Resident says Fairways of Canton hole 14 is a persistent hazard after windshield-shattering strike

At the City of Canton——s Dec. 19 meeting, resident Carl Wellborn of Soleil at Laurel Canyon told the council that golf balls from Hole 14 at Fairways of Canton are repeatedly striking vehicles and threatening pedestrians, and he urged the city and the course lessee to fix the hazard.

"My wife was driving up the hill past 14 Green, and she got hit in a windshield, and glass shards went all over the front seat and some even to the back. It cost us a thousand bucks out of pocket," Wellborn said in public comment, recounting an incident he said occurred in October (date not specified in the meeting record).

Wellborn described a long history of balls striking cars and near misses by pedestrians. He said he conducted a neighborhood survey of Soleil residents and documented 37 vehicle strikes among current Soleil residents alone and described several near-miss incidents in which drivers lost control or pedestrians were nearly struck. "What's gonna happen when a pedestrian gets hit from a 50 yards on a 40 foot drop down to the green? They're gonna get seriously injured," he said.

Wellborn said the Canton Building Authority holds title to the course, and he characterized the course as effectively city-owned; he said the lessee, Next Generation Golf, and the city had previously discussed safety changes that were not implemented. He described an early plan to move a tee box and said the change was not completed when the consultant and lease operator changed: "The city actually gave permission to open the golf course knowing full well that that golf hole was a problem and was gonna put cars and pedestrians in jeopardy," he told council.

Wellborn said he had done legal research and "found some Georgia appellate court decisions that determined that this was a public nuisance," and he told council he had documented evidence that the city and lessee knew of the hazard. He recommended a practical fix: close the tee boxes at the problematic location and move play to the current green so players would hit toward hole 15 rather than toward the road.

Wellborn urged that the city and Next Generation Golf agree on who will pay to fix the problem before a serious injury occurs. He said the hole has been a problem for years and that residents have been waiting for a solution: "So I'm I'm just hoping that something's finally done. 17 years is long enough to put up with this. That's all I have." The council did not take action at the meeting on Wellborn——s request; his remarks were recorded during the public input portion of the agenda.

Context: Wellborn also said Canongate, a private course operator that considered buying Fairways of Canton, declined because the course was not ready to open; he described historical staffing and management changes that, in his view, left the hazard unaddressed. Wellborn said he had documentation of complaints and near-misses but did not present a formal petition with timing and signatures at the dais.

What the record shows: The transcript records residents' complaints and Wellborn's assertion he documented 37 vehicle strikes among current Soleil residents; it does not show council direction or a staff report on next steps at this meeting. Wellborn cited Georgia appellate court decisions on public nuisance in general terms; the transcript does not identify a specific case citation.