A Guide To Golf Course Accident Claims

By Stephen Burke. Last Updated 18th April 2024. Welcome to our guide on golf course accident claims. The guide below is intended as a primer to the legal process that is involved in making a golf course accident claim. Once you have read it, you should have adequate knowledge to begin making sensible choices about your own personal injury claim. As long as you are within the personal injury claims time limit, which our claims team can tell you about, this guide should be of use.

Because each claim has its own unique aspects, we likely haven’t answered every potential question you may have in this guide. If this turns out to be the case, don’t fret, we can still help you with any questions you have about injury compensation. Just give our claims team a quick call on 0800 073 8801. Explain your questions to them, and they will provide you with the answers you need.

Select A Section:

Can I Make A Golf Course Accident Claim?
Golfing Accidents – Golf Ball And Other Injuries
Liability For Golf Course Accidents
Faulty Golfing Equipment Accident Claims
How To Start A Golf Course Accident Claim
Golf Course Accident Claim Payouts
No Win No Fee Golf Course Accident Claims
Essential Resources Relating To Golf Course Accident Claims

Can I Make A Golf Course Accident Claim?

If you visit a public space, such as a golf course, then the controller of that space owes you a duty of care under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. This means they should take steps to ensure your reasonable safety while you’re in the public space.

If you suffered injuries in an accident while at a golf course, you may be able to make a personal injury claim. However, your case must meet the following eligibility requirements:

You were owed a duty of care.
This duty was breached.
This breach caused you to suffer injuries.

Together, these three factors form the basis of negligence.

For more advice on your eligibility to claim and how compensation may be offered for golf course negligence cases, please contact our advisors for free.

Time Limit For Golf Course Accident Claims

In accordance with the Limitation Act 1980, there is a three-year time limit for beginning personal injury claims, such as golf course negligence cases. This usually starts from the date the accident occurred.

The time limit can work differently under certain circumstances. If the injured party lacks the mental capacity to start their own claim, then the time limit will be frozen indefinitely. While the time limit is frozen, a litigation friend could start a claim on behalf of the party that has been harmed. If, however, the person later regains their mental capacity and a golf course accident claim has not been made, then they will have three years to start a claim from the day of recovery.

If the injured person is under the age of 18, then the time limit for starting a claim will be put on hold until that person reaches their 18th birthday. A litigation friend could start a claim on the injured party’s behalf before they turn 18. Otherwise, the injured person will have three years to start their own claim from the date of their 18th birthday.

For more advice on your eligibility to start a golf course accident claim, contact our advisors for free either online or by calling us.

Golfing Accidents – Golf Ball And Other Injuries

Golfing accidents can take many different forms. A golf ball injury – where you are hit with a golf ball – is just one example. However, you could be injured on a gold course in other ways.

For example, you could become injured due to:

Being struck with a golf club
Faulty equipment
Incidents involving golf carts
Slips, trips and falls (either in the clubhouse or on the course)
Illness such as food poisoning after dining at on-site facilities

In order to make a successful claim for a golf course injury, you need to establish that you were injured as a result of someone breaching their duty of care towards you. For instance, all of the golfers on the course have a duty of care to one another. Additionally, those in charge of the golf course/club also owe their members and guests a duty of care.

If you have any questions about which golfing accidents you could claim for, get in touch with our advisors today. They can answer questions such as, ‘do the owners of a golf course have liability for errant balls?’ and potentially connect you with one of our expert solicitors.

Faulty Golfing Equipment Accident Claims

Many golf clubs offer visitors rental of golfing equipment, which could lead to a golf course claim if the equipment is faulty.

Additionally, the hire of golf carts or golf buggies is often available and, at some golf courses, compulsory. When this equipment is not maintained to a safe level, it can result in an accident or injury to the person using it (or driving it in the case of a golf buggy). If it can be proven that faulty equipment was to blame, then a personal injury solicitor could be able to process a compensation claim for the victim.

