Golfball out of bounds

[Khandro]

One tee on my course is close to a road, nets are in place but would only stop severely shanked shots from going in the road direction. I recently hit a tree trunk very hard with my tee shot and the ball deflected and spun right out of bounds and across the road. No harm done! but I have mused on the fact that had the ball hit a passing car windscreen and there had been an accident, who would have been responsible, me or the golf club?

[boxtops]

My first thought is that you hit the ball, but there is an argument that the golf club could reasonably foresee that this might happen and should take steps to prevent it - so it could be them.

[Khandro]

I think private insurance might not be a bad idea, particularly here in Germany. Thinking about it reminds me of the story of the two golfers playing on a hole similarly close to a road down below them on which a funeral cortege is passing. One of the golfers stops, removes his cap and with hands together bows his head until it has passed by. The other one says to him 'I didn't know you were religious' to which he replies, 'I'm not religious, but I have to say, she was always a good wife to me '.