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The Most Common Golf Insurance Claims

Golf Care, 4th March 2020

common golf insurance claims

As a golfer, you might end up making an insurance claim for even the most innocuous incident. You might chip a tooth while taking a shot, or accidentally drive over your clubs. These are genuine claims we’ve received – and highlight why having specialist insurance is so important. Here’s our breakdown of the most common golf insurance claims, based on 4 years of internal data.

Accidental damage

This is the most common form of insurance claim we’ve received by a large margin.

Whether someone’s accidentally reversed over their clubs after forgetting to put them in the boot of their car, or their self-driving trolley has found its way into the middle of a water hazard, we get all sorts of claims for accidental damage.

We had one policyholder whose golfing GPS watch flew off their wrist during their back swing and landed on a gravel path, cracking the screen. It was unforeseen and couldn’t be helped, but it happened. Luckily, they were insured.

The above examples demonstrate just how many opportunities there are for clubs, trolleys and accessories to be damaged while playing golf. This is why all golfers need Equipment Cover.

Hole-in-one

This is one type of claim you won’t be too disheartened about making!

If you’re not already aware, it’s customary for golfers to buy everybody a round of drinks at the clubhouse after getting a hole-in-one during a medal or club competition. Our hole-in-one insurance covers the cost of those drinks so you can revel in your achievement without thinking about the cost.

As elusive as hole-in-ones might seem, they’re quite common across the UK if our claims data is anything to go by. Surprisingly, hole-in-one insurance is the second most common type of claim we’ve received over the last 4 years.

Maybe getting a hole-in-one is easier than you think? (Or maybe a few golfers got lucky…)

Loss

With the sheer amount of specialist accessories used to play golf nowadays, it’s never been more likely to lose your golf equipment.

Can you imagine if your swing analysing adaptor flew off on your downswing and into deep rough somewhere a hundred feet away? It’d be like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s easy to misplace a wearable bit of golf tech too, especially if you’re away on a golfing holiday.

That’s why it won’t surprise you to learn that loss is one of the most common golf insurance claims. In 2019, 16% of all claims made that year were for loss.

At this point, you’ve got to ask yourself – how much equipment do you usually take on the course with you and can you afford to lose it? Based on our volume of loss claims, it appears that the answer to the latter is no in most cases.

Theft

Unsurprisingly, theft of golf equipment accounts for a large portion of claims –  11% of every golf insurance claim we received in 2019 in fact. What’s more, the total value of these thefts accounts for a third of the total value of all compensation settlements for that same year.

Incredibly, the value of our theft claims has increased by 144% over the last three years. This could be due to expensive technological advancements in golf, which have resulted in expensive accessories such as remote-controlled trolleys and rangefinders entering the market. Let’s not forget, golf clubs don’t come cheap either so the value of a theft can soon mount up.

Personal Accident

Who knew that swinging a metal stick at a small, hard object with the aim of whacking it hundreds of feet across an open field could occasionally be dangerous?

It’s no surprise, then, that Personal Accident claims are quite common. Most Personal Accident claims in golf are for dental treatment – which, thankfully, is something we cover.

One of our policyholders made a claim last year and was no doubt thankful for this cover. He sliced the ball, which caused it to deflect off a tree trunk, hit him in the face and chip his front teeth. In instances like this, it definitely pays to be insured.

Public Liability

It’s not just the risk of injuring yourself that you need to consider when playing golf. According to our data, there’s nearly an equal probability of you causing injury to somebody else or damaging third party property. Claims for Public Liability over the last 4 years are almost as common as Personal Accident.

Public Liability covers you if you injure somebody or damage third party property and are held financially responsible.

As you might expect, cracked car windshields from errant golf balls are the number one cause of Public Liability claims, but it can get worse than that.

There have been some high-profile recent cases, namely the Ryder Cup incident that resulted in a spectator being blinded in one eye after being hit by a wayward golf ball. There was a similar incident at amateur level that resulted in a £397k court case.

Given the potential damage and cost a poor shot can cause, it’s imperative to cover yourself with Public Liability insurance.

At Golf Care, we offer Public Liability for up to £5 million in incurred compensation or legal fees. This is included in all Golf Care policies, which start from just £24.49 a year. This is a small price to pay to ensure you’re not risking your livelihood when you step onto the course.

Now you know how specialist golf insurance can protect you, why not see what we can do for you and get an instant quote today?

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