Plano Homeowners Concerned About Allen Golf Course Redesign

A Plano homeowners association is fighting changes to an Allen golf course.

Several homeowners said changes to the design of the Chase Oaks Golf Club put more residents and homes in the line of errant golf balls.

“We’re basically at the mercy of the city of Allen, who owns the golf course,” said Phil Abel, a Chase Oaks resident of 19 years.

Abel said the addition of two tee boxes would put six more homes at risk.

“If these two back tee boxes were in play, you couldn’t safely sit out here for fear of being hit,” he said.

He said he has seen just one golf ball stray into the yard in the two decades he has lived in his home.

Denis O’Donoghue, who lives several houses down, said he has quietly dealt with the golf ball problem for years and fears the redesign would only make things worse.

“It’s absolutely lethally dangerous,” he said. “I’ve personally been hit. The gentleman who lives next door to me has been hit.”

His next-door neighbor's home sits at a more direct angle to the course, and the homeowner is one of several residents who use massive nets to keep golf balls from damaging the property.

But O'Donoghue said he cannot add a similar net to his property because of a Plano ordinance. His neighbor's nets were grandfathered in.

Allen has planted extra trees to shield potentially affected homes.

Homeowners said they have been told that the back tee boxes would mainly be used for tournament play, but Abel and O’Donoghue said there is no guarantee other golfers would not also use them.

“I don’t want to get into a situation where this issue comes to a head because we’ve had someone seriously injured,” O’Donoghue said.

The president of the Chase Oaks Homeowners Association said he plans to meet with Allen city officials this week about the residents’ concerns.

Homeowners said they also hope to sit down with city officials in a group setting.