A note to golf tournament organizers: If you’re going to offer a car as a hole-in-one prize, buy the damn insurance. There are companies that specialize in this. It’s not very expensive (probably $500 depending on the car) and will save you a lot of money in the long run.
If you ignore this advice, you will probably find yourself in the middle of a lawsuit like the Southern Pines Elks Lodge and Pinehurst Nissan. Long story short, Pinehurst resident Paul Verdecchia made a hole-in-one earlier this summer during the Elks Lodge annual tournament at Southern Pines Golf and Country Club. He thought he had won a car, but apparently nobody had bought hole-in-one insurance and Pinehurst Nissan backed out of an (alleged) agreement to provide a free car to anybody that aced the 172 yard 14th hole.
There was a lot done wrong here, and none of it was Paul Verdecchia’s fault. He was just the victim of poor planning and ill-advised cost cutting. Yes, they should have had insurance, but the Elks Club should have also had a written agreement with Pinehurst Nissan.
Now, Verdecchia has been forced to sue both the Elks Club and Pinehurst Nissan. Meanwhile the Elks Club and Pinehurst Nissan are both suing each other over their role in the fiasco. 3 lawsuits because somebody was too cheap to buy the damn insurance. Not to mention the bad press (I’m talking about the real press, not this website). I’m not going to have anything to do with the Elks Club any time soon (not that I was planning anything anyway) and if anybody I know tells me that they want a Nissan, I’ll be sure to steer them away from Pinehurst Nissan. I’m guessing I’m not the only person who will do the same after hearing about this mess.
Let’s recap: Didn’t buy the insurance to save $500. Golfer hits hole-in-one and sponsor/organizers renege on promise of car. Bad PR and lawsuits ensue. Saving $500 looks like a real smart move now, huh?
{ 1 trackback }