Most dangerous things you've seen on a golf course?

[TJBam]

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

I understand killing snakes in a neighborhood. I don't understand the people that kill every snake they come across, including the non venomous ones.

Yeah, that is absolutely animal cruelty.  I wouldn't kill a non-venomous snake.  And some venomous ones I've seen, I've left alone because of the circumstances.  I've even come across a pit viper (cottonmouth) on a 7 day hike in the Arkansas Devil's Den area.  Was curled up near a stream that we were about to bathe in. Did I go out of my way to kill it?  No, because it was a very low traffic area and it is not likely that anyone else would come across that snake, therefore it doesn't pose a risk.   Plus with the cost of ammunition I'm not wasting a perfectly good .357 hollow point (or three) on a snake that I can just walk away from instead.   Found a different stream later that day and left the first zone alone.

[geauxforbroke]

Originally Posted by TJBam

Quote:

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

I understand killing snakes in a neighborhood. I don't understand the people that kill every snake they come across, including the non venomous ones.

Yeah, that is absolutely animal cruelty.  I wouldn't kill a non-venomous snake.  And some venomous ones I've seen, I've left alone because of the circumstances.  I've even come across a pit viper (cottonmouth) on a 7 day hike in the Arkansas Devil's Den area.  Was curled up near a stream that we were about to bathe in. Did I go out of my way to kill it?  No, because it was a very low traffic area and it is not likely that anyone else would come across that snake, therefore it doesn't pose a risk.   Plus with the cost of ammunition I'm not wasting a perfectly good .357 hollow point (or three) on a snake that I can just walk away from instead.   Found a different stream later that day and left the first zone alone.

Water moccasins are no joke. I don't know why, but I just have a problem killing any animal for any reason other than consumption (or self defense).

P.S.: Devil's Den is beautiful. Haven't been there in a while though.

[TJBam]

Originally Posted by geauxforbroke

Water moccasins are no joke. I don't know why, but I just have a problem killing any animal for any reason other than consumption (or self defense).

P.S.: Devil's Den is beautiful. Haven't been there in a while though.

It is gorgeous country.  Lots of nice exploring and free-climbing.

We were exploring a cave and went a little too deep.  There were 7 of us or so.  A giant cloud of bats engulfed us moving about the cave.  My buddy got spooked and slipped and got his entire leg up to his crotch stuck in a crack in the cave.  When we finally got it out, it was covered in blood (but all artificial wounds.)  I was actually grinning because I brought a first aid kit and hadn't gotten to use it yet!

When we left the cave there was a couple standing there looking like they were thinking about going in.  They saw my buddy's leg and turned around and took off on some trail.  We explained it was no big deal just some bats that spooked him, the guy laughed but the girl wanted no part of it.  Would've gotten her brand new clean North Face fleece all dirty

[rkim291968]

It's not behavior related but I did see a rattlesnake last year on the course I regularly play. I now understand why a portion of the course is O.B.

I saw one the other day and it had to be the most dangerous thing I saw at a golf course.   I was looking for a ball in tall bushes near a tee box.  As I was making my way back to the tee box, I hear a loud and clear rattling noise.  I never heard rattlesnake's rattle before but I immediately knew what it was.   There is no mistaking it for another noise - it was that distinct.  About two yards in front of me, I see a huge rattlesnake that was making the noise.   It's thickest body part was about two inches wide.   I tailed out of there as fast as I could.   That's ends my career in looking for a lost ball in tall bushes.  I will just take a drop and move on.   I will take the penalty rather than take my chance with a rattlesnake.

[BuckeyeNut]

I've played in the southern states around gators......they didn't bother me.   they are mostly in the water or laying on the bank wanting nothing to do with golfers.

I also played in Malaysia with komodo dragons running loose around the place. I was more concerned about the dragons than the gators because they are land dwellers.  they were also active.....

[ay33660]

Rutting elk while playing The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course in September.

[ghalfaire]

an Alligator while playing in South Carolina.

I guess around here is AZ I've seen a few rattle snakes. But since I grew up with them I thought the Alligator was more intimidating.

[imsys0042]

15 years ago someone got mad at someone else and tipped their golf cart with them in it. Stupid course only banned him for 6 weeks.

[AmazingWhacker]

As a literal reading of the original question- THE most dangerous things I've seen at a course is poor layout. Greens too close to tees and the like. One particular hole at the course I grew up on had one hole that exemplifies the problem. The tee box for 7 is just off to the right back edge of the green for 12. There is a bunker right of the green for 12. Hole 7 parallels 12 in the opposite direction. The tee for 7 is sometimes put a bit further back that semi blocks the view of that trap, sometime not. If you are on the tee of 7 and someone is in that trap you wait until they are done. If you are in the trap and someone is teeing off, you wait. But if neither is paying attention it's a dangerous situation as happened at least once. A young lady wandered in to the trap without paying attention, and the guy on the tee wasn't paying attention, nor was anyone else for that matter. The guy teed off, thinned it and slammed into the ladies head just at the temple. She dropped like a bag of wet potatoes. She was lucky she was wearing a visor because it caught that padded bit near the visor. This was before cel phones and the like, but there was a hot dog cart that the course provided, fortunately the guy with the cart had his truck and was able to speed back to the clubhouse to call an ambulance. Found out a few weeks later she was lucky to only have a small hairline crack in her skull. They STILL haven't put up any kind of netting or fence at that spot.

