A Highland Park golf club will install new netting the height of Chicago’s first skyscrapers because of an ongoing issue of errant golf balls landing on school property across the street.
According to city documents, the Northmoor Country Club installed 70-foot-tall safety nets at its driving range in 2006. While those nets may seem towering in person, the club is aware that “from time to time” golf balls hit on the range travel beyond the netting, across Edgewood Road and end up on the property of Edgewood Middle School.
“If damage has occurred as a result of that, the damage has been minimal and, in each instance in which it is asked to do so, the club has paid to repair this damage,” Northmoor COO David Derfel said in a letter to the city.
Last summer, Northmoor was cited by the city for creating a public nuisance because of the errant golf balls, and began looking into ways to address the issue.
Michael Lieber, vice president of Northmoor Country Club who was born and raised in Highland Park, said, “We don’t want to be in a position where we’re endangering kids, teachers, our community members, because we’re all members of the same community.
“When that came up, we took it upon ourselves to solve the problem,” he said.
The solution? Another row of six towers and netting, some of them 130-feet-tall, just beyond the existing structures and running for about 260 feet along Edgewood Road. According to city documents, expert analysis has determined the new structures will reduce golf-ball escapes from at least 3.6% to 0.0004%.
Lieber said the roughly half-million-dollar project has moved forward quickly with support from the school and city. He thanked both for, “their willingness to make this work.”
Costs will be covered by the club. Although there’s still additional details to work out, Lieber said club officials are hopeful to have the new towers up by the spring.
“We were presented with a clear problem,” he said. “Our options are to solve the problem, or fight with the school board, the teachers, the school administrators or the city.
“I’ve been living in this community my whole life,” Lieber continued. “I know the people. We took it upon ourselves because that’s the right thing to do.”
