City leaders are being ‘fore’ warned.

A number of Golf Villa residents plan to share their growing frustration with errant golf balls raining down on their homes in the Gollf Villa neighborhood next to the municipal driving range at the next Manteca City Council meeting.

One such resident is Susan Schmidt.

Her home backs up to the golf course.

She collects 250 to 300 golf balls every three to four months.

Schmidt sells the golf balls on the Facebook marketplace as a way to recoup a very small percentage of her losses.

She intends to bring photos with her to the council meeting detailing some of the most recent damage.

*A massive bruise on her body where she took a direct hit.

*She currently has three broken windows.

*Her skylight was recently shattered by a golf ball.

*The front door to her house now has more than 20 divots.

*Her glass patio table top was shot out.

That is just part of the damage she has incurred.

Another homeowner raised the issue with the council in June.

She shared an average of 30 golf balls a month end up in the yard of a neighboring Golf Villa home in the neighborhood.

For that to happen, those practicing at the driving range at the municipal golf course that parallels the Golf Villas have to send an errant shot over a 60-foot high net fence that was recently replaced.

She shared a neighbor’s windshield was smashed by a golf ball while she’s had her car hit as well.

The neighbor apparently can’t afford to pay the insurance deductible and had to stop driving their vehicle.

The residents want the city to do something.

Municipal staff in June  said they can’t safely raise the netting fence screen much higher.

They’ve looked at ways to alter the tee box. So far, however, they’ve calculated the cost the city would incur would have minimal, if any, impact on reducing errant shots.

Going after the golfer is futile unless they are caught and documented in the act by the homeowners.

As for the city, the conditions of approval for the row homes on the southwest corner of Crom Street and Union Road holds the city harmless. The information is passed on to buyers at the time property closes escrow.

If the city ever honored a claim, they would then be accepting liability for all damages of golf balls that damage property in the housing development that was built after the golf course was put in place.

It is why the city required developers of the 114 duplexes now under construction on the south side of the golf course near Airport Way to dedicate a 150-foot wide golf ball easement.

The easement holds the city harmless for any damage that may occur to 12 homes being built within the 150-foot wide easement.

Buyers of the homes are required to be made aware of the easement that means they can’t seek reimbursement from the city for damages caused by errant golf balls.
The city — or anyone else for that matter — will have no right to retrieve golf balls that may end up in yards.

The new  neighborhood is going immediately south of the 99-home Yosemite Greens neighborhood.

 To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com