Golf balls being driven into pony field

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Ernest Doodles

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For some time now someone has been driving golf balls from their back garden into the ponies field. It gets worse in the summer holidays :(

This morning, I discovered a golf ball 'planted' in the onduline roofing panel of the shelter. It must have hit it with some force to break the roofing. More worrying, if it can break that, it can also crack a skull!!!!

The police have done 'door to door' enquires in the past (including the household responible), after a pony was injured. There are also signs up on the public notice boards warning walkers who use the footpath through the field to be vigulant to avoid injury.

I also have a vast collection of balls that have been picked up from the field over the past year.

My question is,

has anyone else had irresponsible neighbours who have consistantly and insistantly driven 'missiles' into their ponies fields, causing damage and injury or not. If so, what - if anything - have you managed to do to stop them?
 
I put up a notice on the gate after finding many golf balls in my field. It read "If you want to play with your balls please do so in the privacy of your own home". I also approached the neighbours to either side, one of who I suspected of being the culprit and asked them if they would be very kind and let me know if they saw someone going onto my property, especially if they had golf clubs, as I was concerned of the injury risk on both sides. THe balls stopped appearing :)
 
This probably won't help, but a friend of mine had a similar problem. Fortunately she knew who the culprit was and went to his house to say would he mind not hitting the balls into her field or she would throw them back through his window. (needless to say they don't get on) Anyway it worked, he started hitting them into a neighbours garden instead.
 
Thanks guys - I've tried posters; flyers through doors; a piece on this anti-social behaviour in our 'Villager' monthly magazine; asking the PCSO's to have a little word - but all to no avail.

I might try the 'returning golf ball that went through my barn roof, back through your window' one though :D
 
What an absolutely nuisance!

perhaps if this particular neighbour has had warnings, including from PCSO, you can politely explain that next time your property is damaged, you will be filing a report for criminal damage? That and send him the bill to repair the roof! ;)

I do like the idea of returning said golfballs back onto their property by way of their own roofs and windows though!
 
misskk88 said:
perhaps if this particular neighbour has had warnings, including from PCSO, you can politely explain that next time your property is damaged, you will be filing a report for criminal damage? That and send him the bill to repair the roof! ;)
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This, absolutely. This is no longer finding a few golf balls in your field. This person has now caused damage to your property so even ignoring the awful risks of what this person is doing, they have committed a crime. As you have already taken the above steps with no luck, make the consequences more serious. Get the police to take you seriously and take action before someone gets hurt. Uggghhh I hate selfish people.
 
Some friends of ours had a similar problem in their garden - neighbour at the bottom was practising his golf swing and broke several panes in their greenhouse. They put a tall net along the fenceline so the balls dropped back into his garden. You couldn't do that for a whole field, but if it's only one house and you're sure where they are coming from could you put a net up across their bit? Very annoying that you have to do it instead of them, but if it keeps your horses safe it would be worth it.
 
Apercrumbie said:
This, absolutely. This is no longer finding a few golf balls in your field. This person has now caused damage to your property so even ignoring the awful risks of what this person is doing, they have committed a crime. As you have already taken the above steps with no luck, make the consequences more serious. Get the police to take you seriously and take action before someone gets hurt. Uggghhh I hate selfish people.
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Absolutely agree with the above.... a knock on the door from the community police would definitely be order of the day..in my humble opinion.

I had to call on their services once as regards parking on our 'dead end' lane. It's a lane where everyone parks wherever they can with no given parking spaces marked out to particular cottages. It works well and on the whole you do usually get to park outside your own property. One newly moved in resident to the lane took an utter dislike to me parking outside his property one particular evening and decided that because I had parked my car outside his cottage, that he had carte blanche ownership on this particular space, and then proceeded to squeeze his own car into a space behind my car and literally left his own car within 1 inch of my rear bumper!!! I wouldn't have been able to move my car that evening if I'd had to go out again. He also, after banging on my door within 10 minutes of me arriving home (and was in the shower at the time), stuffed a very kurt and very rude letter through my post box complaining of my said parking of my own vehicle outside his property. This is when I went outside and looked in horror at what he'd done and how he'd parked.

I took pictures, had a chat to the Police and they duly dealt with him. Pratt. They sorted him and also sent 'flyers' round to every resident on the lane explaining the parking procedures!! Suffice to say, he didn't do it again.
 
Janovich- I wonder what has happened to basic communication and manners! he sounds a self rightous plum! I am glad that in our area (although we move soon and will have our own proper driveway and garage yay!), everyone sticks to their own spaces. If we have people over our neighbour will usually let us borrow his spare space, and we let him borrow ours when it isn't full. No arguements, no issues and if we need to get out we just politely knock on the door and shuffle the cars around!
 
