Par for the course? Errant golf balls hit windows in Meridian. Neighbor unfazed
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Five claims allege $4K in property damage from golf balls at Meridian course since March.
- In claims, neighbors report broken windows, damaged doors; one homeowner shares his story.
- City attorney says there’s an inherent risk of damage; city not liable. Claims denied.
Golf is a game of etiquette: Show up on time, follow the dress code and don’t walk across someone’s putting line.
But faux pas can happen. At the city-owned Lakeview Golf Course in Meridian, errant balls have been shattering windows, breaking screens and damaging doors, according to five tort claims filed with the city since March.
In those claims, obtained by the Idaho Statesman through a public-records request, neighbors sought the city’s help in paying for nearly $4,000 in property damage from golf balls hit off the course. Tort claims are required by law before someone can sue a state or local government entity, though they don’t always lead to lawsuits.
But for people who live near the course, is such damage just par for the course? And who’s ultimately liable for all the mishit balls?
The Statesman caught up with city staff and a neighbor to learn what it’s like living next to a municipal golf course and find out what you should do if your home is damaged or if your ball finds its way into someone’s backyard — or worse, dining room.
Golf balls broke 14 windows, neighbor says
Michael Wickham has lived next to the sixth hole of Lakeview Golf Course for nearly 26 years. During that time, he told the Statesman by phone, he’s had to replace 14 broken windows.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t really mind.
“I love my home and love the location,” said Wickham, who praised the course’s beauty. “We understood the risk when we moved in.”
Still, damage to his home is so common that he’s developed a routine to deal with it: He’ll find the offending golf ball, return it to its owner and explain how he or she can pay him back. Usually, that’s by filing a claim with homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, Wickham said. Those typically cover damage to others’ property.
“We’ve always gone out and been able to talk to the golfers,” he said. “(They’ve) been more than responsible.”
But on March 8, during the course’s opening-weekend tournament, Wickham was standing in his front yard when he heard “the sound of glass breaking and a loud thump.” For the first time, Wickham couldn’t immediately locate the ball — or the damage.
Wickham took a picture of nearby golfers, who didn’t take any ownership for the accident, he said.
The next morning, he found a golf ball in his dining room and a “neat little hole punched” through a window on the front of his house — which, adding to the mystery, does not face the course. (Wickham’s best guess is the golfer “shanked it … so bad” that it bounced off his driveway and hit the window.)
Wickham went to the clubhouse, where a staff member instructed him to fill out a claim with the city. He did, citing $548 in damage. A week later, it was denied.
That staff member was either “vastly misinformed or just very optimistic,” Wickham said with a laugh. “Because (the city) just said, ‘We don’t cover things like this.’ End of story.”
City not liable for errant golf balls, attorney says
Meridian receives roughly three or four claims like Wickham’s a year — but typically does not pay them, said Bill Nary, the city’s attorney.
“The rationale is, if you live on a golf course, there is an inherent danger that you are aware of when you choose to live there,” Nary said by phone. “Barring some unforeseen circumstances … the city would not pay for damages unless something we did could have caused the damages.
“But the golfer who hits your house could be liable.”
Whether that’s always the case, Nary said, could be up for a court to decide. But he compared the situation to parking your car next to a sports park and getting hit by a baseball.
He also noted that, in Idaho, landowners are protected from liability if someone is injured while using their land for recreational purposes — if that use is for free. That concept is called “recreational immunity,” he said, though it doesn’t apply to Lakeview, which, while public, has fees for play.
Still, Nary said, unless the city directly causes damage, golf course neighbors can expect that Meridian won’t be cutting them any checks.
The city has owned the golf course land for almost 50 years, Nary said, but only took over operations in 2020.
Since then, it has made over $7 million of improvements, according to Meridian Parks and Recreation Director Steve Siddoway. Some were aimed at minimizing damage to neighbors’ homes, including updated signage and a new turf patch along the driving range that encourages golfers to hit balls from a safer distance from homes, Siddoway said.
What to do if your home gets hit — or you hit a home
If you’re a homeowner near a municipal golf course or other park, you probably shouldn’t wait on help from the city if you incur damages. You’re better off getting in touch with the person responsible.
If you’re an avid golfer, you might want to shell out for a good homeowner’s insurance policy.
And if Wickham’s story offers any guidance, good golf etiquette means taking responsibility if your ball goes into someone’s yard or through their window.
It might even turn into an opportunity for a friendly chat.
“It’s kind of funny,” said Wickham, who said he has no regrets about living on the course despite finding balls in his backyard and swimming pool at least once a week. “I’ll be working in the backyard, and if a golf ball comes in, they’ll walk up and say, ‘Did you see a golf ball?’
“I’ll throw it to them and say, ‘Yeah, but it’s a little OB — a little out of bounds.’”
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
