No one likes paying more for golf insurance than they need to - but opting for the cheapest cover is rarely the best option. It can result in you paying for a policy that does not cover all the elements you might expect.
Things cost what they do for a reason: if you buy a really cheap electrical appliance, you can’t expect it to last for years. Likewise with insurance, cheap policies may exclude certain benefits that you'd welcome if you had a problem, such as a genuine new for old equipment cover.
Quality, not cost
Cheap golf insurance may appear worthwhile, but in the event of a claim being made what you want is adequate and relatively pain-free redress. Paying a little extra to obtain the right level of cover will provide peace of mind and is a sensible approach to purchasing any insurance policy. Just remember, some insurance policies are cheap for a reason, and it’s best to be mindful of quality as well as cost when it comes to buying cover.
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Important message for those comparing golf insurance cover
Whether taking out your first golf insurance policy or renewing, we should all be aware of the finer details of insurance cover and not be distracted by the lure of "FREE" rounds of golf or Low-Price Guarantees. Many automatically assume that they're covered against theft of their equipment - a sensible assumption to make wouldn't you think? After all, you're paying for specialised golf insurance! Then you'd be horrified to find out that if your prized set of clubs were stolen from the locked boot of your car between the hours of 10pm and 8am you wouldn't be able to claim on your budget golf insurance. We've also heard stories from disgruntled customers of cut-price insurers that when they can claim for replacement equipment it is provided by the insurers budget equipment supplier and is not a true "new for old" nor a "like for like" service as the equipment supplied is not of equal quality.
GolfPlan not only provides transparent, comprehensive golf insurance cover, valid in any country worldwide, but also places its golf equipment claims through PGA golf professionals based at over 2000 UK golf venues, providing the best possible claim settlement procedure for its clients. Now in its 28th year of trading, GolfPlan has always settled claims in this manner and was awarded PGA Recommendation in recognition of this in 1996, a coveted award still enjoyed today.
Golfers should be aware that this is not the norm and in fact, the majority of other golf insurers prefer to replace equipment claims through large discount golf outlets thereby removing the opportunity for golfers to try out equipment or to get them custom fitted during the claim process.
Every golfer should ensure that a minimum of £5 million third party public liability cover (including property damage) is in place prior to playing or practising golf and before using their own buggy on a golf course. They should also ensure their equipment will be replaced with brand new in the event of a claim. Not to mention club membership fee reimbursement in the event of accident or illness preventing play.
Unfortunately, too many people decide on a golf insurance policy based on price alone, forgetting that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. This is certainly true of cheap golf insurance policies, which have to provide less than adequate cover to justify the premium. Inevitably, this restricted cover could prove to be very expensive in the event of a claim!
GolfPlan makes no excuses for providing fully transparent, comprehensive cover for just that little extra premium. For instance, a GolfPlan client whose equipment is stolen from anybody’s car boot at any time of day or night will receive brand new replacement equipment via a PGA golf professional shop within five days. There are no restrictions as to where the car is parked, how old the equipment is, or whether the equipment was brand new or second hand when first purchased! By the very nature of the premium, cheap golf insurance providers are unable to provide this level of cover, not to mention the expert customer service experienced by GolfPlan customers. For example, at least one cheap policy excludes cover during the night and theft from a car if parked outside the home or place of work.
Another, simple, way to choose which golf insurance policy is best to recommend, is to visit the golf insurance comparison website www.comparegolfinsurance.com which is quick and easy to use. The website not only helps golfers make the right decision, without worrying about policy 'small print', but also explains:
GolfPlan not only provides transparent, comprehensive golf insurance cover, valid in any country worldwide, but also places its golf equipment claims through PGA golf professionals based at over 2000 UK golf venues, providing the best possible claim settlement procedure for its clients. Now in its 28th year of trading, GolfPlan has always settled claims in this manner and was awarded PGA Recommendation in recognition of this in 1996, a coveted award still enjoyed today.
Golfers should be aware that this is not the norm and in fact, the majority of other golf insurers prefer to replace equipment claims through large discount golf outlets thereby removing the opportunity for golfers to try out equipment or to get them custom fitted during the claim process.
