Insurance 'Fore!' Golfers If You Bean Someone
It wasn't par for the course when a judge ruled that an Illinois golfer was responsible for a ball that beaned a gardener near the St. Andrews Golf and Country Club in West Chicago in August 2005. Those keeping score would say that this case could make duffers more cautious and more willing to buy 
golf insurance.
Lillian Demo, who lives next door to the 17th tee, sued Raymond Kinney for negligence in failing to aim properly, failing to execute his swing and failing to warn her that the ball was approaching, all failings that could describe many golfers. Demo claims she now suffers from migraines as a result of the incident.
The judge ruled that the case should go to a jury, where Demo will have to prove negligence on Kinney's part. Unlike New York and California, Illinois does not have a law that views people who purchase homes next to a golf course as safe targets. St. Andrews is also being sued.
According to the Insurance Information Institute's Loretta Worters, insuring yourself against a suit like this is an iffy business. There is no such thing as individual golfer's insurance, but some people are covered under homeowners' policies for both medical payments to others and personal liability if they commit mayhem with a nine iron. However, the medical coverage can be skimpy. An insurer could have to pay up to $100,000 under a typical homeowner's policy if there's a claim for bodily injury, or for an attorney to defend the golfer against the plaintiff.
Obviously the deepest pockets line the golf course. A New Jersey man, who had glass embedded in his eye in 2008 when a lawn mower kicked up a golf ball and sent it careening through his car windshield, won $725,000 from the Eagle Oaks Golf and Country Club in Monmouth County. Most golf clubs have general liability insurance to cover these emergencies. It can be purchased from Swett & Crawford, Crump, Burns & Wilcox, Russell Bond & Co., Sports & Fitness Insurance and Surplus Brokers Insurance Agency.