Should insurance be compulsory for all golfers?

[haplesshacker]

Just today, I have heard of a smashed windscreen from a golf ball, and I had two very close shaves today on the course. (Okay which one of you was it! ).

Bearing this in mind. Should golf insurance be compulsory to be able to play in the UK?

I'm in two minds about it at the moment.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I think it should be mandatory but I'm not naive enough to believe it is possible to police successfully. I can see how it can work at private clubs where you can do a deal with a broker and get "corporate rates" and levy it through subs but what about nomads. Would we ever get into a situation of having to produce a liability certificate to play yhe local muni (I hope not).

Personally in the litigious environment we live in and given the fact that I'm directionally challenged when hitting a ball it makes sense to cover myself and my equipment.

 

[viscount17]

I'm in the undecided. I sort of know that I should have insurance but am:
a) not sure how much use it is,
b) almost all my gear is over a year old for which I don't have receipts, so how do I prove what I have
c) have heard 'horror' stories of insurers who counter claim on your home contents - so what are they being paid for?
d) the hole-in-one only counts if it's in a competitive round

so make my mind up for me, should I and if so who with

 

[backwoodsman]

No, not compulsory. But voluntary make sense. I once put a ball over the fence into the road at Wimbledon Park. It hit something very metallic - I hope it was a gate but suspect it was more likely a car (had a quick look but couldn't tell). Fortunately, I heard no more of it but have felt guilty ever since. I wasn't insured and would have been hard pressed to pay for any damage caused - and whoever would have been perfectly justified in wanting (expecting?) recompense.

Ps: I think you have one category too many in the poll. Is not "no" to compulsory the same as "voluntary"

 

[HomerJSimpson]

backwoodsman

All those years I've been waiting to find out who did that to my car!!!!!

Which hole did you manage to do that on? What do you think of the course. Not much for the money in my opinion although I use to be good mates with Dean the pro (he was the assistant at Royal Wimbledon when I was down the road).

 

[backwoodsman]

backwoodsman

All those years I've been waiting to find out who did that to my car!!!!!

Which hole did you manage to do that on? What do you think of the course. Not much for the money in my opinion although I use to be good mates with Dean the pro (he was the assistant at Royal Wimbledon when I was down the road).

Hooked it over Wimbledon Park Road on the fourth (and indeed have managed to slice one into the All England Tennis club on the 12th - sliced so far it must have been durned near on Centre Court)

As a course it's ok I guess - bit short & nothing great. Wouldn't pay the normal green fee for it - I just go once a year for the "Mayor's Charity match"

 

[HomerJSimpson]

That must make you a Merton Parker. Have you tried Royal Wimbledon? Many years ago they did a thing on a Monday for anyone living in the borough to come and play (set tee times) for a notional rate. Not sure (doubt it) whether it still goes on.

 

[Jahmoo]

I think every Golfer is challenged when it comes to hitting a Golf Ball, but I can stand and hit mine knowing if I hit some one or something I have no worries

 

[ADB]

Played Crowborough Beacon the other day and as part of the green fee you are signed up for one-off insurance policy to cover you for the 18 holes - it was nominal about £1 I think.

Only playing occassionally I really welcomed this as it put my mind at rest that I was covered. There are a couple of holes that run close to each other, presumably why they brought in this policy.

Can't see why all courses do not have this built into their visitor green fees.

 

[Andy]

No, I'm willing to take a risk like I do every day at work and crossing the road.

Andy

 

[RGDave]

I'm depressed to see "Mandatory" currently in the lead.

I'm all for insurance but if it became mandatory, I dread to think how the system could work.

i.m.o. it could be best arranged by the club for all the players at the course. Visitors could pay £1 if they don't have insurance and the course could put £10 on all the subs to protect folk like me without individual insurance.

If 500 golfers paid £20 a year on their own at mine, that'd be £10,000 just from my club alone. How many insurance settlement have come from incidents at my club in 18 years....none....(to my knowledge). It would just be money- maker for the companies.

