A skirmish over a patch of artificial turf has turned into a legal war between a homeowner and the Eagle Point Golf Community Homeowners Association.

A lawsuit filed by the association in March against “Captain” W.H.M.J. van der Horst has prompted a counter suit filed this week by the 82-year-old homeowner seeking $500,000 in damages for extreme emotional distress.

Van der Horst thinks most people should be green with envy at how much better his lawn looks than theirs, pointing out a neighborhood filled with brown lawns and brown patches withering in the August sun.

“I can’t understand the stupidity of people,” van der Horst said.

Van der Horst installed his artificial turf in the summer of 2010, which led to a series of letters and pleas from the association to remove it because it violates community rules.

John Dowdy, president of the homeowners association, said recently that he couldn’t discuss the lawsuit.