Golf is a sport enjoyed by millions of people worldwide, and for many, it is more than just a pastime – it’s a passion.
As a golfer, you have likely invested a significant amount of time, effort, and money into your game. Whether it’s purchasing the latest golf equipment, taking lessons, or practising on the course, golfers are always looking for ways to improve their game.
However, there is often one aspect of golf that is overlooked by many players: insurance. Golf insurance is an essential aspect of the sport that can protect golfers from unexpected events and costs. In this blog, we will explore why every golfer should consider investing in golf insurance to protect their investments, themselves, and their game.
From covering the cost of lost or stolen equipment to medical expenses and liability coverage, golf insurance is a valuable tool for any golfer. So, whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting, read on to learn why golf insurance is a must-have for all players.
If you don’t have golf insurance, that could be a very expensive mistake. Taking to the golf course includes a lot of risks, risks to yourself, other people and properties, therefore, it makes sense to protect yourself with relatively cheap insurance.
- What types of golf insurance is available?
- What golf insurance will cover you?
- Who to go with?
There are two main types of golfers insurance that you can have
- Golf liability insurance protects you from any damage you may cause whilst playing golf.
- Golf club insurance protects your clubs if they are lost or stolen.
Golf Club Insurance
Insuring your golf clubs is a wise decision for several reasons:
- Cost: Golf clubs can be expensive, and replacing them can be a significant financial burden if they are lost, stolen, or damaged. Insurance can help cover the cost of replacement or repairs, giving you peace of mind knowing that you are protected in case of unexpected events.
- Convenience: If you travel frequently with your clubs, they are at risk of being lost, stolen, or damaged during transit. Insurance can help you quickly and easily replace your clubs, so you can get back to playing golf without any hassle.
- Protection during play: Golf clubs can also be damaged during play, whether it be due to accidental damage or poor weather conditions. Insurance can help cover the cost of repairs or replacements, so you can continue playing with confidence.
- Investment: Golf clubs are not just equipment, they are often seen as an investment in your game. Protecting that investment with insurance is a smart move, especially for serious golfers who take pride in their gear.
Are your golf clubs covered by home insurance?
Firstly, you should be checking out your home insurance to see if they cover you. Home insurance can be a lifesaver sometimes, but often insurance companies aren’t insuring people when their clubs leave the house or their house insurance doesn’t cover their golf clubs at all.
A lot of the time, home insurance policies do cover golf clubs to some extent, but without a specialised insurance policy for your clubs, likely, the total cost of your bag won’t be insured.
This can be terrible if you find out too late after your club has been stolen, you might find that your clubs and bag have a value of around £1,500 whereas your home insurance policy only insures you up to £500, or even less. If you’ve spent a lot of money on your clubs, it’s best to find out before anything happens whether they are insured and if not, you should look into it straight away.
Golf is a dangerous sport. There’s no getting around it. You’re firing a tiny ball hundreds of yards and most of us have bad ball navigation skills meaning the ball can end up anywhere.
It’s not the 90s any more. People don’t just take things on the chin and get on with their life, they want to pay and compensate which unfortunately that’s going to be creating a lot of stress for you.
But it’s stress you could be avoiding.
30, 40, 50 some golfers are hitting the ball 60 yards off the target line. Now think it only takes just one time to hit some square in the face and cause permanent and life-changing damage
And it’s not just them, think, what would happen to you if you got hit with a golf ball at full speed? You’re going to be needing to take some time off work and that doesn’t come cheap.
For example, if you’re not insured correctly, playing golf could potentially cause the following problems;
- Injuring someone out on the course. Potential cost £35,000
- Damaging Property surrounding the course £10,000
- Hitting a car in the car park £2000
- Having a golf ball hitting you £30,000
- Other injuries sustained on the course £11,000
- Hole in one bar bill covers £175
- Golf holidays abroad offered world wide cover £40,000
Do golf courses have insurance?
This might be surprising to hear, even if you’re a member of a golf club, that they don’t actively include insurance in their memberships or green fees. They will have insurance policies that protect themselves but not you, so this is something you need to think about.
What do common golf insurance policies cover?
