St Albans District Council may be forced to make changes to a golf course after neighbours complained wayward shots keep hitting their homes.

Batchwood Golf Course has had to adjust its ninth hole at least twice in the last six years to try to limit the number of stray balls – and legal advice to the council has warned it needs to continue to take steps to mitigate the risk to nearby properties.

The council said there has been an increase in balls flying away from the course following the lifting of lockdown, and the latest attempts to amend the course last winter only resulted in the shots hitting a different row of homes.

The golf course is council-owned, managed in partnership with 1Life, which operate sports and leisure facilities across the south east and London.

The course has been along Batchwood Drive since 1935 but complaints about golf balls leaving the course were first raised after new homes in Alverton Close were built in 2014.

Over the past few years, tees have been moved and a metal fence has been installed to try and resolve the issues.

A new teeing areas has resolved the problems facing residents in Alverton Close but the council has acknowledged this has resulted in properties in Becketts Avenue now being struck by golf balls.

Councillors were due to discuss the problems with the course at a meeting of the public realm committee on Wednesday November 24 but the meeting was postponed after problems with the chamber’s heating system.

Options within a council report include scrapping the troublesome ninth hole and turning the practice hole into an official hole to make up for the loss.

A green and teeing area could also be moved to direct play towards the centre of the course.

The council believes this changed will stop balls striking neighbouring properties.

The public realm committee meeting, which has the power to approve changes, which are subject to funding, will be rearranged to a later date.