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Having read Lin and Kais comment in the forums:

Re: Appley Park.

I wonder how many people are aware that my dog was attacked and hit across the spine with a golf club, about 18 months ago, whilst i was was walking one evening before dark. Luckily there was no serious injury to my dog, but for me, the memory will never go, nor the fear i have when golfers are around.

 The police were not interested in the slightest !! after all, only a "dog" was hit not a person!! 

 Lin and Kai

I am left wondering just how many of us and our dogs have actually been hit by golf balls or had a narrow escape in Appley park.

I myself have been hit and both me and the dog have had numerous near scrapes mostly from people who could clearly see we were in firing line, in this public park where we have every right to be, but continued anyway considering that they had every right to do so as they had made payment to this council for playing golf on their course!

Please relate your experiences,

and to start us off take a look at this disgraceful email between two council officers concerning public safety in Appley park due to the golf.

click here for email

Their primary concern is doing the bare minimum necessary in order to limit damage to the council if they should end up in court over someone getting injured.

In addition we are left pondering what alternative types of risk assessment are an available option for the council other than a "proper" one?

This is a shocking demonstration of how seriously they take our safety!!

And in a park that was given to the people of Ryde for their recreation.

I was sitting on one of the benches on the perimeter path talking to two friends. I bent forward to pick up the dogs ball and heard a golf ball whistle past my head, it struck the friend I was sitting next to on the shoulder.

The bench was outside the area were the warning notices are, but regardless this is a public park where we should be safe from just this sort of thing and I now avoid going to Appley park as it is dangerous.

That email is an absolute disgrace. Send it to the Heath and Safety people!

For as long as I can remember there has always been pitch & putt golf at Appley Park. Finlay and I walk around Appley Park almost everyday of the week and we've never even had a near miss. It does pay to watch what is going on around you though. I usually move on if it looks as if someone is coming and looks very inexperienced with a golf club. If you think that the risk of getting hit by a golf ball is too great, then don't go there! There is always the beach or Puckppool Park just around the corner, which are really dog friendly places. 

"The police were not interested in the slightest !! after all, only a "dog" was hit not a person!!

"The police weren't interested because the person with the offensive weapon had hired it from the council.

Also the suggestion that we should use Puckpool park if we think Appley park is too dangerous doesn't help me as I have to walk through Appley park to get to Puckpool, which I should be able to do safely in the first instance.

The golf course is closed after 7pm and anyone on there using it shouldnt be there,,,I have had abuse shouted at me and my dogs because ive ruined their game.But they shouldnt be there so they had no right.The other place i tend to go to is the fields near the Post office building in the buisnes park. From there you can go anywhere.I only go to the beach now very early in the morning.

No, but twice balls have come right across a back garden in Marina Avenue abutting the park, past a bungalow, and landed in a front garden on the opposite side of the road.  Someone could have been killed as the ball must have been hit extremely hard to travel that distance.  My husband and I have seen balls hit in the air as high as the treetops and frequently cross the path which members of the public use to avoid the pitch and putt course.

Hi all,4th july 2009,Just been for walk along the path from Appley carpark to the childrens play area and stopped to do my jobs about 15 feet seawards of the dog fouling bin there. As my master was clearing up he also picked up a golfball there. Had the ball landed a few yards further to the right it would have landed in the childrens play area. once again this shows the dangers of there being a pitch and putt course so near public footpaths and the childrens play area.

COUNCIL NOTE! Why not re design the course to be an elaberate 18 hole crazy golf course which would be enjoyed by whole families and not just a few experienced and unexperienced players the later of which are the greatest threat to the public

I heard through the grapevine that the council got a dressing down by the green flag award people because people play golf at Appley without paying. And the council have no control over that as I was told that because its a public park the council cant stop them as they are only allowed to charge for the use of the clubs not to use a public park, therefore if people bring their own equipment there is nothing they can do about it.

I walk dogs at Apley and play golf at Apley (not at the same time). I think that the golfers should respect the dog walkers with their dogs and the dog walkers should respect the golfers. Where did all the mutual respect disappear to? I would not walk my dogs across the course if there were golfers playing. I would either wait until they had passed or take a different route.  And if I were playing I would expect the dog walker to do the same.

I was walking through Appley park this afternoon and how nice it was to see people picnicking and children playing in the park. No need to stick to the perimeter path anymore for the fear of being hit by flying golf balls. It should never have been made into a golf course in the first place as it was bloody dangerous and I for one am delighted that the golf has been discontinued this year and at last we have our park back.

 I was walking across Appley park this afternoon and was confronted with three people approximately 100 yards away from me driving golf balls in my direction. Although the council have abandoned running the park as a golf course this summer the park is, however, still set out as a golf course exactly as it has been in the past.

There are no signs indicating that the playing of golf here is not permitted in fact there still are numerous signs warning that golf IS played here. People bring their own golf clubs and balls and the playing of golf is continuing in this public park, assumably with the blessing of the council as their signs are indicating that they are aware of it. I am left wondering if they are accepting liability for injury given that they are displaying  signs indicating they are aware of this hazard.

 Incidentally as can be seen in the picture we also still have signs stating "No bonfires and barbeques" this despite the Council having confirmed that these signs are for deterrent purposes only, as they hold no record of any byelaws relating to bonfire/BBQ activities in areas other than at Chale Green, St Helen's Green and Fort Victoria Country Park. Perhaps they could change the signs to "Caution bonfires and barbeques and golf aren't banned in this area"

I see Appley park has been awarded a Green Flag again, not that means much to anyone other than Councils and the people being payed to award these pointless and meaningless acolades.

I assume that when the Council were runninng the park as a golf course they must have had insurance in case members of the public were hit in a public park by golf balls. Which makes me wonder what the situation is now as it is still set out as a golf course, there are still Council signs warning that golf is played there, and people are still playing golf there as they just bring their own clubs now.

So what is the situation if you were injured? Given the signs and the Council keeping the golf course layout would they therefore be liable and legally responsible for injury and potential fatality.

Success the golf course is being removed, at last. we have our park back. Although what the long term plans are is another matter. More on this in the blog

We have our public park back at long last, another famous victory for people power, common sense and the wightdogs.com website.