Animals on the golf course.

[Pakoh]

Originally Posted by jamo

I've told this story a few times, but I was at a rather crappy muni course a few years ago (Leo J. Martin in Newton, MA), and saw a guy take a goose's head clean off with a 9-iron for no reason. One of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.

I also had an iguana steal my golf ball once.

that is fucqed up.  i hope he gets whats coming to him.

[The Recreational Golfer]

There's a course in my area at which foxes will run out into the fairway from time to time and steal your golf ball. For some reason, they like golf balls.

Two days ago I noticed a coyote who took up residence at one of our local munis. It's not very shy about humans, either. It just sits and watches you go by from a pretty close distance.

[TimG3394]

I moved out to Arizona a couple years ago and attended ASU. This was my 2nd time on the course out there. We were playing at Longbow. I'm no animal expert but I think this was a baby mountain lion. Was the best picture I could get (didn't want to get closer)

He came and nestled under our cart when we were on the green, probably looking for shade. Very awesome experience.

[Valleygolfer]

Originally Posted by TimG3394

I moved out to Arizona a couple years ago and attended ASU. This was my 2nd time on the course out there. We were playing at Longbow. I'm no animal expert but I think this was a baby mountain lion. Was the best picture I could get (didn't want to get closer)

He came and nestled under our cart when we were on the green, probably looking for shade. Very awesome experience.

Very cool

[CallawayVols]

Sasquatch..

[Aquaguru]

At my home course the only animal encounter I have is when the owners dog comes out to follow you throughout your round.  It mostly happens when I'm out by myself.  The dog will just walk beside you as your walking to your ball.  Once your on the green the dog will just lay down off the green and wait for you to putt out.  Once I hit an errant tee shot and he went running looking for it.  Its a husky and a pretty cool dog.  He also like to swim in the ponds on the course as well.

[glock35ipsc]

Both courses in Estes Park almost always have elk on them.  A buddy of mine and I were playing the 9 hole course about a year ago, and he sliced his tee shot on #2 into a heard of elk that was laying down in a swell under some trees.  We didn't even know they were there until a cow jumped straight up, then the rest of them all came blasting out of there.  We were like DAMN, where do we run to if they come our way!  Luckily they all ran straight across the fairway then just stayed there.

Then there are always these guys, and their poisonous relatives:

[Lost-Ball]

short 210 yard "risk reward" par 4 that forces you to play a draw around these trees. well the yellow circle is where my tee shot hit and the red was a huge hawk that i didnt see till i started walking closer to the tree. really that hawk never moved after having a ball rocket a foot by him. i kinda was scared walking down the fairway that he would sink his claws into me or something lol

[jshots]

I occasionally see a wild fox or elk or deer. A few days ago I was teeing off on a hole that runs parallel to the only hole on the course that has water. Some yellow lab flashed into view booking it across 3 fairways to get to the lake with a chubby little kid running after him with a leash. After playing that hole and coming down the hole with water the dog was doing circles around the boy and would pick up golf balls and run with them until he found a new golf ball to pick up.

[DocWu1948]

In suburban Chicago, not much to see. I once saw a big turtle crossing the adjacent fairway and he was still there when we got there. A few deer have crossed fairways behind us. I saw saw a snake swimming in a creek. That was cool. Lots of frogs at today''s course.

That segues into my sad turtle story.. Last week  I see another turtle hunkered in the middle of the cart path and carts are veering around it. So I pick it up carefully and set it on the grass by  the path about 20 feet from water. We get down to the green and I look back, and here's a tractor pulling 3 rotary mowers  roaring down along the side of path Poor turtle. Did he make it? I doubt it.  He knew where it was safe.

[njcl13]

An interesting thread,i dont know if playing golf would be a priority for me with such creatures as have been reported in the former replies,ie snakes,eek,crocs,lions,i live in the uk so deer,rabbits and hares/jackrabbits are as dangerous as it gets

[Wisguy]

I've had a red fox chase my ball one time, too.  I'm not sure if he actually picked it up because it was the longest drive I had hit in months and couldn't see too clearly from the distance, but if so, he at least put it down near where it landed.

