THOUSAND OAKS : Residents Teed Off by Stray Golf Balls

Toni and John Picciolo have lived next to the Los Robles Golf Course for five years, and they say it’s like living in a war zone.

The latest casualties: five windows, two solar panels and a light fixture.

And the battle between Thousand Oaks, which owns the 18-hole golf course, and the Picciolos, entrenched in their three-bedroom home on Cherry Hills Court, rages on.

This week, the Picciolos won a small claims suit against the city for $2,596, a decision that is now under appeal.

“I can understand one or two balls a day,” John Picciolo said. “But we’re getting 10, 15 a day beating the hell out of this house.”

In the claim, the couple asked the city to replace shattered windows, screens, pots and ceramic roof tiles.

They also want the city to change the direction of the course so golf balls miss their back yard.

The problem is the fifth hole, a par-four, 315-yard fairway that sits too close to the homeowners who live on Cherry Hills Court.

“The homeowners are right on top of the course,” golf course operations director Bob Meyer said.

Built in 1964, Los Robles received no complaints until homeowners began to move in next door. After numerous meetings with the homeowners association, which represents 33 residents, the city tried to fix the problem by moving the tee 100 yards closer to the hole, Meyer said.

But that just forced the misfired golf balls into different back yards, he said.

The golf course planted trees. But although some homeowners said they helped, others complained that their views were blocked and requested the trees’ removal, he said.

City Atty. Mark G. Sellers said the city will not accept financial responsibility for broken windows and fixtures. Homeowners should have read an agreement that absolves the city of responsibility and requires homeowners to buy an insurance policy that covers the damage. Moreover, people who live next to golf courses should expect stray balls, he said.

“I’ve lived next to a golf course, and it’s just a fact of life,” Sellers said. “The city’s not creating a hazard. By moving there, they’re coming to a hazard.”

The Picciolos said they did not see the agreement until it was too late.

They were instantly drawn to the dramatic view of the course because they had owned a condominium on a golf course in Palm Springs.

John Picciolo said he has collected more than 2,200 balls on his property over the last five years.

Although others laugh at their problem, the Picciolos are not amused. Rock-hard golf balls can travel at speeds of up to 100 m.p.h., Meyer said. One ball landed three inches from Toni Picciolo’s head.

“We knew we were going to get some balls here,” Toni Picciolo said. “But not to be bombarded on a daily basis.”