What can you do if your car is hit by a stray golf ball?

(6/12/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- So you're driving by a golf course in the city of Houston and then, splat! Your windshield breaks, thanks to a golf ball. So we wanted to find out who's picking up the bill for your busted up car?

Flaws in a Houston golf course design have some drivers teed off at the city. But there may be little drivers can do about the problem.

Drivers on Wayside near Lawdale be warned -- you may face an unexpected road hazard. It's something Douglas Teske learned the hard way.

"I was right here and then 'Bam!' A golf ball hits the windshield," he said.

That stray ball came from Gus Wortham golf course. When golfers tee off, sometimes a bad stroke sends balls on a collision course with cars.

"I think they should put up a screen," said Teske. "The private place put up a screen."

Even though there's not a large net along the area, golf course managers have planted trees that act as barriers and records show, they've worked pretty well.

We obtained city records that show since 2003, stray balls from the Gus Wortham hit just 19 cars. However infrequent, the city is investigating the problem.

"We were with a golf architect two weeks ago and he was explaining how we can make that more effective," said Joe Turner with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department.

Teske hoped the city would pay for the damage, but a letter from city attorney said the city is not responsible.

"Well you know, I didn't break my window," said Teske. "I don't think it's right that they charge people."

It may not be fair, but Eyewitness News legal analyst Joel Androphy explains the problem is not severe enough to warrant a lawsuit.

"Nineteen or twenty during the course of day or a week is a lot," said Androphy. "Nineteen in the course of a year is not a lot. You expect that."

Expected or not, the city does plan to address the problem by redesigning the course.

"That will embank the dirt up on the sides and it'll actually give you a more straight line to hit that ball down through," said Turner.

It's a long term solution drivers like Teske hope will keep the balls in play and the cars out of the game.

The only other city course where passing drivers sometimes catch stray balls is Hermann Park golf course. But in the past year, that's only happened twice.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

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