Every golfer should ensure that a minimum of £5 million third party public liability cover (including property damage) is in place prior to playing or practising golf and before using their own buggy on a golf course. They should also ensure their equipment will be replaced with brand new in the event of a claim. Not to mention club membership fee reimbursement in the event of accident or illness preventing play.
Unfortunately, too many people decide on a golf insurance policy based on price alone, forgetting that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. This is certainly true of cheap golf insurance policies, which have to provide less than adequate cover to justify the premium. Inevitably, this restricted cover could prove to be very expensive in the event of a claim!
GolfPlan makes no excuses for providing fully transparent, comprehensive cover for just that little extra premium. For instance, a GolfPlan client whose equipment is stolen from anybody’s car boot at any time of day or night will receive brand new replacement equipment via a PGA golf professional shop within five days. There are no restrictions as to where the car is parked, how old the equipment is, or whether the equipment was brand new or second hand when first purchased! By the very nature of the premium, cheap golf insurance providers are unable to provide this level of cover, not to mention the expert customer service experienced by GolfPlan customers. For example, at least one cheap policy excludes cover during the night and theft from a car if parked outside the home or place of work.
Another, simple, way to choose which golf insurance policy is best to recommend, is to visit the golf insurance comparison website www.comparegolfinsurance.com which is quick and easy to use. The website not only helps golfers make the right decision, without worrying about policy 'small print', but also explains:
- The benefits of golf insurance
- Explains individual benefits and advises which questions to ask a golf insurance provider before deciding on a policy
- Demonstrates how some golf insurance providers are able to offer cheap policies by restricting cover
- Arms golfers with the knowledge to ensure they get the cover they need from the right provider
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Golf Insurance: The Forgotten Benefit
Who would have thought playing golf could be so serious?
All we want to do is enjoy a challenging 18-holes away from the pressures of everyday life; intersperse this with some lively chat amongst friends and the day will be perfect. The problem is many of us overlook the fact that the moment we remove a club from our bag, we legally become liable for the consequences of our actions whilst using it and in the event of an accident we are 100% responsible.
We have all been there; a tee-shot down the fairway goes deep left into the rough, annoyed and concentrating on what we did wrong, we take a second practice backswing. Now imagine the consequences of a team member stepping forward to the tee, his face in your club’s swing plane. You may think this a little severe but a few years ago, a golfer did exactly that, hitting his playing partner full in the mouth. What followed was a legal challenge for damages to cover dental and facial restructure work to the sum of £15,000. Devastated by guilt at what he had done the golfer approached his insurer, Golfplan Insurance, and was enormously relieved when Golfplan accepted the claim.
Other dangers include accidental damage to someone else’s property, whether a house on the fringe of a course or a car in the club car park.
Today, we live in a society where no-win no-fee solicitors positively encourage us to make insurance claims, where once we would have never even considered it. Golf accidents are no exception. Over 12,000 hospitalised golf accidents happen every year, so it is no longer a case of should we be insured? It is definitely a case of get insured and make sure you choose the best policy possible.
The adage, “if it seems too cheap to be true, it usually is,” is very relevant to the choice of golf insurance policies available in the UK. The cost of fully comprehensive golf insurance is worth every penny. Cheap policies are only cheap because their cover is highly limited. For example, some policies only accept claims for equipment stolen from cars between 8.00am and 10.00pm and do not cover theft from cars parked outside the home or place of work regardless of the time. Furthermore, if equipment is over 2 or 3 years old they settle the claim on a depreciated intrinsic (ie second hand) value only; this also applies to equipment that is less than 2 or 3 years old and was not purchased brand new. Some even reject personal liability claims if you hit and injure a family member!
Golf insurance is essential, but choosing the right policy is more important. Choose wisely. The best advice is to take a little time to research golf insurance. To help you decide on the best direction visit www.comparegolfinsurance.com or get a free quote for a fully comprehensive golf policy from Golfplan, the first UK golf insurance provider and market leader in its field.