A house that backs onto 'my' field does this. It's become a lot less since they've put up a 6' wooden pannelled fence. There are still a few, and I am impressed at how far they fly! The distance they go is into the winter paddock, and they don't usually play in the winter so it's not really a problem. I just collect the balls into empty supplement pots and hand pots out to the farrier, mechanic etc.
 
Thanks guys.

I have written a very polite 'open' letter which I have posted through the door of the house where the golf driving is being practised, along with posting copies of the same to a few of the neighbours as well.
The letter highlights the £300 vets bill I got after one of the ponies got injured; a near miss with a small child of 3 who was petting the ponies one day (resulting in the ponies bolting which frightened the poor little mite half to death :( ) and a picture of the damaged Onduline roof and how that could have been someone's skull :(

I didn't point fingers or accuse anyone specifically, just stated I'd put this letter through a few resident's doors to bring awareness to HOPEFULLY bring it home to whomsoever is doing it, that what they are doing is ruddy dangerous so they should stop!

Doubt it will work - tried it before, but it only quietened down for a couple of weeks and then went back to normal :(

Also going to put a security camera up there pointing in the general direction of the other field - if it catches anyone wielding golf clubs looking for balls, then at least we'll have concrete proof as to who they are, so they can't deny it when we send the police round. :) (Mind you, we'll probably get done for taking the photo's :) )
 
We used to find this at a previous yard, but the balls were coming from a golf course quite a way away. They crossed two railway lines and another field to get to us. It was a nuisance for us but could have been more serious had they hit a train.
 
Ernest Doodles said:
For some time now someone has been driving golf balls from their back garden into the ponies field. It gets worse in the summer holidays :(

This morning, I discovered a golf ball 'planted' in the onduline roofing panel of the shelter. It must have hit it with some force to break the roofing. More worrying, if it can break that, it can also crack a skull!!!!

The police have done 'door to door' enquires in the past (including the household responible), after a pony was injured. There are also signs up on the public notice boards warning walkers who use the footpath through the field to be vigulant to avoid injury.

I also have a vast collection of balls that have been picked up from the field over the past year.

My question is,

has anyone else had irresponsible neighbours who have consistantly and insistantly driven 'missiles' into their ponies fields, causing damage and injury or not. If so, what - if anything - have you managed to do to stop them?
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Are you sure its not birds dropping them??? we are occasionally finding them and we are too far from the gold course. I would collect them up then sell them back to the club make money :)
 
Ernest Doodles said:
Thanks guys.

I have written a very polite 'open' letter which I have posted through the door of the house where the golf driving is being practised, along with posting copies of the same to a few of the neighbours as well.
The letter highlights the £300 vets bill I got after one of the ponies got injured; a near miss with a small child of 3 who was petting the ponies one day (resulting in the ponies bolting which frightened the poor little mite half to death :( ) and a picture of the damaged Onduline roof and how that could have been someone's skull :(

I didn't point fingers or accuse anyone specifically, just stated I'd put this letter through a few resident's doors to bring awareness to HOPEFULLY bring it home to whomsoever is doing it, that what they are doing is ruddy dangerous so they should stop!

Doubt it will work - tried it before, but it only quietened down for a couple of weeks and then went back to normal :(

Also going to put a security camera up there pointing in the general direction of the other field - if it catches anyone wielding golf clubs looking for balls, then at least we'll have concrete proof as to who they are, so they can't deny it when we send the police round. :) (Mind you, we'll probably get done for taking the photo's :) )
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Personally I wouldn't even be so polite as to not accuse. You know where they are coming from, they have caused criminal damage, and I would be along the lines of stating I will be filing a complaint if it does not stop (as well as sending the repair bill for the roof). I would also be having the police back around to make it clear that a complaint of criminal damage etc would be pursued if they choose to ignore it again.

As for the CCTV, I don't think there is much they can do if it is to protect your property, especially if you have already had damaged caused (you can always liaise with the police on this matter, who can then support you even further if you choose to pursue things through them).

The fact a horse has been injured and a child scared, would have riled my feathers too much! You are far more diplomatic than I would be at this point! I do however understand trying to keep the peace with people you have to bump into on a regular basis.

Let us know how the letter goes down with the neighbours. Fingers crossed for you.
 
