Golf Ball Damage

Travis Roper

Travis is the Owner and COO for Northmen Roofing. Tile roofing, historical restoration and waterproofing specialist.

PSA: Attention Home Owners in golf course communities!

While your tile roof (clay, concrete, slate or other) is impact rated, it is NOT impervious to golf balls.

How do I know the damage is from golf balls? Look for a very defined round hole, sometimes with radial cracks coming from the impact point. Cracks or breaks from weathering alone would cause mostly straight lines, usually in a single direction. Physically crushing the tiles (under a foot for instance) causes the tiles to crack in irregular pieces.

Doesn’t hail cause the same type of damage? In short, “No”. Let’s compare the two – Golf balls travel over 100mph, have a weight of 1.62oz, and are highly unlikely to shatter on impact. To create a similar impact with hail, the size would need to be in be well in excess of 2” which would travel at roughly 44 to 72mph, weigh less, and also be far more prone to shattering on impact. An event that would produce such hail is considered “rare” by the National Severe Storms Laboratory (nssl.noaa.gov) with very few instances in recorded history in Florida.

The real give away? Golf ball damage will be seen on one or two planes of the roof while hail damage will be seen all over the roof, gutters, screen enclosures, driveway and neighboring houses. As tile roof repair experts we have seen countless examples of this in our local golf course communities such as Isleworth, Bay Hill, Lake Nona Golf & Country Club or the many gated communities in the Heathrow area.

The good news is the tiles are not the primary weatherproofing aspect of the roof and if repaired in a timely manner it should pose little to no threat of water intrusion or long-term longevity of the tile roof system.

If you live on a golf course, we recommend planting trees or hedges as a barrier and talk to your HOA about prevention or a maintenance plan to help protect your home. We would highly caution home owners to avoid the roofing sales person or public adjuster who claims they can get a new roof through an insurance claim by citing hail damage when it is actually golf ball impacts.

If you have any questions about tile roof repairs and would like to speak with a roof repair specialist in Central Florida, please call Northmen Roofing at (407) 498-2137 or contact us online at https://www.northmenroofing.com! Experience Matters!