Residents of a mobile home park in Anaheim, Calif., are suing to get the city to do something about the errant golf balls pelting their homes. (Screenshot from KTLA)
Residents of a mobile home park in California worried for their own safety have filed a lawsuit after they say errant golf balls from a neighboring golf course have been hitting homes, destroying property and narrowly missing people.
Residents of the Casa Hermosa Mobile Home Park appeared teed off in a lawsuit in Orange County, Calif., alleging nuisance to real property and negligence. It names the city of Anaheim and the company that owns the Dad Miller Golf Course.
Resident Van Glagola noticed an increase in errant golf balls from the course starting back in May 2021.
“I currently find 6-8 golf balls on my property per month,” Glagola said in a sworn declaration attached with the complaint. “On September 8, 2022, a golf ball hit my storage shed while I was in the kitchen with a friend.”
The golf balls are not just rolling onto the property, Glagola said.
“The errant golf balls arrive with force, are dangerous, and have a potential to cause grave bodily injury, as well as property damage,” the complaint said.
The golf balls have broken windows, and a French door dented the mobile home siding and pierced a fence.
Glagola installed protective drapes over the windows and French doors to protect them from damage and submitted a claim to the city of Anaheim for property damage but is worried about being struck by a flying golf ball. He saw a golf ball hit a moving car near his home and in September a golf ball almost hit the maintenance man working on his home.
“I am afraid that a guest, another resident or I may be hit and injured by the errant golf ball,” Glagola said in the complaint, adding that he reported the problems to Dad Miller Golf Course and was allegedly told, “This is what you get when you move next to a golf course.”
The problem started in late 2020 or early 2021 when the golf course moved a tee to help speed up play and cut trees between the course and the mobile home park.
“The alterations resulted in a dramatic increase in errant golf balls hit from the Dad Miller Golf Course and landing in the Casa Hermosa Mobile Home Park,” the complaint said.
The city said they’d put up netting to protect residents, but the complaint said no netting has been installed. Meanwhile, the balls continue to fly while the city takes no action to prevent it, and residents fear for their safety, the complaint said.
A representative from the city of Anaheim did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment, but spokesperson Erin Ryan told KTLA that city officials have just learned of the case.
“We really think that it’s unnecessary,” she said. “We want to work with the residents, and that’s been our goal from the very beginning.”
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