HGA-12 said:
Are you sure its not birds dropping them??? we are occasionally finding them and we are too far from the gold course. I would collect them up then sell them back to the club make money :)
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If it were the odd one then, maybe. But there are loads - I've got a whole bucket load! They have been found pretty much in a straight line, corner to corner across our field (continue that line across the adjacent fiend, and you eventually get to the back garden of the 'accused'. The nearest golf course is 6 miles away, so ........

And, if a bird dropping a ball can break onduline that has been placed on the side of the barn as a wind break, then that's pretty unlucky ... a few have landed on top of the barn without causing damage.

And then there's the ball that dropped 'vertically' at high speed, only missing a toddler by a couple of feet.

This is the picture I put on facebook, showing the damaged barn, etc
10499415_10204564733977382_3424231865498554885_o.jpg


I can see what you're saying HGA-12 but, in this case, alas it's not birds. We know who it is. Neighbours have seen them collecting balls in the adjacent field (alas, they don't have a direct view of the back garden so can not verify that they actually hit them before collecting them.)

Trouble is, knowing who it is and proving it, are two completely different things. Unless they're caught in the act - preferably with evidence such as a photo or video, then the police can not take it any further simply because they will deny doing it with no proof to the contrary to show them up a liars. :)
 
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misskk88 said:
(you can always liaise with the police on this matter, who can then support you even further if you choose to pursue things through them).
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Great idea misskk88.

I do however understand trying to keep the peace with people you have to bump into on a regular basis.
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Our main concern is that, because previous attempts to get them to stop has proved fruitless, they may start deliberately aiming balls at the ponies and people if we go in too heavy handed. Or start making the ponies life a misery in other ways. That letter was aimed at them. They know it's aimed at them. They've now seen the photo's of the damage so they know we've got something on them already. Polite that letter may have been, but it's sent out a very direct message to them. It's up to them whether or not they do the wise thing and stop before they get into serious trouble.

Alas, when it comes to the law, what we need is hard evidence of who is hitting the balls and the damage they are causing. I have photo's of the pony's injuries and now photo's of property damage. If I get photo's of the golfer THEN the Police have not excuse about 'their hands being tied' due to 'lack of evidence or catching them in the act'.
 
cremedemonthe said:
Pity you can't erect a net across to stop the balls, one that's elasticated to they "return" to sender :)
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:D Elasticated sounds fab. That'd give 'em a shock :D I'm seriously thinking that might be the only way to go, if we can't resolve it any other way. Trouble is, the further away we are from the driver, the higher it would have to be. But, at least if I put it around the shelter / barn area that will stop the 'direct hits' from causing damage. Costly though.

I'm also considering the possibility of buying fast growing conifers to protect what I can - but can't plant them where ponies can get to them :(

Or, I could invest in a driving iron myself, and return all the balls into their house :D

But then - why should I have to go to all that expense thanks to some little baskets who thinks it's funny to injure ponies and damage property? It's not just me/ponies put in danger here, but the public that use the footpath that runs through the field as well.
 
As you know the direction they are being aimed from (which can be clearly identified from the damage done), can the police not single out 'potential houses' to have a word with, therefore it becomes clear to the culprit that they are a suspect for any future damage (and possibly putting the frightners on them a bit?).

That way, you aren't targeting any culprits directly, thus hopefully not inviting further deliberate damage which is one of your fears. A police presence knocking on doors and giving direct warnings may scare them enough to stop.

Would the police not accept a witness account of them being seen doing it? I.E as in do you have a trustworthy neighbour who could keep an eye too?

ETA- also if they are aware of the damage caused to the ponies- I would not shy away from contacting any animal charities or RSPCA to come and have a word, or to advise you on where you stand. If it continues, could it not potentially be seen as some type of animal abuse,considering they are deliberately continuing to drive them into your fields? I know some of this is clutching at straws- but just thinking of ways to protect you, your property and your poor animals!
 
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Hi Misskk88 - Thanks,

I contacted the RSPCA when the pony was injured last year. They told me that

a) they would need the name and address of the person who did it (eye witness account, preferably)
b) it would have to be 'wanton' targeting of the animal.
c) golf balls driven in a field do not negate 'wanton targeting' of an animal, in it's own right. It's only if the animal is being used as target practice, as apposed to golfing practice into an open field that it would be deemed a reportable offence for cruelly to an animal.


In other words, as it was a one off, it would be deemed as an accident ........ which, it most likely was. The poor little girl was simply in the wrong part of the field at the time.

The RSPCA advised me to contact the police. I did that but, like the RSPCA there had to be something more substantial to go on. Although they were appalled and did state that actually the golfer could well be committing an offence due to risk to the public (public footpath) and should be stopped, it seemed that until someone is seriously injured they can't do much - sigh.