All we want to do is enjoy a challenging 18-holes away from the pressures of everyday life; intersperse this with some lively chat amongst friends and the day will be perfect. The problem is many of us overlook the fact that the moment we remove a club from our bag, we legally become liable for the consequences of our actions whilst using it and in the event of an accident we are 100% responsible.
We have all been there; a tee-shot down the fairway goes deep left into the rough, annoyed and concentrating on what we did wrong, we take a second practice backswing. Now imagine the consequences of a team member stepping forward to the tee, his face in your club’s swing plane. You may think this a little severe but a few years ago, a golfer did exactly that, hitting his playing partner full in the mouth. What followed was a legal challenge for damages to cover dental and facial restructure work to the sum of £15,000. Devastated by guilt at what he had done the golfer approached his insurer, Golfplan Insurance, and was enormously relieved when Golfplan accepted the claim.
Other dangers include accidental damage to someone else’s property, whether a house on the fringe of a course or a car in the club car park.
Today, we live in a society where no-win no-fee solicitors positively encourage us to make insurance claims, where once we would have never even considered it. Golf accidents are no exception. Over 12,000 hospitalised golf accidents happen every year, so it is no longer a case of should we be insured? It is definitely a case of get insured and make sure you choose the best policy possible.
The adage, “if it seems too cheap to be true, it usually is,” is very relevant to the choice of golf insurance policies available in the UK. The cost of fully comprehensive golf insurance is worth every penny. Cheap policies are only cheap because their cover is highly limited. For example, some policies only accept claims for equipment stolen from cars between 8.00am and 10.00pm and do not cover theft from cars parked outside the home or place of work regardless of the time. Furthermore, if equipment is over 2 or 3 years old they settle the claim on a depreciated intrinsic (ie second hand) value only; this also applies to equipment that is less than 2 or 3 years old and was not purchased brand new. Some even reject personal liability claims if you hit and injure a family member!
Golf insurance is essential, but choosing the right policy is more important. Choose wisely. The best advice is to take a little time to research golf insurance. To help you decide on the best direction visit www.comparegolfinsurance.com or get a free quote for a fully comprehensive golf policy from Golfplan, the first UK golf insurance provider and market leader in its field.
Monday, 13 February 2012
How to safely plan a corporate golf day
It may seem ridiculously simple. It is, after all, just a game between like-minded individuals. But the fact is you will be inviting your clients, colleagues and suppliers. If one of these invited guests is injured at your event, they may pursue your business, or another of your guests for compensation – or both. If you do not have the policies and paperwork in place to show that you have done all that is reasonably practicable in protecting your guests at your event, the claim for compensation could be very high. A recent court case paid out a total of almost £400,000 as a result of an injury sustained on the golf course. According to GolfPlan Insurance, 12,000 injuries a year are recorded. 3,530 of which are head injuries.
Here are 18 tips to keep your event on par.
1.If you use an agency to organise your golf day, have them assessed for their health & safety and insurance policies.
2.Ensure that whoever organises your corporate golf day includes `risk management’ as a topic in their planning documentation.
3.Review the golf club’s own safety policies. These should include course safety, adverse weather announcements, any public right of way issues, warning bells, any road crossing issues, green staff priorities, chemical on course notices, buggy use and safety policy.
4.Review the golf club’s insurance policies. Who is going to be responsible if a car belonging to one of your guests gets damaged by an unknown player’s golf ball?
5.Assess the insurance responsibility for personal effects left in the locker/changing rooms.
6.Assess if personal liability and personal accident insurance is included within the golf day package. If yes, review the level of cover and exemptions to ensure it is appropriate for your guests. If it’s not, speak to your insurers to ensure you and your guests are appropriately insured.
7.Communicate safety policies to all participants, ideally in advance.
8.Communicate insurance policies (and exemptions) to all participants, in advance of the event.
9.Ensure you check and record handicap certificates. This may be a pre-requisite for your insurance policy.
10.Undertake a risk assessment on the day of your event to determine whether any other risks exist and keep a record of your findings.
11.If you are providing buggies, ensure the driver meets the licence requirements. Many buggy policies ask for a full UK driving licence.
