The 5 Necessary Types of Golf Course Insurance

Golf Course Insurance, H&K Insurance Agency, Watertown, MADo you run a golf course, or are thinking of buying or building one? Like any business, it will need insurance, but you might be surprised on what kind of specialty insurances you should get to provide full coverage. Here are the top 5 insurances for your golf course, some of which are a business standard—but many of which are not.

1. General Liability Insurance

You run a business, so the first type of insurance you need is business liability insurance. This insurance provides coverage injury or damage that occurs on your property or to your property. Basic coverages includes property damage, bodily injury and resulting medical payments, coverage of legal fees, and personal slander and libel coverage.

2. Herbicide, Pesticide, and Pollution Liability Insurance

To keep your lawns green weed and pest free, you probably apply pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer. This can be a prime weakness in your standard liability insurance policy, as most have exclusions where the policy won’t apply to bodily injury or property damage due to the release of toxic chemicals. With this insurance you’ll have coverage as long as your equipment, chemicals, and regulations meet local code.

3. Golf Cart Insurance

While you’re not required to insure your course’s golf carts unless you take them on the road, it makes a lot of sense to insure them against liability. Major insurance types to consider are:

  • Property Damage Liability Insurance: if your cart damages property, including your own, this will help you pay for repairs.
  • Collision Coverage: if one of your carts collides with another, it falls under the purview of a collision.
  • Bodily Injury Liability: if people are hurt as the result of an accident with the cart, this will help pay for medical bills and related expenses.
  • Comprehensive Coverage: If your carts are damaged by weather (such as hail, wind, or storm debris) or by missiles (such as golf balls), this will help cover repairs. It will also help cover theft.

4. Tournament Prize Insurance

If you’re planning on hosting a tournament, you’ll probably want to invest in hole-in-one insurance. This is a form of prize indemnity insurance often purchased by the host course that allows you to provide a hole-in-one prize at the event. If a golfer does hit a hole-in-one (about 1 in 12,500 odds for an amateur golfer according to USA Today), this reimburses the course and tournament organizers for the price of the prize.

5. Liquor Liability Insurance

Do you offer liquor onsite or allow people to bring in their own alcohol on your course? Then it’s a good idea to provide coverage to your premise and property with liquor liability insurance. This will cover the costs of alcohol-related injuries and accidents that occur on premise, as well as protection against litigation related to intoxication by your patrons.

Here at the H&K Insurance Agency, we understand that your golf course requires specialty coverages that most businesses don’t have to think about. Besides the five we’ve already talked about, there are at least another nine that you’ll want to consider purchasing. If you’re interested in talking further about the coverages you need for your business, please contact us. We’ll help you keep your course on-course.