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Board raises safety concerns after golf balls reach tennis and pickleball courts
Summary
At a Lago Vista Parks & Recreation meeting, board members described recurring incidents of golf balls entering nearby tennis and pickleball courts; they discussed short-term signage and longer-term netting or relocation options and asked the incoming parks director to prioritize a solution.
At a Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meeting, board member Dawn reported that an elderly man was struck while playing tennis when golf balls came over netting from the adjacent driving range, and she said the man was not injured.
The report prompted discussion of immediate mitigations and longer-term fixes. “As soon as the new netting was installed, the tee boxes were raised back to the street level, the highest level,” Dawn said, adding that balls are still coming over the top and into courts. Board members said they routinely pick up golf balls inside court fences and described at least one recent instance in which a player received no verbal warning before a ball came over the fence.
Board members urged short-term steps such as signage and education at the golf pro shop to warn range users to call out when balls might enter active courts. Board member Don said signage and a simple verbal-warning program would be an immediate improvement. Several participants noted companies that perform trajectory studies and sell tall barrier netting can evaluate whether a perimeter net or a different tee-box configuration would be effective.
Participants discussed trade-offs for large nets, including cost and potential visual or height impacts for nearby homeowners. Board members also suggested temporary operational changes such as moving tee boxes to inner positions until an engineered solution is in place. Charles (city staff) said the issue should be discussed with the incoming parks director and taken up as a near-term action item.
The board agreed to raise the concern with the new parks director, who starts Monday, and to pursue short-term signage and operational changes while evaluating longer-term fixes. No formal vote was recorded in the meeting minutes; board members described these as directions and priorities rather than finalized policy decisions.
Short-term steps the board identified include installing warning signs, asking the golf pro shop to warn patrons, and temporarily changing tee-box locations; longer-term options include trajectory studies and tall perimeter netting or relocating courts.
The board said it will address the matter with the city’s incoming parks director and bring proposals back to a future meeting.