The PCSO's did do door to doors on two separate occasions. The first time included all the properties that backed onto the field. The second time, targeting the 'accused' specifically, but also including the neighbours either side so not to make it seem like they were targeting them.

Interestingly, it was the police who advised me to take the softly, softly approach - due to the risk of animals, property or people being targeted. IE if I see them playing golf, ring 101 rather than approach them so they won't know who reported them, that kind of thing.

I have some good friends who also overlook both fields, but they can't see into the garden of the 'accused' from where they live - all they see it the people collecting the balls :( That doesn't proportion blame unfortunately as, I too, can be seen collection balls from the field and I'm innocent :)

My other half is worried that if I involve the police again, without all the necessary information to hand to go direct to the person/s responsible, it will simply p*ss everyone off, not just the 'accused'. We really want neighbours to be our eyes and ears when we're not around. Folks enjoy having the ponies there and show great interest in them (especially the littlie who got injured as she's a Blue Cross rescue). But, if they start thinking we're getting neurotic about the golf balls it may well discourage them from watching out for the ponies because they don't want to get involved! Or, if they get so concerned about being injured themselves, it will discourage them from going into the field to pet the ponies. Either way, we could lose out on what has, up until now, been a very good arrangement. :(
 
Is there anywhere where their garden is overlooked? Maybe from another field? Or are these people the only family in Britain lucky enough to have a completely un-overlooked garden? It would be idiots like them lucky enough to have one. Grrr. I imagine the golf ball hitting mostly happens at weekends so if I were you I would do a bit of recon with a decent camera and try to find a spot to film them from. If you're sneaky enough, hopefully they won't see you.
 
ErnestDoodles- sounds like you have thought through most things and are considering all options. Good to see the police are thinking in a very sensible manner, and at least they are aware and have offered support.

All I can say is I hope you get it sorted and no more harm comes to your ponies or roof :)
 
I had some cretin shoot holes with an air rifle into my house, saw them doing, police still only did door to door, Id post the ball back with the bill for the damage around it! get some cctv, catch them and get the money for vet bill and damage to shelter, really gets to me people think its ok to cause damage to other peoples property on purpose and get away with it!
 
Apercrumbie said:
Is there anywhere where their garden is overlooked? Maybe from another field? Or are these people the only family in Britain lucky enough to have a completely un-overlooked garden? It would be idiots like them lucky enough to have one. Grrr. I imagine the golf ball hitting mostly happens at weekends so if I were you I would do a bit of recon with a decent camera and try to find a spot to film them from. If you're sneaky enough, hopefully they won't see you.
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Their neighbours have a very thick hedge - the other side is a service track to a sub station. The back of their garden has a tiny wire fence that they step over into the field, dense brambles to their left.

We could sneakily put a spy camera there, amongst the brambles next to the sub-station that takes pictures every X minutes, but I'd need to clear a sneaky route through the back of the brambles to set it up, other wise they'd see me doing it :D The other option is to put the camera onto the highest point of the barn pointing in their general direction. This will still be on my land so, probably, a more 'secure' location in legal terms ;)
 
misskk88 said:
ErnestDoodles- sounds like you have thought through most things and are considering all options. Good to see the police are thinking in a very sensible manner, and at least they are aware and have offered support.

All I can say is I hope you get it sorted and no more harm comes to your ponies or roof :)
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Thanks misskk88 :)
 
Probably a stupid question, but won't the golf balls have finger prints on them? Surely police could test the one that caused damage at least.
 
You should try over 30 golf balls being found in a field one morning containing 10 horses after parents of a neighbouring property went away for the weekend and son and other teenage friends had a party...the distance some of them had travelled into the field was scary.
 
Hopefully your letter writing might work, but I'd probably have been lobbing golf balls back into their garden by now, and I would have certainly taken action over a pony being hit, I feel for you it is such inconsiderate behaviour :-(

I'm thinking over of those tennis ball machines, pointed at their front door, movement activated.....
 
If the golf balls are causing a danger to people using a public footpath then contact your local District Council and ask them to take action against the person concerned using the 'Environmental Protection Act' as amended.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended) which regulates pollution and nuisances can be used by the District Council. Section 79 of the Act specifically includes within the definition of a statutory nuisance. Section 80(1) of the act states that where a local authority is satisfied that a statutory nuisance exists or is likely to occur or recur it shall serve an abatement notice. The local contact is the environmental protection officer at your local district council.
 
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