things right.
But Ostyn says there’s no way of finding out who hit the ball in the first place.
He’s filed a police report and plans on taking it to court if there’s no resolution, maintaining that he shouldn’t have to pay for what happened.
Jim Thompson lives next to the course as well. He agrees that the onus is on the person who hit the ball, too.
"If I pull out of the driveway here and run into your CTV News van, should I just drive away?" he says comparatively. "And the answer, I think you'd say, is no."
It's likely that the only way Ostyn will get his money back is if the person who did it comes clean.
