A DRIVER was left shaken after a rogue golf ball crashed onto his windscreen while waiting in traffic.
Chris Ball was driving along Somnes Avenue, Canvey on Wednesday evening, a route he has taken every day for 20 years, when the object struck the windscreen of his Ford Focus.
It is believed to have come from a golf player on the Castle Point Golf Course which runs alongside Somnes Avenue.
A spokesman from the course has said it is enquiring with players at the time and said that it was not aware of “anything like this happening before”.
They said balls should be moving away from the road, not towards it.
Mr Ball, 37, was left shaken by the incident and is worried it could have hit someone on the head.
He said: “The speed that it cracked the windscreen was pretty damn fast.
“We do have a lot of traffic coming down there.
“I’ve been driving down that road every day for 20 years.
“It could have hit someone on the head.
“What are the chances of a golf ball falling on the hood of your car? It’s less likely than being struck by lightening.
“It came with a lot of force.”
Mr Ball is set to have his windscreen replaced and has since been in touch with the golf course.
He added: “I said to put some preventative measures in but they said because of the rarity of it happening they wouldn’t put up a fence as it won’t be viable.
“There’s no point getting angry about it, I just don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”
Bradley Wellmen, general manager of Castle Point Golf Course, said they will be reviewing the course and the boundary after the accident.
He said: “We are sorry to hear about the driver’s unfortunate experience and are making enquiries with golfers who were on the course at the time.
“We’re also in direct contact with the driver to take the matter further.
“We’re not aware of anything like this ever happening before as the direction of the course next to Somnes Avenue means that balls should always be moving away from the road, not towards it.
“However, we take our responsibilities extremely seriously and will review and closely monitor that part of the course and its boundary.”
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