Before anyone can make a decision on golf insurance, it’s critical to understand the types of coverage that are available.
- Third-party / public liability Any damage you do to someone or their property while playing golf.
- Costs of a hole in one – If you hit a hole in one, your bar bill will be covered up to a certain amount.
- Overseas coverage is a provision that some insurance offer as an add-on. When you play abroad, many include international coverage as standard.
Of course, no one wants anything awful to happen when playing golf, but accidents do happen, and golf insurance policies are a method to protect yourself from the hazards that present.
Modern golf clubs have definitely come a long way in terms of technology, especially in the last 30 years or so, but clubs do break from time to time.
Even if the damage occurs on the golf course, a good golf insurance coverage will cover repairs and replacements for most or all of your golf equipment and accessories.
As we can see, the majority of golf insurance coverage is in place to assist when things go wrong.
However, certain insurance will kick in if things go well and there are potentially large charges to deal with.
For example, if you ever score a hole-in-one in golf, you’ll be expected to buy drinks for everyone in your party.
You might even have to purchase for everyone in the bar after you get off the course, depending on who you talk to.
Of course, you can’t be forced to buy, but hole-in-one insurance allows you to utilize your golf coverage to cover your unexpected bar bill for all those drinks, up to a specific amount.
For example, if you’re in charge of a golf outing, this form of inusrance allows you to offer a large prize for a hole-in-one without having to worry about the expense.
All you have to pay is the insurance premium, which is much less than the thousands of dollars, pounds, or euros that many people expect from such awards.
However, like with anything, there is always a price tag, even though golf insurance is generally inexpensive.
A simple policy from a reliable golf insurance company, for example, costs less than $2 per month.
However, as with other types of insurance, the specific cost of each policy will vary, and varying degrees of financial protection will be available at different price points.
According to our study, golf insurance premiums cost anywhere from $25 to $100 per year, depending on the level of coverage and the insurer.
Is it worth getting golf insurance?
Mr Phee sued James Gordon, the golfer who hit the shot, as well as Niddry Castle Golf Club. Mr Phee was granted £397,000 in damages by the Court of Session in Edinburgh, with Lord Brailsford ruling that Mr Gordon was 70% culpable and the Golf Club 30% liable.
“I believe it served as a wake-up call for golfers,” said Colin Whitehead, a director of Golf Care, a renowned golf insurance provider that offers policies with personal liability coverage of up to £5 million. “At the time, we believed that only around one out of every ten golfers was appropriately insured.”
Sean Rowcliffe, a partner at Hegarty LLP Solicitors and a personal injury and litigation expert, discusses the ramifications of being found liable in such a case without adequate insurance.
“There would be costs to both sides in addition to the damages, and in most cases, the winning party would be able to recover them,” he explains. “If the losing party was uninsured and unable to pay the judgment, the victim might get compensation through a Charging Order on the individual’s property. Then there’s the possibility of an Order for Sale, Bailiffs’ instructions, and direct debits from the individual’s bank account and/or earnings from their work. As a result, being held accountable without adequate finances or insurance can have life-altering repercussions.”
Despite the precedent set by Phee versus Gordon, each golfing case that goes to court will be decided on its own merits, with no two cases ever being the same.
“You are extremely likely to be found guilty if you hit a golfer while playing a ball into a green occupied by the group ahead of you,” Rowcliffe explains. “However, if you actually make a terrible shot and have no way of predicting if the wayward hit will collide with other players and cause them to yell ‘Fore,’ the court is unlikely to hold you accountable.”
However, there is a lot of gray space between those two possibilities, and this ambiguity should be a persuasive cause for golfers to get enough personal liability insurance rather than a reason not to. “When you can be covered for just over £30 a year, why take the risk?” argues John Woosey, another of Golf Care’s directors.
The moral justification for providing appropriate coverage is compelling. If you cause an accident at your home club, you’re likely to know, if not be friends with, the person who was harmed. This could be a problematic matter if you are uninsured. Is the injured party pursuing a claim in court, despite the fact that you may face financial consequences? If they don’t, how would you feel if they lost money or had to pay medical bills because of the accident? Such a situation would be lot less problematic if fully covered.
Other than personal liability, there are other reasons to have golf insurance. One of them is to protect your equipment.
“We deal with a lot of damage claims,” John Woosey explains. “There have also been a few incidents of theft. An man who left his clubs in front of a green before going to look for his ball was one of the cases that was settled. Someone came out of the surrounding woods and stole his clubs while he was turned away. A claim of slightly more than £1,500 was settled.” Personal accidents on the course, damage to third-party property (a ball through a vehicle window, for example), and even holes-in-one are all covered by specific golf insurance policies.
“One of our policyholders hit two holes-in-one in the same round at his home club in Leicestershire in December 2012,” explains Colin Whitehead. “Golf Care paid over £150 on the celebratory bar bill.”
Household insurance coverage, it is commonly believed, cover personal responsibility and golf equipment used away from home.
In certain cases, this is true, however in order to keep rates low, “extras” like personal liability have been removed from many household insurance contracts in recent years.
“Many insurers will not cover athletic activities, and adding this coverage to your house insurance could be substantially more expensive than the cost of a bespoke golfing policy,” Sean Rowcliffe adds.
“Personal responsibility may also be linked to the buildings component of an insurance policy, so someone who rents and simply has contents insurance may be unprotected. It’s possible that insurance coverage for loss or theft of golf equipment while away from home isn’t included. Again, you may be required to pay an additional payment to your home insurance, which may be greater than the cost of a separate golfing policy.”