If there are 8,000 courses in England alone, that'd be £80 million quid a year.????

 

[Zeek]

The trouble with sticking it on at club level is what happens when people start to claim against the policy. One big claim and the premium would rise significantly, so one person claims, and everyone else pays the price.

At least on a personal policy, if your premium rises because you injure someone, only you take the hit, which you can either pay or choose to not have insurance again.

 

[mono217]

IMO I think it should be compulsory.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Why are people insisting it should be compulsory. How is it going to work

 

[CliveW]

My last club had a policy that covered all members. If you introduced a guest, or were a visitor, there was a small fee (50p or £1 I think) that gave Personal Liability, Accidental Damage and Personal Accident cover for the day.

 

[Imurg]

The problems I can see with this are:-

1. As has been said, if the Insurance is done through the club and there is a claim, everyone's premium goes up.

2. Same goes for visitors, unless they have a separate policy for guests. Would you be happy to pay more if a visitor smacked a ball into the teeth of another?

3.If it is made compulsory then, just as you do in Motor Insurance, there will be people who won't bother to get covered - lets face it you've got much less chance of having to claim on your golf insurance than your car insurance.

4. Who's going to Police it? More costs = higher premiums. Its easy to forge a Handicap Certificate. Its going to be just as easy to forge an Insurance Certificate.

Kept the way it is, the choice is yours. if you want to risk it then don't pay the £30 a year Insurance costs. If you hit someone and they have to have lots of dentistry work done then you'll be liable for many hundreds if not thousands of pounds.

It would be interesting to know what the actual numbers of claims are per year from the golf course and how much the average claim is for. I'm insured as I don't want to take the risk which for a nominal sum is taken away.

 

[RGDave]

My last club had a policy that covered all members. If you introduced a guest, or were a visitor, there was a small fee (50p or £1 I think) that gave Personal Liability, Accidental Damage and Personal Accident cover for the day.

Yes, this is my preferred option.

I have visited courses that have asked for £1 (which at some is NOT mandatory) and I've always paid.

 

[RGDave]

1. As has been said, if the Insurance is done through the club and there is a claim, everyone's premium goes up.

This might not necessarily be that bad. We have a company medical insurance scheme and for the last 2-3 years, there have been rather too many claims on it. It's paid by the employer as a group scheme, and despite the claims has only risen 10% over those three years. If a club takes on a scheme and it costs £10 (passed on) per member and there are a good few claims, then it might rise to £15, then £20 say. If there are reasons why the course is a higher risk, and it has more than the normal rate of claims, then it's a small price to play. If I was aware of a realistic likelihood of accidents/claims at mine, I'd get personal cover. As it is, it's such a minuscule risk, I'm not keen to waste my money.

Don't get me wrong....£30 or whatever is nothing to pay, but I can't help feeling that it's just a money-maker, like nearly all insurance.

 

[Herbie]

The best way forward is for all golf clubs to have Liability insurance (many do) or a more comprehensive cover where a % of member fees and visitors green fees covers the cost. This way eveyone involved in any incident has a standard way of dealing with any issue, no one then has to chase a golfer with a big stick and a solicitor, or do the loud shouty thing that many a peeved person may do.

Individual cover would be silly to police if mandatory.
Player cover through the club would be much easier to introduce and police.

I too cannot believe why the mandatory vote is winning, who picks up the tab when someone forgets their premium or doesnt bother to get cover?

 

[viscount17]

The trouble with sticking it on at club level is what happens when people start to claim against the policy. One big claim and the premium would rise significantly, so one person claims, and everyone else pays the price.

At least on a personal policy, if your premium rises because you injure someone, only you take the hit, which you can either pay or choose to not have insurance again.

you do dream don't you?

why do you think your insurance goes up every year when you haven't claimed? if someone makes a claim for £1000 his policy doesn't go up that much. it goes up a bit, the rest everyone else pays for.