The 350-yard, par-four 18th at Wareham Golf Club traditionally ran alongside a row of 25 houses built in the 1970s.
The 18th hole at Wareham Golf Club the neighbours home to the left (Image: BNPS)
A 20-yard strip of land once separated the course from the gardens, acting as a buffer against wayward shots.
But homeowners bought the land several years ago and extended their gardens.
The club said improved clubs and balls allow players to hit further, putting nearby homes at greater risk.
One resident reportedly started wearing a hard hat outside after a badly sliced shot smashed her greenhouse.
The club has shortened the hole to a 137-yard par-three to reduce the risk of injury and legal claims against members.
Club chairman Jeremy Stokes said an estimated 10 balls a month landed in the gardens of homes worth about £400,000.
The 18th hole at Wareham Golf Club (Image: BNPS)
He said: “The game of golf has changed significantly in recent times, with golfers being stronger, equipment and balls creating greater distance, and with this comes the need for the next phase of the golf course design.
“As you get older you certainly feel the younger players are hitting it further than we did at their age.
“Our boundary with the Northmoor Estate changed when land used to access the pylons was sold to neighbouring property owners, creating a shared boundary.
“Over the past five years, we have become aware that more balls were leaving the course, raising concerns about our neighbours’ safety and our members’ liability.
“These two factors led us to remodel the hole, creating a shorter layout with less room for balls to leave the course.”
He added: “But I think the neighbours raised the issue in the right spirit and we don’t want anyone to get injured or things to get out of hand.
“We don’t feel aggrieved about it and it has provided us with an opportunity to use some of the land at the back of the course to extend holes into longer par 5s.”
The 18th hole at Wareham Golf Club (Image: BNPS)
A neighbour who asked not to be named said a stray golf ball damaged her greenhouse three years ago.
She said: “One ball smashed our greenhouse but the golf club, to its credit, helped towards the replacement cost.
“My husband had been inside it a minute earlier.”
The club has also installed netting across gaps in the trees to stop balls leaving the course.
In a separate incident, burglars stole about £5,000 of equipment from the club in 2019, while damage to a gate allowed 25 cows to escape onto a nearby road.