12.If you are serving alcohol, ask buggy users to either abstain or drink no more than the buggy safety / insurance policy allows. Normally, it is no alcohol allowed.
13.Be aware of who is the on-site first aider, and keep their contact details at hand. Make sure you keep records if your day is covered by two different people’s shifts.
14.Take a few minutes to announce key safety messages to all guests prior to the matches commencing.
15.Reiterate the absolute need to shout a warning if a ball is going off line. `Fore’ is the norm. And for those hearing the shout, to crouch or hide and not to look to see where the shout is coming from. http://golfplansblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/golfer-wins-almost-400000-in-damages.html
16.Clarify in simple terms the rules of golf, to encourage quick and safe play.
17.Keep the list of guests and their personal data safe and secure at all times.
18.Include `risk management’ as a topic in your event evaluation document.
Hopefully, every golf day you organise will be a fantastic success and your guests will be talking about the long shot into the 3rd green that set them up for a birdie. If they end up having to talk about someone being evacuated by air ambulance, you want them to do so with the knowledge that you put in place every precaution and policy to protect them, your colleagues and your business.
Here are 18 tips to keep your event on par.
1.If you use an agency to organise your golf day, have them assessed for their health & safety and insurance policies.
2.Ensure that whoever organises your corporate golf day includes `risk management’ as a topic in their planning documentation.
3.Review the golf club’s own safety policies. These should include course safety, adverse weather announcements, any public right of way issues, warning bells, any road crossing issues, green staff priorities, chemical on course notices, buggy use and safety policy.
4.Review the golf club’s insurance policies. Who is going to be responsible if a car belonging to one of your guests gets damaged by an unknown player’s golf ball?
5.Assess the insurance responsibility for personal effects left in the locker/changing rooms.
6.Assess if personal liability and personal accident insurance is included within the golf day package. If yes, review the level of cover and exemptions to ensure it is appropriate for your guests. If it’s not, speak to your insurers to ensure you and your guests are appropriately insured.
7.Communicate safety policies to all participants, ideally in advance.
8.Communicate insurance policies (and exemptions) to all participants, in advance of the event.
9.Ensure you check and record handicap certificates. This may be a pre-requisite for your insurance policy.
10.Undertake a risk assessment on the day of your event to determine whether any other risks exist and keep a record of your findings.
11.If you are providing buggies, ensure the driver meets the licence requirements. Many buggy policies ask for a full UK driving licence.
12.If you are serving alcohol, ask buggy users to either abstain or drink no more than the buggy safety / insurance policy allows. Normally, it is no alcohol allowed.
13.Be aware of who is the on-site first aider, and keep their contact details at hand. Make sure you keep records if your day is covered by two different people’s shifts.
14.Take a few minutes to announce key safety messages to all guests prior to the matches commencing.
15.Reiterate the absolute need to shout a warning if a ball is going off line. `Fore’ is the norm. And for those hearing the shout, to crouch or hide and not to look to see where the shout is coming from. http://golfplansblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/golfer-wins-almost-400000-in-damages.html
16.Clarify in simple terms the rules of golf, to encourage quick and safe play.
17.Keep the list of guests and their personal data safe and secure at all times.
18.Include `risk management’ as a topic in your event evaluation document.
Hopefully, every golf day you organise will be a fantastic success and your guests will be talking about the long shot into the 3rd green that set them up for a birdie. If they end up having to talk about someone being evacuated by air ambulance, you want them to do so with the knowledge that you put in place every precaution and policy to protect them, your colleagues and your business.
Golf Insurance: It’s Worth Spending a Little More to Safeguard your Equipment.
Playing golf is often thought to be one of the safest sports in the world. After all, what harm can come to you in the middle of a beautifully landscaped golf course? Some might even think that by playing golf they are removing the risk of becoming yet another victim of crime.
However, not many golfers have cottoned on to the fact that in these austere times, expensive golf equipment is an easy steal, whether from your car boot whilst parked at home or place of work or from the club car park.
One thing is for sure, we've seen claims for stolen golf equipment escalate over the past 24 months.
