While a round of golf isn’t always enjoyable if you’re not hitting the greens, it should be a safe sport to participate in. It should also be safe for spectators, caddies, and staff. While that’s true in many cases, accidents on golf courses do happen. Importantly, if you’re injured on a golf course because somebody else was negligent, you could be compensated for your suffering. In this guide to golf course injury claims, we’ll look at when a claim for compensation might be possible, how you would begin a claim, and how much compensation you could be awarded.
Our team offer free legal advice about any type of personal injury claim. If you speak to one of our advisors, they’ll review the merits of your case with you and explain your options. If your claim appears to have a realistic chance of being won, we’ll connect you with one of our personal injury solicitors. Importantly, they won’t require any payment upfront for their work if your case is taken on because of their No Win No Fee service.
Please carry on reading to learn more about claiming for golf course injuries. However, if you’d like to discuss your chances of being compensated straight away, please contact us on 0800 6524 881 today.
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Am I Eligible To Make A Golf Course Injury Claim?
Our team of solicitors could help you claim compensation for personal injuries whilst working, playing, or spectating at a golf course. Before accepting your claim, your solicitor will need to check whether it has the grounds to proceed. To verify this they will check whether:
- The defendant owed you a legal duty of care; and
- Through an act of negligence an accident happened on the golf course; and
- You sustained an injury as a result.
Your solicitor will also try to identify who the defendant in your case is. For example, if you’re injured because of a faulty golf buggy, the golf club would be the defendant. However, in some cases, another golfer might be to blame for your injuries.
Common Golf Course Accidents And Injuries
There are several other ways you could be injured on a golf course that could lead to a compensation claim. They include:
- Golf club negligence. Although golf is played outdoors on sometimes tough terrain, the golf club needs to try and prevent accidents. Therefore you could claim compensation if you slipped on a spillage in the clubhouse that hadn’t been cleared up quickly, fell on damaged steps on the course or were hit by a maintenance vehicle on the golf course.
- Faulty equipment. If you hire golf clubs, a bag or a golf buggy, they should be provided in good order. You could claim for any injuries if the brakes on your golf buggy fail and cause you to crash or tip over. Similarly, you could claim for a golf buggy accident caused by a lack of warning signs to alert you to dangerous slopes or terrain.
Our guide doesn’t contain information on every possible golf course accident and injury of course, therefore, even if your accident is not listed, we could still help you claim if you call our team today.
Injuries Caused By Golf Balls
Being struck by a golf ball is one of the most common injuries sustained on a golf course. The severity of your injury will be based largely on the speed of the ball and where it hits you.
If a golf ball hits you in the face, you could suffer a broken cheekbone, teeth damage or loss of sight (temporary or permanent). Where the ball hits you on the side or back of your head, you could sustain a concussion or brain injury.
You may be able to claim compensation after being hit by a golf ball if the accident was caused by:
- A player who hit the ball before you’d cleared the fairway or the green.
- The golf club had failed to install or maintain safety fences in high-risk areas.
- Warning signs were not present to alert you to the danger of being hit by a ball in high-risk areas.
If you’ve been hit by a golf ball, please call our team today to see if you could seek damages for your injuries.
Who Would I Claim Compensation From?
Generally, a compensation claim will be made against:
- The golf club’s public liability insurance policy.
- A golf liability policy.
- A golfer’s household insurance if it includes public liability insurance.
If you’re claiming against an individual rather than a golf club, your solicitor will need to check whether a suitable insurance policy is in place and whether you’re likely to receive a compensation payout before accepting your case.
The simplest way to find out if you could make a golf club accident claim is to call our team today.
How Much Compensation Will I Get For A Golf Course Injury Claim?
When you make a golf course injury claim, you’ll request compensation for the pain and suffering you endured (general damages) and any financial costs incurred following the accident (special damages).
If you win your claim, it could include compensation for:
- The physical pain caused by your injuries.
- Any distress, anxiety or depression caused by the accident or your injuries.
- The effect your injuries have on your social life, hobbies and family activities.
- Earnings you’ve lost while injured. Future loss of earnings might be claimed for longer-term injuries.
- Care costs if somebody else had to support you while you were injured.
- Travel expenses linked to your claim or your treatment.
- Medical expenses including the cost of private hospital treatment in some cases.
- Modifications to your property or vehicle if they’ll help you to deal with an ongoing disability.
To help determine the severity of your injuries, an independent medical assessment will be required. This is usually booked locally with a medical expert who’ll examine your injuries. They’ll also use a questionnaire to try and assess how your injuries have affected you. Their report will be filed with both parties in your claim.
Golf Course injury Claims Calculator
You can use our compensation calculator to see how much compensation might be awarded for injuries sustained on a golf course.
If your claim is accepted, your solicitor will offer a more precise compensation estimate once they’ve received medical reports and assessed your claim in more detail.
Evidence To Support Golf Course Injury Claims
As we explained earlier, most golf course injury claims will be handled by an insurance company. Usually, they won’t accept liability for your injuries without sufficient evidence. Therefore, if you are injured in an accident on a golf course, the evidence that could help you to win your claim includes:
- Camera footage. If your accident was recorded on a mobile phone or CCTV camera, you should ask for a copy of the relevant footage.
- Photographic evidence. Where possible, you should try to take pictures of the accident scene on your phone. Ideally, you should capture the cause of the golf course accident before it’s removed or replaced.
- Witness details. Your solicitor might need a statement from anybody else who saw your accident to help corroborate your version of events.
- Medical evidence. We believe that you should always seek medical treatment for any injuries sustained in a golf course accident. This should result in your injuries being diagnosed and treated properly. After treatment, your medical records could be requested as evidence in your claim.
- Accident reports. If you are injured on a golf course, you should report the accident to a member of staff. A record of the incident should be kept and you should be given a copy.
If you are struggling to obtain evidence or would like us to review what you have collected so far, please call one of our specialists today.
Golf Course Injury Claims Time Limits
As you may know, any personal injury claim in the UK has a 3-year time limit. For most golf course accidents, this will begin on the date you were injured or from the date the injury was diagnosed by your doctor.
We believe it’s much easier to build a successful claim if you start the process sooner rather than later as this should allow ample time to secure evidence to support your claim. Also, you could benefit from private medical treatment to help you recover sooner. This could happen before your claim is finalised if the defendant accepts liability early on.
Some golf course injury claims could be settled in around 6 to 9 months if your injuries have healed and the defendant accepts that they were to blame. Where a claim is contested or your injuries are more severe, the claims process could take more than a year.
Starting A Golf Course Injury Claim
Our team is ready to help if you start the golf course injury claim process. The best way to get in touch is to call our advice line on 0800 6524 881. You’ll be under no obligation to continue but you will be given free legal advice and your options will be explained.
If you decide to proceed, and your claim is accepted, your solicitor will try to secure the maximum level of compensation on a No Win No Fee basis.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions regarding golf course injury claims.