By: Las Vegas Now Staff
Ken Lanier moved into a house on the side Sun City Aliante’s Golf Course for the ambience and the scenery. Now, he and his wife feel like they live in a war zone. Their home, their bodies and their neighbors have been hit by stray golf balls multiple times. The couple is tired of not being able to enjoy their patio and want some changes to be made on the course.
“Why do we have to wait until somebody is seriously injured before something is done?”
This is the question Lanier has asked Pulte Del Webb, the master home owner’s association, the sub-association, O.B. Sports and even North Las Vegas Councilwoman Shari Buck. Everyone but Buck told him the same thing: you chose to live on a golf course, so you have to accept responsibility.
“I expected occasionally maybe somebody would hit a golf ball, but I’ve repaired in the almost four years that I’ve owned this house, about 100 golf ball strikes. I never expected that. I never expected to be hit by a golf ball or my wife to be hit by a golf ball or to see the damage done to the houses around me by golf balls. And I never ever, ever expected the association not to care,” Lanier said.
Pulte Del Webb home buyers are required to sign a disclosure that says neither the developer, seller nor the home owner’s association is responsible for any damage. Lanier claims he never saw or signed a disclosure.
The Pulte Del Webb sales office can’t confirm the Laniers claim, but they did find that the couple signed an Aliante Homebuyer Information Statement. Section D of that statement says that “errant golf balls may result in a certain loss of privacy and/or damage to neighboring homes.”
Randy Weigman, the general manager of Aliante Golf Club said in a written statement that “the staff at Aliante Golf Course staff is well trained to provide assistance in making every attempt to connect a homeowner with a golfer when an errant golf ball causes damage to a residence. However, the golf course operator and its staff assume no liability for unintentional errant golf balls that are hit by a golfer and have no authority that would force either of the parties involved to accept responsibility.”
Lanier believes there is a simple solution to reducing the number of by 90-percent. “We don’t want the golf course shut down. The thing that we requested was that they shut down the two furthest tees and just use the third and the fourth tee to tee off,” Lanier said.
When people tee off from the furthest tees on the sixth hole, the Lanier’s home becomes situated directly under a dogleg. They believe this is why so many strikes have hit in their area.
“I’ve seen them slice a ball completely over my house into the street out front. Could you imagine driving down the street and having a golf ball come through the window of your car?”
The Laniers say that netting may help protect them further. They installed an aluminum cover in front of their porch — it cost $3,000 and still doesn’t make them feel safe when they’re outside.
“It’s just very, very, very frustrating because nobody wants to take the time to show some compassion or to deal with you.”
Email your comments to Neighborhood Guide Reporter Shannon Onstot
You live on a golf course???????????????!!!!!!!!!!! Give me a break, all you people that live on golf courses and complain about golf balls need to have your heads examined. If you didn’t want the golf balls, you shouldn’t have moved onto a GOLF COURSE!!! You would be the same people that would complain about all the noise after moving right next to the airport!!!
Comment by Duck — July 10, 2008 @ 4:13 pm
If you purchase a home along a golf course, you should expect that sort of thing. Here are a few things to take into account when purchasing a home along a golf course.
1. Don’t buy a home along a fairway. Get one near a green, where players use a shorter club and have more control.
2. Don’t buy a home along a golf course where the average age of a golfer is 75.
3. You paid enough money for a home along a golf course. Now shell out a few extra bucks to buy a net and protect it.
How many people come to Vegas and play golf when they haven’t played in years. Of course you are going to get an astronomical amount of hackers.
Comment by Jason Hekkert — July 10, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
“Lanier claims he never saw or signed a disclosure” 500.00 bucks says his signature is on it. You all should get together and Purchase the Gold Course and shut it down, then you can be happy bragging that you live right on the sixth hole dogleg, and not deal with the fact that you purchased a “Target”. As I understand it. Only RICH people live on Golf Courses, so you can just buy a condo at the “Trump” and brag about that till you find out that when you look out the window you find out that you have the perfect view of the parking lot of a Gentleman’s club. in 2 months you will be trying to get that place shut down. So good luck Mr. Lanier….I feel for ya Brother!
Comment by Eric — July 11, 2008 @ 9:41 am
As every person with at least a 5th grade education would understand, if you buy a house ON A GOLF COURSE, there are going to be stray balls. This is so similar to the idiots who bought houses next to a pig farm and THEN insisted that the pig farm, which had been there forever, move! Or, similar to the people who built multimillion-dollar homes across Rampart from The Meadows School football field, knowing there would be stadium lights there, and THEN complained about the lights.
Even if this man with the golf balls for brains was not given a waiver to sign, he admits he knew he was buying a home on a golf course and that there would be balls coming his way. Was he not smart enough to ask his potential neighbors, the former home owner or the Realtor about the volume of balls that hit houses there? He is a moron.
Comment by John — July 11, 2008 @ 10:09 am
Oh my god!! You know why this story got published? It is because of the shock value of someone being so ignorant as to buy a house on the golf course and not expect stray balls!!
-Whether or not you signed a statement about the golf course, I am sure you signed something for the enormous premium builders get for each lot on the golf course.
-I am also sure you picked which home you wanted and where it located. If you did not like that lot, then you should have choosen another.
Since you can not be responsible for your actions, now golfers have to suffer??? What’s next a canopy over the whole golf course just to protect buyers who lack common sense??
You are the reason my country is going down hill fast!!
Hey I have a solution… Move!!
Comment by Michael Moore — July 11, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
While I don’t trust the homebuilders on many issues, regardless of the debated disclosure document, the buyers deliberately bought on a golf course. It’s only common sense to assume there’ll be golf balls. Now, if the builder has promised something like the houses are not in the path of golfers, then that’s different. I personaly would not buy or even rent directly on a course for this reason.
Comment by CS — July 11, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
at least they’re not next to a shooting range!!! or even homeless!
Comment by sunny rosen — July 12, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
I don’t live on the golf course. I live across the street from the course that is lined with homes facing the course. The so called golfers hit the balls over these homes and over the street that separates my home and has damaged the walls of my home numerous times. One time I was driving down Aliante Parkway and a golf ball hit the roof of my car causing a sizeable dent that I had to have repaired.
These golfers are a menace and they should be held responsible for the damage they do.
Twice I was almost hit picking up the mail.
The very least that should be done is they should be required to print their real last name on the ball.
Comment by Ken Zane — July 14, 2008 @ 8:53 am