Ron Channon, Managing Director explained: “The temptation to steal expensive golf equipment is just too enticing for some individuals who are facing difficult financial times. The clubhouse, golf professional shop and a golfer's car are all targets. The most common golf equipment claims range from theft from vehicle break-ins, forced lockers in the clubhouse and buggy theft.”
Golfers can avoid the bitter consequence of theft by arranging specialist golf insurance cover. However, make sure you spend wisely; buying the cheapest policy could be your worst purchase, as many such policies need to limit their range of cover to make cheap premiums work. For example: No theft of equipment cover for: equipment left in car boots overnight, left unattended, or in boots of cars parked outside the home or work place at any time of day or night.
Bear in mind that a full set of clubs, bag, and trolley can be worth up to £2,500, but it can be much higher if you add a buggy to the policy. The best policies require you to list your equipment, and as long as you are honest about the equipment’s true value, it is the safest way to ensure you do not under-insure your precious equipment.
Most policies provide New for Old equipment cover, but make sure this is on a New for Old for ever basis. This means that no matter how old your equipment at the time it is stolen you will receive brand new equipment in settlement of a claim. Other benefits should include Personal Liability cover to at least £5 million and reimbursement of club membership fees if any illness or accident stops play. A good policy will also provide extensive personal accident, accidental damage to property and hole-in-one cover to pay for the bar bill.
For clarification of what a reputable golf insurance policy has to offer visit www.comparegolfinsurance.com
Monday, 6 February 2012
Golfer Wins Almost £400,000 in Damages After Being Hit by a Golf Ball
Novice golfer Mr Phee, who lost an eye after he was hit by an errant ball and now has a prosthetic eye, sued both Mr Gordon, the player who struck the golf ball, and the Niddry Castle golf club at Winchburgh, West Lothian, for not displaying warning signs on the course. Mr Phee has won almost £400,000 in damages.
On 10 August 2007 Mr Phee, and his three companions were walking from the 6th green to the 7th tee. They were following a path along the edge of the 18th fairway approximately 15 metres from the 7th tee. There were no warning signs alerting users of the path to any potential danger or hazard caused by golfers driving from the 18th tee.
At the 18th, Mr Gordon, who noticed the group of golfers on the path, hit his tee shot which veered sharply to the left, travelling in the direction of the group of golfers on the path.
Mr Gordon gave evidence that he immediately shouted "fore". He also stated that his playing companion also shouted "fore" and may also have added a shout of "get down".
Mr Phee heard only one shout of "fore". He did not know where the shout of "fore" had come from. His immediate reaction was to duck or crouch down and place his hand over his head whilst at the same time trying to look upwards. Whilst in this position he was hit in the eye by the golf ball which had been struck by Mr Gordon
The "Rules of Golf" as circulated by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews were referred to in this case. The following quote was highlighted: "Players should ensure that no one is standing close by or in a position to be hit by the club, the ball or any stones, pebbles, twigs or the like when they make a stroke or practice swing. Players should not play until the players in front are out of range".
The judge, Lord Brailsford, ruled in favour of Mr Phee as it was not considered relevant whether there were one or three warning shouts, or that Mr Phee an inexperienced golfer ducked, due to the very short time lapse between the shout of “fore” and the golf ball striking Mr Phee.
Damages were agreed at £397,000, where Lord Brailsford ruled Mr Gordon was 70% responsible for the accident which occurred, due to the fact that as an experienced golfer he failed to asses the risk and exercise reasonable care in the execution of his drive. The remaining 30% of liability rests with the Golf Club for their failure to place warning signs at appropriate places on this golf course.
After the hearing, Mr Phee said: "I am delighted at the judgment and relieved that the court case is over. “
"No-one expects to lose an eye when they go to play golf and adjusting to partially losing my sight has been a harrowing experience. I now just want to move on with my life.”
Following the Judges ruling, Mr Gordon will be personally responsible to pay the 70% of the damages awarded if he has no form of golf insurance, almost £270,000! Niddry Golf Club is responsible for paying the remaining balance of £127,000.
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