How To Start A Golf Course Accident Claim

Starting your golf course accident claims is very straightforward. First of all, if you have been the victim of an accident at a golf course, there are some things you can do before starting your claim, such as:

Take photographs or videos of the scene and the cause of the accident.
Gather the contact details of any witnesses.
Visit the hospital to have your injuries treated, even if they appear trivial in nature.
Keep a record of any financial or other losses you suffer due to the accident or your injuries.

Once you have taken action such as this, it is time to move on to making your claim. Follow these three simple steps to get the help you need.

Call our claims team and have your questions answered.
Discuss your claim with one of our claim advisors, who will evaluate it for you.
If your claim appears valid, a solicitor will begin processing it for you.

Golf Course Accident Claim Payouts

You might be able to track down some form of an online tool or golf course accident claim calculator that can estimate how much compensation you could be able to claim for your injuries. Also, the table below shows the ranges of compensation for different kinds of injuries.

What Type of Injury?	How Severe Was It?	Possible Compensation	Information
Multiple Serious Injuries Plus Special Damages	Serious	Up to £200,000+	If you've suffered multiple serious injuries in a golf course accident, then you may receive a compensation payout covering all of these plus any related special damages, such as the cost of home care provisions.
Injured hand	Serious damage to both hands	£68,070 to £103,200	Significant loss of function and permanent cosmetic disability.
Injured hand	Less serious hand injury	£17,640 to £35,390	Significantly impaired function following an injury that may or may not have led to surgical treatment
Injured hand	Moderate hand injury	£6,910 to £16,200	This bracket may apply to various injuries such as crush injuries, penetrating wounds, lacerations or soft tissue damage.
Injured wrist	Complete loss of function	£58,110 to £73,050	Complete loss of function in the injured wrist. An arthrodesis may have been performed.
Injured leg	Severe (iii) serious	£47,840 to £66,920	Instability caused by serious compound or comminuted fractures or damage to the ligaments or joints.
Injured ankle	Severe	£38,210 to £61,090	Severe injuries covered by this bracket will necessitate an extensive period of treatment
Injured foot	Serious	£30,500 to £47,840	Prolonged treatment will be required and there will be continuing pain from arthritis or future arthritits
Injured toe	Severe toe injuries	£16,770 to £25,710	Can include severe crush injuries that lead to one or multiple amputations. Bursting wounds or other injuries that cause severe damage may also be covered by this bracket.

For a much more accurate estimate of the level of compensation that you may be able to claim, our claims team will be able to arrange for a solicitor to value it for you.

Claiming Special Damages For A Golf Course Accident

Special damages could also form part of your golf course accident compensation award. This head of claim is designed to compensate you for any monetary losses or out-of-pocket expenses caused by your personal injuries. Providing evidence of these financial losses could help support your claim for special damages, such as bank statements and payslips.

Some examples of the financial losses that could be compensated for in golf course negligence cases include:

A loss of earnings stemming from taking time off work to recover from your injuries.
Prescription fees resulting from paying for medication to alleviate symptoms of your injuries.
Travel fees incurred from travelling to and from hospital to get treatment for your injuries.

Our expert accident claims solicitors could assess your claim to determine the value of your potential settlement. Get in touch at any time to find out how to be connected.

No Win No Fee Golf Course Accident Claims

We can offer you a solicitor who will work under a No Win No Fee agreement called a Conditional Fee Agreement to process a golf course accident claim for you. This will mean that the monetary risks of making a claim have been somewhat mitigated. The fee structure works like this:

You will not have to pay the solicitor upfront to start working on your claim.
You will not have to pay the solicitor during the time it takes for them to process your claim for you.
You will not have to pay the solicitor if they fail to secure you any compensation at all.
You will need to pay your solicitor once they have received a compensation payment for you. The pre-agreed fee will be automatically deducted from the money received.

If you have any questions about how a No Win No Fee claim works, or you are ready to begin your claim right now, please speak to one of our claim advisors, who will help you further.

We can provide you with an accident and injury solicitor that could be able to process a golf course accident claim successfully. All you need to do to get your claim started. Is to contact one of our claim advisors on 0800 073 8801.