Every morning on my way to school, I turn off of Fairmont and onto Cunningham. This is a street that most people don’t think twice about going down, but for some, it is a dangerous path. Students and faculty drive down the street toward the campus without a care in the world, however there are the wise few that take the road slowly and with caution waiting for that terrifying call… FORE!!!!!!

Coming toward San Jacinto College Central campus on Cunningham, you have a field on your left hand side and a golf course full of amateur golfers. There are only a hand full of people that can control where there ball goes. This poses a threat to those coming down Cunningham no matter which way they are driving.

In my own experience playing on San Jac’s nine-hole course, the second hole is known as “The Danger Zone.” By no means are my friends and I professional golfers, but we can play a bit. I wouldn’t say we are terrible, but every golfer knows that there are those days where every drive you hit has a mean slice on it. This is where the danger starts for on coming traffic. The second tee box and fairway are no more that ten to fifteen yards from the street at any given point and if you are a right handed golfer you have that natural slice that takes the ball right at Luella. Even though it isn’t San Jac’s problem when cars get hit, if the players feel like they may spray one off course and have it crack a windshield, they will take their business elsewhere.

I decided to do a little research to find out if hitting a car is a common occurrence, and if so, what have they done to fix “The Danger Zone.”

Club House Manager Neil Hickman said ten years ago they actually remodeled the course and added a few things such as threes along the street to decrease the chance of people getting hit on Fairmont and Cunningham.

“On the right hand side of the course they have actually placed trees to catch some of the balls that are heading off the course, and on the third hole they moved the green and hole location from straight ahead to a hole that finishes off to the left making it more difficult to over shoot the green and hitting onto Fairmont,” Hickman said.

Club House employee Mark Jones has only worked there about a year but has been playing at the course for over ten years.

“In my ten years or so of playing here I have only seen one car be hit by a golf ball and the ball was hit by me. I sprayed one onto Luella and caught a cars windshield,” Jones said.

So it has happened it’s just not as common as I had initially thought, however, getting a scare with a golf ball nearly missing your car is fairly common.

I know that when my friends and I play here we always get a little nervous walking up to the second hole. The only thing you can do is to clear your mind. Grip it and rip it down the fairway, and have no fear. Nature’s golf ball net has your back for any stray balls you may hit.