Torquay homes to be protected from wayward golfers

It's a 'very rare but concerning' occurrence

People living in up-market Torquay apartments could be in line for protection from wayward golf shots.

The four apartments at Knebworth Court look out over the picturesque fairways of Torquay Golf Club, but the view comes with the ‘very rare but concerning’ problem of off-target golf balls.

Now the golf club has asked Torbay Council for permission to put up a ‘modest yet essential’ net to catch the occasional slices and hooks from its driving range and practice area that end up going over the wall.

The apartments in Knebworth Court in Petitor Road, described by one estate agent as ‘just a saunter’ from St Marychurch, are valued at around £300,000.

The club wants to put up a 17m long fence, which would be 4.5m high. It says: “The purpose of the net is to prevent the very rare but concerning occurrence of stray golf balls entering the residential grounds.

“Despite the club’s strict enforcement of driving range usage protocols, including maximum distance controls, occasional mishits have resulted in golf balls reaching Knebworth Court.”

The application says that the incidents have been raised by the Knebworth Court Residents’ Association, and the club wants to stop it happening again.

The visual impact of the new fence, it says, will be ‘minimal’, and residents are in favour of it.