It’s important always to check the details of your specific policy, as it might not be what you expect, but most golf-specific insurance policies offer a wide range of benefits that help to protect you out on the golf course.
Personal liability covers up to £5m
Accidents are expensive. Injuries can happen in golf to the arms, legs, body and head meaning the costs could be in the hundreds of thousands or millions. Being insured for personal liability cover means that you can play golf, trouble-free.
Huge costs associated with injury
It might seem like a quiet, relaxing game, but injuries can happen anywhere on the golf course. There’s not just one way to lose out on the course. With all the potential factors that could happen, the majority of them aren’t cheap.
Personal possession protected from theft
A relaxing drink after the 18th might be a little less relaxing if your clubs are getting stolen whilst that’s happening. Thieves are common at Golf Courses as bags with equipment could potentially be worth thousands.
You should be leaving all valuables at home, it’s not just clubs that can get stolen outside, they can be stolen from inside locker rooms too, where you could also face losing your wallet, watch and other valuables too.
Personal possessions protected against loss
Have you ever lost anything out on the course? Mishaps can happen, from dropping a wallet to an expensive watch to a mobile phone. The best advice is to leave all valuables at home that you don’t want to be risking being stolen.
Forgetting your clubs even for a few minutes, they could be stolen by the time you’re arriving back at the clubhouse.
Person possessions are protected against damage
Damage can happen anywhere and with such expensive equipment you don’t want to be out of pocket paying for something you’ve damaged.
Your home insurance probably won’t have you covered
This is surprising to a lot of people. Ok, maybe you shouldn’t be covered for other injuries but what about your equipment, are they insured? They are probably insured but not once you leave the house and that’s where you’ll be using them 99% of the time.
The cost of replacing golf equipment could be thousands
Think how much you’ve spent on building up your golf bag.
Golf insurance is relatively cheap
For what you’re being covered for, golf insurance is an absolute bargain. No one wants to be wasting money, but the fact is if you’ve had golf insurance for the last 10 years and you’ve never once had to use it, that is money well spent.
It only takes a second for something to happen, it’s better to be prepared for it.
Plus if you get injured Club subscription reimbursement is available
Could you imagine if you’d just paid £3,000 to join the local golf course and on day 1 you got hit with a golf ball putting you out of action for a few months and out of golf for perhaps longer?
It’s no small amount of money and with golf insurance, you can be covered to anticipate this type of situation.
Potential Dental Treatment
Imagine being hit in the mouth, knocking out a tooth or two. Or hitting someone else in the face. And if it’s at the front? That’s not going to be a pretty sight so you must get yourself protected to protect your smile and others.
Loss of golfing trophy
A very, very rare situation but who knows, this could happen and it can be covered too. You’ll probably have had one too many beers and the trophy could end up with a loser.
Hospitalisation costs
Golf insurance can also help you out with hospital costs should the unfortunate happen.
Hiring golf clubs, you can be covered for this too.
This is another one of those situations where you’re thinking by hiring a set of clubs you are already getting insurance as part of the rental fee by the golf club. You may find yourself going all over the country and choosing to hire clubs instead of lugging yours around with you.
But what happens if they were to get stolen? The club will be expecting you to be paying the bill to replace them and that’s not going to be cheap. Have added peace of mind by purchasing golf insurance.
Insurance for your golf buggy
Something else that is often overlooked on the golf course. Let’s be honest, we all love getting a buggy from time to time (some a lot more than others) and a lot of us love to treat the buggy like it’s an F1 car. We know from experience that accidents can happen on buggies, it might not be a huge one but costs can easily run into the thousands from an injury.
And we’re not saying that by having golf insurance you should be driving over high bunkers to see how much air time you can get.
Hitting someone when practising
The practice range might have surroundings with public walkways, and golf insurance can also protect from injuring them too. You’re rarely going to be hitting someone, but it does happen. Knocking someone out on a gravel path leading to them falling on the ground could cause significant brain injuries which could lead to long-lasting costs over years.
If you’re playing golf regularly, you should have insurance
Whether you’re a casual player or play or the time, being insured on the golf course helps give you the peace of mind that if anything was to happen, you’ll be protected. With injuries and damage quite prevalent in golf, you never know when you’ll need it.