Golfer Goes From Hole-in-One to Legal Sand Trap Over Car Prize

“Choose me,” read the sign on each of three gleaming new cars at the Glendora Country Club golf course during April’s Glendora Chamber of Commerce-sponsored amateur tournament.

All anyone had to do to win the Ford, Dodge or Chevrolet was sink a hole-in-one on the 163-yard, par-three seventh hole.

James (J. C.) Higgins, a 41-year-old Covina bartender, did. He picked the 1986 Camaro Z-28 IROC. He said the Lord told him, “This is your car, Jim.” He figured that he could drive it home after the banquet.

He is still waiting.

Trying to collect a car for his undisputed hole-in-one has been as difficult for Higgins, a five-handicap player, as getting out of a deep sand trap. The single stroke has touched off a dispute among the chamber, an auto dealer and an insurance company.

Higgins finally filed suit in Citrus Municipal Court in West Covina against the Glendora Chamber of Commerce and Sports Guarantee Unlimited, a Cathedral City insurance company from which a $12,500 policy was bought to cover the cost of the car if someone got lucky.

The trouble is that the policy did not cover the $17,245 cost of the car picked by Higgins.

What’s more, Bob Kuhn, who was asked by the chamber to purchase the policy and is named as a defendant, said that, in any event, the policy contained a clause limiting to 125 the number of golfers attempting the hole-in-one and there were 144.

Also named in his suit are insurance broker Alandale Insurance Agency, in which Kuhn is a partner, and Grand Chevrolet Inc. of Glendora.

Neither Dick Earhart, president of Sports Guarantee Unlimited, nor the chamber would comment.

Higgins, claiming breach of contract and negligence, wants either the car or its retail value.

Kuhn said each dealership was asked to display a car costing $12,500 or less. But Grand Chevrolet’s attorney, Nickolaus Frey, said his client was never told of any price limit.

In the meantime, Grand Chevrolet has filed a cross-complaint against the chamber, Kuhn and the insurance company for the full $17,245. Frey said the dealership might be willing to discuss “eating” some of the cost, but wants at least the $12,500 from the policy.

“We thought the policy would be higher to cover the value of the car, but we want the $12,500 before we give it up, obviously,” Frey said. “We’ll discuss eating the $5,000; we can handle that loss, but not $12,500. We’d be glad to give Mr. Higgins the Chevy if we could.” Meanwhile, Higgins has bought a well-used Mustang for $800 and has put his 1969 Chevy up for sale. “Since I’ve won,” he said, “I’ve ended up putting $600 into that old wreck.”