To: Hillcrest Golf Club
Stop Before It's TOO LATE!
We would like a net to be put up to stop golf balls from hitting residents and their properties on the block of Winthrop Street North between Nebraska and Arlington Avenue.
Most importantly, we would like to stop any future injury that could be fatal before it's too late.
Most importantly, we would like to stop any future injury that could be fatal before it's too late.
Why is this important?
Danger to a tranquil community.
Hillcrest Golf Club is a rolling 40+ acre golf course located in a nice, peaceful neighborhood on the border of St. Paul, Oakdale and Maplewood. Golfers/club members and their families can enjoy the comfort of golfing on the edge of the city without of the feel of the city. What many don't realize is that as they golf with family, friends and colleagues, the Hillcrest neighbors and residents along Winthrop Street North live in fear of golf season. They fear that children, their pets and they, themselves will be hurt or even killed by a golf ball coming directly to them over the golf course fence (which measures less than six feet tall!!) at between 130 - 140 miles per hour*. It is estimated that between 500-1000 golf balls leave the course at high speed, hitting houses, cars, walkers, pets, windows and walkers per year.
* The average speed of a golf ball in flight on a fairway drive.
Who are the neighbors on this short stretch of Winthrop st North? They are middle income median wage earners, retirees, developmentally disabled group home residents, children, walkers and pets enjoying the spring, summer, and autumn weather.
How and Why?
In what other neighborhood, you may ask, would this ever, ever be allowed? This is a thriving neighborhood, a highly-populated and favorite public walking route. The answer appears to be that the golf course management is mission is profit driven. The course is a private investment venture where the risk of injury is tolerated in hopes of higher short-term financial returns. Until an individual is hurt sufficiently to merit a lawsuit, no amount of money will be allocated toward building a preventative barrier.
Civil liability is at the door...It is only a matter of time until there is a serious injury. The question remains whether the known risk of serious injury -- repeatedly documented, and serially ignored, may also leave the director and the board open to eventual criminal charges. The director and board have told the neighbors that a fence would cost too much money. The savings to the course are more important than the neighbors on the other side of the course's five-to-six-foot fence.
Frequent damage and minimal response, disturbing close calls:
The golf balls not only take a toll on residents' sense of safety but on their personal property as well. There have been dozens of incidents of damage to residents' houses, cars and guests’ vehicles.
The balls break windows, damage roof shingles, and create body damage on nearly every car that is parked regularly in the neighborhood streets and driveways.
When these accidents happen, golfers are often unaware or choose to walk away hoping they will not be fingered for whatever happens when their drives go unintentionally off course. What is the response from Hillcrest management? Officially the damage from golf balls are "not their problem," legally speaking, of course.
When Hillcrest management receives phone calls from residents such as myself for these damages, the response from their management team and manger Paul Hayne is always the same, “Hillcrest Golf Club is not responsible for any damage done if the golfer did not own up to their fault.” Additional responses from Hillcrest’s management team are that neighbors should call their own insurance to pay for these damages. This means that deductibles will come out of the resident's own expense.
A disturbing close call:
In addition to property damages that have been ongoing for years, there was a recent incident this past June that Hillcrest Golf Club chose to ignore. A resident was out walking her dogs when a golfer yelled out warning; when she looked up a golf ball was flying towards her head. Only by quick reflex she was able to save her face by blocking the ball with her hand. The golf ball hit her hand with so much force that the ball bounced 20 feet away from her. The resident was so upset that she did not get the golfer’s name. Her neighbor drove her to Hillcrest Golf Club in hopes of obtaining the golfer’s information, only to come back empty handed. Her neighbor emailed Paul Hayne, the manager at Hillcrest and Mr. Hayne replied back stating that he had already contacted the young woman and she said everything was fine. This was not true, as Hillcrest’s only attempt to contact her was a message from the manager in their catering department, stating that she would pass this message onto upper management. The young woman’s fingers were painful, swollen and bruised but she was unable to get any medical attention due to lack of health insurance. If this had happened to an elderly person or a child, whose reflexes are much slower, this would have been a very bad accident. The impact of a golf ball can be fatal; there have been people with brain injuries due to direct impact of golf balls to the head. Where else would this be allowed??
Despite Hillcrest Golf Club’s management team’s knowledge of property damage and this recent incident, there has been minimal effort from Hillcrest Golf Club to makes changes. Residents in this neighborhood have also contacted their City Council (Ward6) and City Attorney of Saint Paul (Peter Warner) only to get similar discouraging responses, "We have no power or say in this matter; residents need to talk to the golf course." Hillcrest Golf Club has not made any any real change and minimal efforts have been made to "calm residents," but nothing substantive to remove what is seasonally a constant source of bodily and property harm.
When it comes down to it this comes close to violating the very principles of what makes life in the United States so precious!