2nd situation was a small course in Ireland, had at least 2 crossing fairways. A bit disorienting the first time you play. Been awhile but the one I remember was a fairway crossing the path of a par 3. You teed up on one side of the fairway and some water to get to the green on the other side. If they did that on a busy local mini it would require hardhats- fortunately this was a semi-private small little course in an out of the way village and wasn't crowded. They DID have a bell system, so I guess it works for them when they get "busy".

100x this!

At one of the courses I used to play the green for hole #12 is right in the path of a wicked slice from tee box #13.  Of all the stupid places to put a tee box.  As a (former) slicer, I wouldn't even hit if there were people putting on that green . .which is just exactly what you don't want for pace of play reasons.

On this exact same course, the driving range is just off to the left of hole #1.  Whenever you tee off, there are tons of yellow range balls in the first fairway - not far at all from a typical second shot location.  One day I was at this range and there were 2 idiots down on the right side of the range.  They were hitting drivers and slicing into the fairway as groups were teeing off and starting thier rounds.  I overheard one of them say to the other "it's their fault for putting the range here".   Which it definitely is .. but they were just hitting away like there was nobody there.

[DoubleEagle]

Snakes:  I live in S. Louisiana and every course has water/marsh/swamp on it.  Nothing to go looking for a ball and see a couple of cotton mouth or copperhead snakes.

Alligators:  There is water, there are alligators.  Problem is some people feed them and they expect everyone that comes around to feed them.

[jshots]

One year my buddy was golfing with his fiance, his drive on one hole ended up behind a maintenance barn. If he opened up the doors on both sides of the barn he had a clear shot at the green. He had his fiance open the doors and he took his shot. The ball ricocheted off a door and hit his fiance in the temple, killing her on the spot.

A year later he and I were golfing that same hole, he had finally gained the courage to play the course again for the first time since the incident... and he ended up in the SAME EXACT spot! Tears started pouring out of his eyes, and I asked him if he wanted to talk about it. He told me, "Last time I played this hole, I carded a triple bogey!!!".

Dangerous stuff out there!

On a more serious note. Living in the mountains we have a lot of steep cart paths and fairways. Steep wet fairways and drunk cart drivers can be pretty scary.

[Foursum Golf]

Coming from somebody who doesn't live nearby any venomous snakes - how do you guys kill them if you see one on the course? I'd be walking briskly in the other direction!

I saw a bear on the course last year. That was probably the most dangerous thing I've seen.

[phan52]

Rutting elk while playing The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course in September.

I had a similar experience there, but it was in early June after they calved and the mothers were overly protective. We had strict instructions to stay away from them. At one point, we waited about 20 minutes as a bunch of them crossed the fairway.

We also had a grizzly alert that day and were signaled off the course for about 15 minutes. Never saw the bear that day, but saw a grizzly the next day along the Bow River Parkway on the way to Lake Louise (probably the same one). I stopped the car to check it out and a Ranger stepped out and told me to move along. I had no intention to get out of my car, I just wanted to get a good look, but the Ranger was tracking it and didn't want it to have any human interaction.

[madolive3]

We walked on the11th Tee at Cypress Lakes last summer and there was a baby Rattler right there on the Tee box. He was all of 12 inches long and just plane mean, no sense of humor at all.

We should have killed it, they represent a very real danger on the course but we didn't, we tried to shoe it off the green with the handle of an iron. That little bastard latched on to the grip and wouldn't let go. Didn't want to shake the handle too much because he could've flew off and on to somebody.

I have heard that the babies are dangerous because they don't control the bite, they bite and inject all of their venom, well that's true, we saw it first hand.

Cypress lakes is the Travis AFB course in Nor Cal.

[Hammer 4]

We walked on the11th Tee at Cypress Lakes last summer and there was a baby Rattler right there on the Tee box. He was all of 12 inches long and just plane mean, no sense of humor at all.

We should have killed it, they represent a very real danger on the course but we didn't, we tried to shoe it off the green with the handle of an iron. That little bastard latched on to the grip and wouldn't let go. Didn't want to shake the handle too much because he could've flew off and on to somebody.

I have heard that the babies are dangerous because they don't control the bite, they bite and inject all of their venom, well that's true, we saw it first hand.

Cypress lakes is the Travis AFB course in Nor Cal.

And a baby can inflict just as much damage as an adult. I almost stepped on 5' Pacific diamond back 5 years ago..lucky for me it was sound asleep.

[Club Rat]

With the weather warming up and finally been able to hit the links, I've run across a "Snake a Day" out on the course.

Not really any danger, mainly baby garters, but two were large black snakes around the same location on consecutive days.

Must be due to the long winter season in the Midwest.

Club Ray

[caniac6]

Lightning. If I can hear thunder, I'm gone.

[Strandly]

#17 on a course near my place is a 180 yard par 3 where you hit from a tall hill on one side of a gulley to the green on the other which is slightly lower.  The cart path winds down somewhat steeply into the gulley and up the other side.  I was playing a round out there last summer and was waiting to tee off on #18 when there was a loud crash and everyone in my group turned around to see what was going on.  The two guys in the group behind us were horsing around all day and at least 1 of them must have hacked their shot into the bottom of the gulley.  While we missed the crash directly they obviously went speeding down the cart path and took a sharp turn to look for their ball.  The cart was flipped on its side and I thought for sure the passenger was crushed by the thing.  The carts at this place have a canopy, windshield, and are electric so they probably have several batteries and weigh a ton.  They both got up and were laughing and flipped the cart upright before any employees saw what happened.  I probably should have said something to the manager, this is a nice little place to play at and they seem to take good care of their equipment so it's annoying to see shitheads like this roll in and trash it.  Anyway, I'm still a little surprised they walked away from that.