New netting teed up for Northmoor driving range should shield nearby middle school

Highland Park officials determined this week that a local country club’s swing at resolving a public nuisance and safety concern is on par with their standards.

City councilmembers on Monday, Jan. 27, voted to approve a settlement agreement with Northmoor Country Club that granted zoning relief and design review approval for new netting near the club’s driving range.

Northmoor’s now-approved additions were designed to prevent errantly struck golf balls from leaving the club’s grounds and making their way onto either the city’s right-of-way or the abutting property of Edgewood Middle School.

Per Joel Fontane, Highland Park’s director of community development, Northmoor first received a series of reliefs in 2006 from the city’s zoning board of appeals that allowed the club to construct 34 poles with netting around its driving range.

In correspondence with the city, Northmoor representatives acknowledged awareness of “time-to-time” instances where golf balls from the driving range have traveled beyond the existing nets and onto Edgewood’s property.

According to city documents, Northmoor was cited by Highland Park last summer “for creating a public nuisance” for “allowing” balls to land near Edgewood School.

To resolve the issue, Northmoor will install six additional poles with netting at up to 130 feet tall for a distance of approximately 260 feet. The new poles and netting will be located just behind the existing poles and netting, per project plans.

City attorney Steven Elrod told the council during the meeting that Highland Park filed the administrative action against Northmoor at the request of North Shore School District 112.

Elrod said that Northmoor “immediately got on top of” working toward a “very comprehensive resolution” when they became aware of the school district’s feelings about the errant golf balls being a serious issue.

Elrod applauded both District 112 and Northmoor for their “tremendous cooperation” in resolving the issue, saying it “was a pleasure dealing with both parties to try and settle what could have been an acrimonious litigation” and reach an agreement “supported by all parties.”

Northmoor’s plans for the 130-foot height of the netting is based on “swing speed analysis of golfers who use Northmoor’s driving range, as well as conversations with industry experts regarding the height of nets that are most likely to contain the largest number of errant golf balls,” David Derfel, the club’s chief operating operator, says in a letter to the city.

The cost for the new poles and netting will be covered fully by the club and is expected to be more than $500,000, Derfel wrote. Installation is expected to take four weeks.

“When this was presented to us as a dangerous situation, we wanted to do everything that we could to solve it, and in our minds this does everything possible to stop golf balls from going over to Edgewood,” said Michael Lieber, Highland Park resident and vice president of Northmoor Country Club, to the City Council.

Under the approved settlement agreement, Northmoor has until May 31 to complete the updates.

District 112 also expressed strong support for the proposed resolution, Fontane told the council.

Mayor Nancy Rotering thanked Northmoor and District 112 for “taking the safety of our kids seriously” and lauded their efforts for working toward a solution.

“We all value our community and we appreciate you working well together,” she said.

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