TopGolf, headquartered in Dallas, is a souped-up driving range concept with more than 100 locations worldwide, describes itself as \u201ca sports entertainment complex that features an inclusive, high-tech golf game that everyone can enjoy, paired with an outstanding food and beverage menu.\u201d <\/p>\n
The pair of suits come roughly 14 months after a Texas<\/a> oil-and-gas executive who was taking a golf lesson at a Houston country club allegedly failed to make sure the surrounding area was clear before \u201cnegligently\u201d swinging his club directly into his instructor\u2019s face<\/a>, necessitating emergency reconstructive surgery and resulting in \u201cpermanent disfigurement,\u201d per a $1 million negligence lawsuit filed in that case.<\/p>\n At least three people have lost eyes at TopGolf<\/a>, and last year, the chain was ordered to pay $15.8 million to the family of a 9-year-old boy who suffered a traumatic brain injury<\/a> when he walked into the path of a player\u2019s backswing, requiring emergency neurosurgery. Others have been severely injured<\/a> or have even died after falling from balconies<\/a> set up for players to practice their drives, with an entire subset of online videos devoted to \u201cTopGolf fails<\/a>\u201d \u2013 compilations of people hurting themselves or others while on the premises.<\/p>\n In the most recent of the new suits, filed July 6 in Harris County District Court, 62-year-old Kelly Ann Auer, says she was hitting some balls last August at a TopGolf location in Webster, Texas \u2013 also a suburb of Houston \u2013 when the golfer next to her \u201clost control of his club and it flew in the air striking Ms. Auer in the head.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn TopGolf\u2019s website, they describe the TopGolf Houston-Webster location as \u2018the premiere entertainment destination in Webster, Texas\u2019 with \u2018year-round comfort,\u2019\u201d Auer\u2019s complaint<\/a> states. \u201c[H]owever, other than a red line warning customers that it is dangerous to stand or sit near the hitting area while a customer is holding and\/or swinging a club, there are no warning signs to warn customers of the potential dangers of flying golf clubs or balls.\u201d<\/p>\n Auer\u2019s complaint points out that there is \u201can entire genre of social media [posts] dedicated to sharing videos of injuries that customers have sustained while on TopGolf premises.\u201d<\/p>\n Attorney Scott Sanes, who is representing Auer, told The Independent that there was no netting or barriers \u201cof any kind\u201d between the golfers, no helmets required, and that TopGolf \u201conly provided gloves for purchase.\u201d<\/p>\n Auer now has ongoing headaches, dizziness, lost memory, nausea, blurry vision and sensitivity to bright lights, along with ringing in the ears, and \u201chas moments where she gets confused and freezes,\u201d according to Sanes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are at the very beginning of the litigation stage and are looking forward to determining how often this problem has arisen, how it has been addressed by this huge company and what they have done, if anything, to protect their customers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Co-counsel Robert Rice told The Independent, \u201cIt\u2019s tough when you go to enjoy practicing your golf swing and [you] end up with a traumatic brain injury.\u201d<\/p>\n In a second suit, local resident Brandi Triplett was at a TopGolf last year in the Houston suburb of Katy, hitting balls with a friend, when she took a flying driver to the skull.<\/p>\n Triplett, 43, was \u201cseated and watching her friend take a turn golfing when one of the men in the adjacent bay swung a golf club and released the club during the swing,\u201d according to her complaint<\/a>, which was filed June 4 in Harris County District Court. \u201cThe golf club flew from the adjacent bay and violently struck [Triplett] in the head and right eyebrow area.\u201d<\/p>\n After Triplett went down, the golfer in question apologized, said, \u2018I’m done,\u2019 and quickly left the area, according to the complaint, which claims the group \u201chad been consuming alcoholic beverages\u201d while there.<\/p>\n The complaint says Triplett \u201cimmediately experienced pain and swelling to her head,\u201d and that she \u201cattempted to ice the affected area while remaining at the facility.\u201d <\/p>\n However, it goes on, the pain was so intense that she \u201cultimately ceased participating,\u201d and went home. The next day, Triplett saw a doctor \u201cdue to continuing pain and headaches,\u201d and was referred to the emergency room for a more thorough evaluation, the complaint continues.<\/p>\n ER staff took a CT scan<\/a> of Triplett\u2019s head, which was negative for acute intracranial injury, the complaint goes on. Still, it contends, Triplett continues to suffer \u201cpersistent headaches and related symptoms,\u201d nearly 18 months after the incident.<\/p>\n A paper published last year<\/a> in the South African Medical Journal explained why getting hit in the head with a golf club, while rare, can be so destructive. For starters, the club head\u2019s leading edge imparts a tremendous amount of force to an extremely small surface area, \u201cresulting in more severe damage to the skull.\u201d The \u201cinjury pattern\u201d caused by a golf club is also especially damaging, and, for those playing a round outdoors, the \u201csoil-contaminated\u201d surface of the club head significantly increases the risk of sepsis.<\/p>\n To that end, the TopGolf website lays out a series of guidelines<\/a> meant to keep guests out of the emergency room.<\/p>\n \u201cCombining a few laughs, great food, and hours of Topgolf can create some epic memories,\u201d the page tells visitors. \u201cSo to ensure everyone has a fun and safe experience, it\u2019s important to follow our conduct and safety rules.\u201d<\/p>\n Players are warned to keep an eye out for \u201cflying balls and clubs,\u201d and to \u201calways check their surroundings before swinging a club,\u201d adding that guests are responsible for \u201cany damages or injuries they cause.\u201d<\/p>\n Running starts and trick shots are prohibited, as is aiming for the ball picker in the outfield. Additionally, the site says, \u201cNo rough housing, pushing, horseplay or similar dangerous activity allowed. No throwing items of any kind. Use golf clubs and balls only for golf.\u201d<\/p>\n Among other things, Ayers\u2019 complaint accuses TopGolf<\/a> of \u201cfailing to properly provide adequate supervision,\u201d \u201cfailing to continually inspect for dangerous activities,\u201d and \u201cfailing to install physical safety barriers or other adequate safety measures between bays despite having knowledge that the absence of such barriers and safety measures created a known risk of serious injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"There](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2167682893.jpeg\")
There is an entire genre of social media posts dedicated to \u2018TopGolf fails,\u2019 showcasing the injuries that can take place at the popular entertainment destination, according to a lawsuit filed by patron Kelly Ann Auer (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"TopGolf](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-967563068.jpeg\")
TopGolf posts safety rules for all customers to follow, but a new lawsuit accuse the chain of ‘failing’ to properly monitor guests who have been drinking (Getty)<\/p>\n![\"TopGolf](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Topgolf_megacity_20220821.jpeg\")
TopGolf is facing two lawsuits from customers who said they were badly injured by errant golf clubs wielded by fellow patrons (MS WIKI\/CC BY-SA 4.0)<\/p>\n