Personal liability coverage on your homeowners insurance may also only apply to occurrences that occur on the insured property (not then on a golf course.)
If you believe your homeowners insurance covers personal liability on the golf course and/or equipment loss or damage, it’s worth double-checking the fine print or speaking with your insurer.
So golfers require appropriate insurance, primarily to protect themselves from potentially life-altering effects if they damage someone on the course, and it should not be assumed that a homeowner’s policy covers this. It’s also worth noting that a golf insurance coverage will pay you if you get hurt on the course, cause damage to someone else’s property, lose or destroy your equipment, or even make a hole in one.
Insurance payments for your house, car, phone, washing machine, and even your pet all be found in your monthly outgoings. We’re accustomed to purchasing insurance to mitigate risk. Golf is just a danger we should be insured for. It may be an additional expenditure, and it may be unappealing, but it is a risk we should be covered for.
Many golfers believe there is an unspoken contract that when you step onto the golf course, you accept the danger of being harmed as part of the game. That is no longer the case in society. People are now significantly more inclined to seek compensation through the courts, even if they are golfers, due to increased awareness of organizations that offer “no win, no fee” claims. As a result, all golfers should obtain appropriate insurance.
Each situation is unique. Each personal liability case will be decided on its own merits in court. There will almost never be any video evidence, and there will almost never be any independent witnesses. The claim will almost always come down to the word of the “responsible” golfer and the injured person. One thing is certain: yelling “Fore” will not free a golfer of blame.
The number of cases that proceed to court and are awarded damages is still quite modest. When they do, and the defendant is determined to be at fault, compensation payouts might be substantial. If you don’t have the right insurance, you could be in serious trouble. Is it worth it to take a chance? Most likely not. Other types of insurance
Some homeowners’ insurance plans may give coverage, however the majority do not. Check the terms of your policy carefully or contact your insurance company if you’re not sure if you’re insured for golf under your homeowners insurance.
Another factor to consider is excess. If you hit someone’s car or property and file a claim with your homeowner’s insurance, you may be required to pay a hefty excess. Furthermore, it is possible that your premium will increase the next year.
With premiums starting at just £30 a year, it seems like a no-brainer to get specialised golf insurance to provide you the peace of mind you need when hitting the fairways.
Is golf ball damage covered by insurance?
A baseball stadium or a golf course sustains damage. If your automobile is damaged at a baseball stadium or golf course, you will almost certainly need to file a claim under your car insurance policy’s comprehensive coverage. You’re unlikely to know who caused the damage, and the stadium or golf course is unlikely to accept responsibility.
Are golf clubs covered on car insurance?
GOLFERS have been advised to double-check their insurance plans or face losing hundreds of pounds if their clubs are taken from their vehicle.
With a new set of clubs costing on average £1,200, they might be a tempting target for thieves.
However, according to recent research from heycar, replacing the set would be difficult because most car insurance policies only cover one club.
Clubs are defined as ‘personal possessions’ under automobile insurance policies by the nation’s main insurers, who only cover them up to a value of £100-£500, which is the price of a top-of-the-range vehicle.
In order to effectively protect clubs, insurers recommend including them in a house insurance policy’s Personal Belongings coverage.
Senior Editor at heycar, Dan Powell, says: “There has never been a time when golf has been more popular as it is right now.
“An additional 15 million rounds have been played since the first lockdown, with 2.3 million new players joining in.
“Many motorists, however, are likely to be surprised to learn that they may not have adequate insurance coverage to replace their equipment in the event of theft.
“When it comes to insurance, it pays to be honest and ask some essential questions, as it does with other things in life. What exactly does the policy cover, and would it be better to have golf clubs protected under a house policy instead?”
The news comes as heycar sponsors Sky Sports’ coverage of the PGA/WGC Tour and European Tour golf events.
Do you need golf insurance UK?
Frequently Asked Questions about Golf Insurance Although you are not required to have insurance to play golf, it can help cover the costs of damage to your equipment or any damage you do while on the course. Yes, golf insurance covers third-party liability, which can cover the cost of damage you cause to another person’s property, such as their car.
Does my home insurance cover golf?
Many golfers mistakenly believe that they would be covered by their ordinary household insurance coverage while playing golf away from home, on the course or at the driving range. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
That’s because homeowner’s insurance isn’t the same as golf insurance, which is tailored specifically to the needs of amateur golfers. Some homeowners’ insurance policies may allow you to add your golf equipment as an add-on, but this normally comes with a higher price, which we’ve found to be more expensive than our specialised golf insurance.
Are you insured on a golf course?
Golf is, without a doubt, a pretty pricey activity. A good set of golf clubs may cost you back hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds. As a result, it’s likely that you’ll wish to add some form of protection on your possessions.
If your clubs and other equipment are damaged, lost, or stolen, having a golf insurance coverage in place will cover you. This includes when they’re locked up in your car boot, possibly while you’re enjoying a post-round drink in the clubhouse.
Is a golfer responsible for a broken car window?
While the golfer who smashed your window should apologize and accept responsibility, if she was otherwise playing normally, she is not legally liable for the damage. Golfers must exercise ordinary caution when playing, yet even the best golfers will occasionally hit a crazy shot.
Can you track stolen golf clubs?
Golf club theft is a difficult problem to handle since it is difficult to trace down stolen clubs, and with organized crime strongly involved in this developing problem, clubs taken from people or merchants are frequently returned to the market through trade-ins and second-hand clubs.