A little win for golfers in the golf vs. golf course real estate owners fight

It looks like golfers can breathe a little easier the next time they’re facing down a long par 4, into the wind with houses on both sides of the fairway. You may have to reload if you hit it O.B., but at least there’s a decent chance you’ll beat the lawsuit coming your way. A golfer in Illinois was ruled to not be at fault after an errant shot hit a gardener.

Suit claiming golfer’s ball hit gardener dismissed.

Here’s my favorite line from the Chicago Tribune article on the incident at St. Andrews Country Club in West Chicago:

The dismissal order also noted that Kinney “was well-schooled in the mechanics of golf” and that “there is no evidence that he was facing other than straight down the fairway, his grip on the golf club was improper or that his swing was negligent.”

So it’s just another reason to make sure you have a proper grip on the club: it may very well be the legal deal breaker. I wonder if the guy had to show his grip in the courtroom under the watchful eye of the judge and a PGA Professional. “If the glove shows two-and-a-half knuckles, you must acquit!”