The Perils of Living on the Green

So you want to live in a home on a golf course? You may want think twice about that.

The cachet that comes from that beautiful expanse of green outside your window and country club living, also comes with...golf balls.

Hundreds and hundreds of golf balls.

Ask Willam and Dorothy Abbott in North Naples, Fla. For more than 15 years, the couple has tried to co-exist with the Stonebridge Country Club next door. But errant golf balls have rained down on their property, breaking windows, roof tiles and patio screens. The Naples Daily News reports the couple has tried to get the country club to pay to repair the damage but to no avail. When the Abbotts built their retirement home in 1988, there was no golf course next door. It came five years later and they quickly realized this might not be the best neighbor.

Their plight isn't unique, especially in states like Florida, California, and Nevada, where many new communities -- both high-end and more modest -- are built around golf courses. There are more than 2,941 golf courses built in real estate developments in the United States, according to the National Golf Foundation.