If you’re operating or insuring a golf course on a military installation in Georgia, you’re managing more than just fairways and tee times. You’re navigating a legal and logistical obstacle course.
Understanding what makes insuring these facilities so complex is not just helpful, it is essential.
In this article, you will learn exactly what sets military golf course insurance apart. Eisenhower Lakes Golf Club will serve as a real-world case study.
We’ll cover:
- The basic coverages every Georgia golf course must carry
- How being on a federal installation changes everything
- Often overlooked specialty policies for military-affiliated, public-facing courses
- Legal and environmental liabilities that can quietly create massive exposure
Georgia Golf Courses on Military Bases Face Different Rules
Eisenhower Lakes Golf Club, formerly Gordon Lakes, is not your average public course. Located on Fort Eisenhower, the 27-hole layout has hosted the All Armed Forces Championship and the All Army Golf Trials.
One critical detail sets this course apart. Every civilian visitor must show proof of auto insurance just to pass through the gate. That requirement signals a deeper truth. Military bases operate with a higher baseline for liability, even before you consider what happens on the course itself.
Add in public access, a full restaurant, lakeside holes, and over 80 bunkers, and the insurance needs become far more complex than those of a typical municipal course.
The Four Essential Coverages for All Georgia Golf Courses
Before diving into military-specific factors, every golf course in Georgia must maintain a solid foundation of commercial insurance. These are the four essential policies.
1. General Liability Insurance
Protects against injuries and property damage to third parties.
Slip-and-fall injuries, golf ball accidents, and cart collisions all fall under this coverage. Because Georgia jury awards are trending higher, industry experts now recommend a commercial umbrella policy that extends limits beyond the standard $1 million, ideally up to $5 million or even $10 million.
2. Property Insurance Using Replacement Cost Value
Many courses mistakenly use Actual Cash Value (ACV), which reflects depreciation.
Eisenhower Lakes requires Replacement Cost Value (RCV) to rebuild structures at current construction rates. Insuring at ACV could leave the course underfunded after a fire, storm, or vandalism.
3. Workers’ Compensation
Georgia law requires workers’ compensation for businesses with three or more employees, including seasonal or part-time workers.
This protects staff and ensures legal compliance.
4. Commercial Auto Coverage
This protects vehicles used in course operations. Examples include maintenance trucks, golf carts used off property, and any courtesy shuttles.
Sovereign Immunity and Its Impact on Coverage Decisions
In Georgia, municipal golf courses are granted sovereign immunity, meaning they cannot be sued under many circumstances. However, the moment a municipality purchases liability insurance, that immunity is waived up to the policy’s coverage limit (O.C.G.A. § 36-33-1).
Military golf courses are not subject to the same state-level rules. Still, the principle applies. Buying insurance changes your legal exposure. That decision should be made strategically, especially when serving the public.
Insurance Requirements for Military Courses Open to the Public
Public access creates additional liability concerns. Military courses like Eisenhower Lakes must balance public service with federal security requirements, which increases both complexity and cost.
Liquor Liability Insurance
Bogey’s Grill and beverage carts are subject to Georgia’s Dram Shop Law.
Courses can be held responsible for damages caused by intoxicated patrons, even offsite. This makes liquor liability insurance mandatory, not optional.
Environmental and Pollution Liability
General liability insurance will not cover chemical runoff, fuel spills, or pesticide exposure.
On federal land, environmental compliance is strictly enforced. Cleanup costs can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, making this coverage essential.
Cyber Liability Insurance
Online booking systems, payment platforms, and digital records all create cyber risk.
Military-affiliated courses handle sensitive data, which increases the stakes of a data breach. Cyber liability insurance protects against financial loss and regulatory violations.
Prize Indemnity Insurance
This protects the course when offering large tournament prizes such as a hole-in-one car giveaway.
The insurer pays the prize, not the course. This policy costs only a fraction of the prize value and limits financial risk.
Professional Liability Insurance
Golf instructors offering lessons or clinics are providing professional services.
If a student is injured after following bad advice, the course could be held liable. This policy covers instructional risks and lawsuits related to coaching or training.
What Factors Influence Golf Course Insurance Premiums?
Several variables affect insurance costs, including:
- Geographic location, especially in flood or coastal zones
- Course size and complexity
- Presence of high-risk amenities like restaurants or pools
- Claims history, which insurers use to assess future risk
How to Reduce Costs Without Reducing Coverage
Implementing a risk management plan can help. Consider these best practices:
- Schedule regular safety audits
- Train staff in first aid, emergency response, and alcohol service
- Post clear signs in high-risk areas
- Use physical barriers such as fencing or netting when necessary
Insurers reward these efforts with better rates because they reduce the likelihood and severity of claims.
One Critical Mistake: Using the Wrong Property Valuation
Too many course operators rely on outdated property valuations based on ACV.
A 2024 study found that more than 70 percent of Georgia golf courses are underinsured because they failed to update their coverage after renovations or cost increases.
For a course like Eisenhower Lakes, undervaluing facilities or equipment could result in a multimillion-dollar shortfall after a disaster. RCV ensures your policy covers rebuilding and replacement at today’s rates.
Insurance Should Be a Strategy, Not a Checkbox
Eisenhower Lakes Golf Club is not just a beautiful place to play. It is also a complex operation subject to public access, federal oversight, and unique risk factors that require more than standard insurance policies.
From chemical spills to cybersecurity breaches, military courses face exposures that private clubs do not. Even the requirement to show proof of insurance before entering the gate is a sign of how seriously risk is taken.
Your Next Step
If you manage, insure, or consult with a military golf course in Georgia, now is the time to review your policy.
A basic commercial package is unlikely to offer the protection you truly need.
At The Oak Insurance Group, we specialize in helping courses on military installations build customized insurance strategies that meet real-world challenges.
You do not just need a policy. You need a plan.
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Start protecting your course today with insurance that matches your mission.
