A home adjacent to the Monson, Mass., club’s ninth fairway was the site and source of the conflict, as a frequent landing spot for errant balls. Lawsuits by previous owners forced the club to shorten the hole well before the residential property began, but club owner Bill Plante recently purchased the home to extend the hole to a par 5.

While typically courts have ruled in favor of clubs when adjacent property owners complain about errant shots, recent reversal of a ruling in a case involving Quaker Ridge GC could set a problematic precedent.