Once I saw a kestrel (a/k/a sparrow hawk, one of the smallest in the falcon family) hovering about 50 feet over a tee box and then he swooped down on a nearby bush, flushed out and caught a small bird in mid-air.  That was pretty damn cool - he was close enough that I cold see the red and the blue markings on him.  They are beautiful birds   Kestrels aren't that uncommon - you can sometimes see them on telephone poles, but I've never been that close to one before.

I was once playing on one of my favorite courses that is built on a marsh with water on nearly every hole and was looking for a ball that got near a bush right next to the water.  A damn beaver was hiding under the bush, jumped out at me before rushing into the marsh, and I nearly crapped my pants.  I've seen ospreys on that course several times and I've been swooped by a pair of falcons (F-16 Fighting Falcons) at about 200 feet from the nearby Air National Guard base.

I've seen a weasel on a course once as well a few mink.  I've had to chase deer off a fairway to hit a second shot, also.

That photo of the cat that had been hiding under the cart above looks like a bobcat to me - I don't see a tail and mountain lions typically have greater body-length to leg height ratios.  The cat in the picture looks to have a proportionately shorter body and longer legs characteristic of a bobcat.  It's too stocky to be an ocelot and they are extremely rare in Arizona and, like the jaguar, have long tales not visible in that photo, although there have been a few jaguars sighted in far southern AZ and NM in the past few years who may be extending their home ranges north from Mexico and living permanently in the US.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by DocWu1948

In suburban Chicago, not much to see. {...}.

In West Chicago I have seen deer, coyote, snake, raccoon, possum... and just two weeks ago I saw a mink. Mink is an odd sighting. Maybe the first I've seen in the suburbs in 53 years of suburban living.

[Goonsidious]

None hit, yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamo

I've told this story a few times, but I was at a rather crappy muni course a few years ago (Leo J. Martin in Newton, MA), and saw a guy take a goose's head clean off with a 9-iron for no reason. One of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.

I also had an iguana steal my golf ball once.

I would have reported that to the clubhouse. Most definitely.

[zipazoid]

Lake Worth Golf Club, conveniently located in Lake Worth, FL, is notorious for the squirrels taking hot dogs from your cart on the 10th tee. They ain't stupid - they know golfers grab a dog at the turn, take a bite of it before walking to the tee to hit their drive...seeya.

Also ran across this soft shell turtle at a course in Palm City, FL...

[Darksun22]

I had a deer stand in the cart path and would not move for what ever reason. So we drove around it.

Also had a ball land 20 feet from a 8 foot gator.   I just left the ball and hit another from a little further back.  Gator can have my ProV1, Ill keep my leg.  I would have had to hit the ball with my back to the thing.  And it did not look happy with me.

Last one is we hit a fox with our golf cart. Complete accident.  Didn't even see it till we hit and it scampered back in the woods. Hope it was ok, Didn't run over it with a tire i dont think. Just hit it going 5 MPH prob.

[TimG3394]

That photo of the cat that had been hiding under the cart above looks like a bobcat to me - I don't see a tail and mountain lions typically have greater body-length to leg height ratios.  The cat in the picture looks to have a proportionately shorter body and longer legs characteristic of a bobcat.  It's too stocky to be an ocelot and they are extremely rare in Arizona and, like the jaguar, have long tales not visible in that photo, although there have been a few jaguars sighted in far southern AZ and NM in the past few years who may be extending their home ranges north from Mexico and living permanently in the US.

Could be right. Like I said I had no clue and didn't want to get any closer for a better look. If anyone else has ideas I'd love to hear them.

[uscfan]

I was playing at a place called cross ceek in temecula , ca about 60 miles north of san diego. It is a beautiful course out in the mountains called wine country. Anyhow i started the front nine with a gentlemen who worked in the maintenance, after about 8 holes he tells me to be carefull they have found mountain lion paw prints in the bunker !! Long story short on the 10th tee i pull my drive into the woods and low and behold what do i run into? You guessed it a mountain lion about 60yrds away i had a sw in my hand i slowly turned around got in my cart and boned out!!! Lol did i mention its very secluded out there and little to no cell phone reception out there? Yikes lol ive also seen lots of bighorn sheep to i grew up in the la quinta / palm springs desert area i was playing silver rock and they are regulars there and not afraid of you, they are regulars at pga west as well since pga west rest up against the santa rosa mountains lol. There were a couple there visiting the humana challenge this year on the palmer private course lol watching phil.