I am a San Diego parent who, along with my family, frequently visits the 28th Street playground, adjacent to Balboa Park municipal golf course. We value this space as the only playground in South Park for our community to gather and children to play outdoors, however, time and again, our trips to the park are met with stray golf balls from the course. Every week, we hear about incidents of parents, or worse, children, being hit. A father recently shared with me his story about receiving a concussion from such an incident. This is an alarming safety issue that our city needs to urgently address.

According to the findings by the American Journal of Sports Medicine, golf ball-related injuries can be severe, and approximately 40% of these incidents involve children. Not only do these statistics underscore an urgent need to act, but they also highlight the severity of liability the city could face by not doing so. We must not wait for more injuries or, god forbid, a fatality, before correcting this issue. We are urging the city of San Diego to implement a solution, such as higher fencing or nets around the course, to prevent further harm from stray golf balls. Our children deserve a safe place to play and explore.

By signing this petition, you are guaranteeing that every family can enjoy their neighborhood playground safely and free from the fear and danger of unexpected golf ball strikes. Help us make our playground safe again for our children. Please sign and share widely.