The United States’ Declaration of Independence notably states, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and the Constitution promotes the “general welfare” of the people; we are the people and we are living in fear in our own home. Residents and their children should not have to live in fear; we...
Hillcrest Golf Club is a rolling 40+ acre golf course located in a nice, peaceful neighborhood on the border of St. Paul, Oakdale and Maplewood. Golfers/club members and their families can enjoy the comfort of golfing on the edge of the city without of the feel of the city. What many don't realize is that as they golf with family, friends and colleagues, the Hillcrest neighbors and residents along Winthrop Street North live in fear of golf season. They fear that children, their pets and they, themselves will be hurt or even killed by a golf ball coming directly to them over the golf course fence (which measures less than six feet tall!!) at between 130 - 140 miles per hour*. It is estimated that between 500-1000 golf balls leave the course at high speed, hitting houses, cars, walkers, pets, windows and walkers per year.
* The average speed of a golf ball in flight on a fairway drive.
Who are the neighbors on this short stretch of Winthrop st North? They are middle income median wage earners, retirees, developmentally disabled group home residents, children, walkers and pets enjoying the spring, summer, and autumn weather.
How and Why?
In what other neighborhood, you may ask, would this ever, ever be allowed? This is a thriving neighborhood, a highly-populated and favorite public walking route. The answer appears to be that the golf course management is mission is profit driven. The course is a private investment venture where the risk of injury is tolerated in hopes of higher short-term financial returns. Until an individual is hurt sufficiently to merit a lawsuit, no amount of money will be allocated toward building a preventative barrier.
Civil liability is at the door...It is only a matter of time until there is a serious injury. The question remains whether the known risk of serious injury -- repeatedly documented, and serially ignored, may also leave the director and the board open to eventual criminal charges. The director and board have told the neighbors that a fence would cost too much money. The savings to the course are more important than the neighbors on the other side of the course's five-to-six-foot fence.
Frequent damage and minimal response, disturbing close calls:
The golf balls not only take a toll on residents' sense of safety but on their personal property as well. There have been dozens of incidents of damage to residents' houses, cars and guests’ vehicles.
The balls break windows, damage roof shingles, and create body damage on nearly every car that is parked regularly in the neighborhood streets and driveways.
When these accidents happen, golfers are often unaware or choose to walk away hoping they will not be fingered for whatever happens when their drives go unintentionally off course. What is the response from Hillcrest management? Officially the damage from golf balls are "not their problem," legally speaking, of course.
When Hillcrest management receives phone calls from residents such as myself for these damages, the response from their management team and manger Paul Hayne is always the same, “Hillcrest Golf Club is not responsible for any damage done if the golfer did not own up to their fault.” Additional responses from Hillcrest’s management team are that neighbors should call their own insurance to pay for these damages. This means that deductibles will come out of the resident's own expense.
A disturbing close call:
In addition to property damages that have been ongoing for years, there was a recent incident this past June that Hillcrest Golf Club chose to ignore. A resident was out walking her dogs when a golfer yelled out warning; when she looked up a golf ball was flying towards her head. Only by quick reflex she was able to save her face by blocking the ball with her hand. The golf ball hit her hand with so much force that the ball bounced 20 feet away from her. The resident was so upset that she did not get the golfer’s name. Her neighbor drove her to Hillcrest Golf Club in hopes of obtaining the golfer’s information, only to come back empty handed. Her neighbor emailed Paul Hayne, the manager at Hillcrest and Mr. Hayne replied back stating that he had already contacted the young woman and she said everything was fine. This was not true, as Hillcrest’s only attempt to contact her was a message from the manager in their catering department, stating that she would pass this message onto upper management. The young woman’s fingers were painful, swollen and bruised but she was unable to get any medical attention due to lack of health insurance. If this had happened to an elderly person or a child, whose reflexes are much slower, this would have been a very bad accident. The impact of a golf ball can be fatal; there have been people with brain injuries due to direct impact of golf balls to the head. Where else would this be allowed??
Despite Hillcrest Golf Club’s management team’s knowledge of property damage and this recent incident, there has been minimal effort from Hillcrest Golf Club to makes changes. Residents in this neighborhood have also contacted their City Council (Ward6) and City Attorney of Saint Paul (Peter Warner) only to get similar discouraging responses, "We have no power or say in this matter; residents need to talk to the golf course." Hillcrest Golf Club has not made any any real change and minimal efforts have been made to "calm residents," but nothing substantive to remove what is seasonally a constant source of bodily and property harm.
When it comes down to it this comes close to violating the very principles of what makes life in the United States so precious!
The United States’ Declaration of Independence notably states, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and the Constitution promotes the “general welfare” of the people; we are the people and we are living in fear in our own home. Residents and their children should not have to live in fear; we...