Unusual "Golf Hazards" (Geese, Rattlesnakes, Tigers, and Bears, oh my!)

[SmiterofPV1x]

As a 4ish y/o kid I was flogged hardcore by a goose at Kingwood Center in Mansfield Ohio. I had some black and blue spots for sure. Those evil SOB's are given a wide margin now, but if ever one is feeling froggy I'm pretty sure my 9i will win. Had one hiss at my teenage son and he thought it was funny. I told him to get back, he kinda laughed about it. He'd have felt different had it actually attacked I'm sure. I was waiting there to save his bacon with my 9i. I'm not going to provoke one but if I ever have to pay one back from 36 years ago, I will NOT feel bad about it. I'll be having goose steak that night and probably a nice Cabernet to celebrate an almost 4 decade late revenge, lol! 

[Patch]

I have seen my share of both friendly, and unfriendly snake. The unfriendly ones being the venonmou ones. 

There's nothing like waiting for a desert tortoise to move off your putting line.

Those big black Ravens have created problems for me. They are sneaky, thieving creatures. Smart too.

Coyotes, when seen, are not much of problem. That is, as long as the golfers before me have not been feeding them scraps of food. 

In my golf travels, I have also seen cows, deer, bison, wolves, bobcats, cougar, elk, bear, and a moose in a fairway in front of me. All up north. 

Wildlife on a golf course should always be expected. Leave them alone, and they will leave you alone. 

[jkelley9]

At my old home course, this was about a year ago now I think, on a BIG uphill par 5 where you can easily see your ball fly and land the whole way (it's a grip it and rip it hole, wide open) I hit a killer drive and split the fairway. As I was walking up to my ball maybe 100 ft. out a fox ran out from the right, grabbed my ball, and took off left! It was freaking hilarious! This was during the day time so I notified the clubhouse, since foxes being out at that time of day means there's a good chance it was rabid.

[DeadMan]

I just thought of another hazard at my home course: magpies. They're not a hazard to your play, but they're a hazard to your food. If you leave food out and walk away from it, they're on it like flash. Food has to be secured and well zipped in your bag for them not to get at it. It's a pain. And, in addition, they'll sometimes sit on cart's steering wheels and shit all over your scorecard. That seems to happen most often when there's not food in your cart the magpies can steal.

[Patch]

22 minutes ago, DeadMan said:

I just thought of another hazard at my home course: magpies. They're not a hazard to your play, but they're a hazard to your food. If you leave food out and walk away from it, they're on it like flash. Food has to be secured and well zipped in your bag for them not to get at it. It's a pain. And, in addition, they'll sometimes sit on cart's steering wheels and shit all over your scorecard. That seems to happen most often when there's not food in your cart the magpies can steal.

The Crows/Ravens that live on the Primm, Nevada golf courses are the same way. You leave anything out in the cart, they will get into it, and/or haul it off. The workers have signs posted every where to let golfers know to watch their stuff. These birds like shiny objects too. Many a set of keys have been lost when left in plain sight. 

Several years ago and guy took his ring off to wear his golf glove easier. He put his ring in a spot on the dash board. A Crow/Raven flew off with it to parts unknown. It made the local news. Apparently the ring was worth around $50,000.00 . 

[The Hook Meister]

Other than a bee or two I have been pretty lucky. BEARS AND alligators should be an unplayable lie. Any ball near them it sure as hell can't be played! I guess this can apply to geese as well.

[cooke119]

Geese are a real pain but some of the courses here on Long Island, NY hire a guy with a dog trained to chase them away. Not only are the geese gone but so is the geese poop. We have a lot of deer here, (I don't think you are allowed to hunt them), now they aren't dangerous but they stand in the middle of the fairway and will not move. I hit one in the hind quarters with a drive, it flinched and looked at me as if to say "what the hey!" (It was not hurt). We also see red fox, musk rats, (by the bay), but they don't bother anyone. Had a musk rat in a sand trap digging a hole, I decided to move my ball just in case, (no I didn't take a stoke, we weren't playing for money).

[tweakers]

Played in Thailand quite a bit, snakes and giant monitor lizards are the things to look out for. A little 9 hole I used to play on Koh Samui, had signs everywhere to not go in the deep stuff because of snakes. Seen a bunch of big snakes sauntering around the place, and in a place where they have King Cobras, thats what they were 🙂 (not being a snake expert, I treated any snake like it was a cobra, avoid and retreat).

The montior lizards seem quite dosile, usually swimming in available water sources, but the odd one will mosy on over the fairway. Dont want a bite of one of them buggers!!! Seen some monsters out there!

[satchmodog]

Not on a course, but in my way. I spent six months at my parent's house in the keys remodeling it after Irma had it's way with our beachfront paradise. Knowing I'd be there awhile, I threw a bag of clubs in the truck and spent my free time smacking balls down the neighbor's six acre beach. Here's a few of the hazards. The croc is named duchess. Our neighbor is a little eccentric. 😊