Strangest Animal Encounters

[Medic]

Being a Florida golfer I have had my fair share of encounters with wildlife while hitting the links. Gators a plenty, birds of all kinds, and lots of snakes. But last weekend I had something happen that was a first.

 

While playing Disney's Osprey Ridge, three small Florida Deer came out of the woods. Ok, so I have seen deer on the course before. No big deal.

 

But these guys wondered up onto the green. Right in front of us. Not sure what they were nibbling on but they seemed content and without any fear. We actually had to drive the cart towards them in order to sort of herd them off of the green and out of the way. (they scampered into the greenside bunker and there they stood watching our approach shots believe it or not)

 

This inspired me to post here and ask if anyone else has had any interesting encounters with nature?

 

It really makes me love the game more to be honest. Afterall being out in nature is a large part of the experience. But deer on the green - well that's a memory. One of my pards thought it would have been funny to proceed with our approach shots while they were up there - I couldn't do it. I cannot remotely imagine accidentally hitting one of them although I do like venison.

[JustTAPit in]

That's the best! I think one of the best parts of the game is being so close to nature. We have a family of deer here at my club in the east bay hills in San Fransisco, and they are always right there on our #4 tee box in the shade. When you pull up in your cart, they become very alert, but dont move, then the tee shot, their heads perk up a little more, then you drive away and they keep munching the grass like "no big deal". Its the best! I always hit my best tee shots there, my gallery of deer.

[atlanta golfer]

We have a lot of deer here at my course in northeast Atlanta, including a number of very young ones. We are in a relatively urban area but our course is surrounded by woods and fence so is pretty much an enclosed park. In the evening on the back nine, which is heavily wooded and with a couple of creeks and ponds, I will often see as many as a dozen of them in different spots. They are tame enough but keep about 30 feet away. It is not unusual to even see them walk across the driving range in the early morning. Definitely one of the things about my course that I really love.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

I had a Coyote take a dump on my ball once right in the middle of the fairway and in plain sight of us driving from the tee box. That one was memorable, we were not sure of the ruling on that, as I sure as hell wasnt going to clean it up and play it, we agreed to a free drop for me. We now call that tee dropping the duece, which fits because it is a severly elevated tee shot.

[GrAvEL_eXpReSs]

Theres a course south of Omaha that has wild turkey all over the course and every now and then you get the occasional deer that will come barreling out of the woods across fairways. this same course has giant half aligator half snapping turtle looking things. that like to hang out in the first fairway! if your not careful you might walk right in to one of these little guys..

[TheMackDaddy]

Being from the NW, I see quite a few ddeer, and once I have seen one strolling across the green. About a month ago I was out playing and this deer actually started walking towards me. I snapped a few pictures from 30 feet away, it was incredible. The most exiting animal I have seen is a very large bobcat. It was probably waist high (which is huge) and it was such a beautiful anmal. It literally "posed" for pictures. The most scared I have been from an animal on the course was a rather large coyote, which followed me for half a hole. I was by myself and it was starting to get dark... Believe me, it was frightning. I will post some pictures of the bobcat and deer if I can, however my phone's camera sucks!

[BigPete]

About 50 baboons rampaging across the fairway on a par 4 whooping and shouting. It was Elephant Hills in Zimbabwe but still...

[Poser]

I've seen coyotes, bobcats, deer, alligators, and plenty of snakes. Two things that really stick out to me was an albino squirrel and albino deer.

[tfish]

mid-afternoon to twilight there's a fox at one of the local courses that will literally go a round of 18 holes looking for rabbits/mice/etc

i've seen him out there 90% of the time i've played. always goes in the correct order too.

doesn't ask to play through though.

[TMBob]

[quote name='TheMackDaddy' timestamp='1320449951' post='3760613']
Being from the NW, I see quite a few ddeer, and once I have seen one strolling across the green. About a month ago I was out playing and this deer actually started walking towards me. I snapped a few pictures from 30 feet away, it was incredible. The most exiting animal I have seen is a very large bobcat. It was probably waist high (which is huge) and it was such a beautiful anmal. It literally "posed" for pictures. The most scared I have been from an animal on the course was a rather large coyote, which followed me for half a hole. I was by myself and it was starting to get dark... Believe me, it was frightning. I will post some pictures of the bobcat and deer if I can, however my phone's camera sucks!
[/quote]


Mac, so were was the Bobcat spotted at? I have only seen one and it was at Willows Run.....Lynx or Bobcat by the way?

For me, it was a Desert Tortoise at Ventana Canyon Mountain Course on hole 5 which is right after the famous short Par 3 (awesome hole by the way. We had just teed off and were driving down the cart path and the it was, a good size DT.....my friend who had moved down there had never ever seen one till that day after living there for the past 8 years.


So not only was it pretty cool, but super rare to see.

[EasyDDI]

Just at the beginning of the summer, end of June, I have seen 2 chamois running on the 6th fairway of my home course overlooking the Leman lake in Switzerland. Beautiful sight.

[raynorfan1]

[quote name='Medic' timestamp='1320447792' post='3760469']
Being a Florida golfer I have had my fair share of encounters with wildlife while hitting the links. Gators a plenty, birds of all kinds, and lots of snakes. But last weekend I had something happen that was a first.

While playing Disney's Osprey Ridge, three small Florida Deer came out of the woods. Ok, so I have seen deer on the course before. No big deal.

But these guys wondered up onto the green. Right in front of us. Not sure what they were nibbling on but they seemed content and without any fear. We actually had to drive the cart towards them in order to sort of herd them off of the green and out of the way. (they scampered into the greenside bunker and there they stood watching our approach shots believe it or not)

This inspired me to post here and ask if anyone else has had any interesting encounters with nature?

It really makes me love the game more to be honest. Afterall being out in nature is a large part of the experience. But deer on the green - well that's a memory. One of my pards thought it would have been funny to proceed with our approach shots while they were up there - I couldn't do it. I cannot remotely imagine accidentally hitting one of them although I do like venison.
[/quote]

Water Monitor (very similar to a Komodo Dragon) sauntering across a green in Bali.

We skipped to the next hole.

[MileHighClub]

Played the course down in Key West a few years ago. They have lots of Iguanas running around, some of them pretty good sized. They also have these bizarre chicken/duck cross breed things. I guess you would call them a Chuck or a Dicken?!?

[TheMackDaddy]

It was a bobcat. I saw it at McCormick Woods on hole number 5. Its an elevated tee shot with water on the left. The Bobcat was over in the right side of the rough.

[quote name='TMBob' timestamp='1320451088' post='3760709']
[quote name='TheMackDaddy' timestamp='1320449951' post='3760613']
Being from the NW, I see quite a few ddeer, and once I have seen one strolling across the green. About a month ago I was out playing and this deer actually started walking towards me. I snapped a few pictures from 30 feet away, it was incredible. The most exiting animal I have seen is a very large bobcat. It was probably waist high (which is huge) and it was such a beautiful anmal. It literally "posed" for pictures. The most scared I have been from an animal on the course was a rather large coyote, which followed me for half a hole. I was by myself and it was starting to get dark... Believe me, it was frightning. I will post some pictures of the bobcat and deer if I can, however my phone's camera sucks!
[/quote]


Mac, so were was the Bobcat spotted at? I have only seen one and it was at Willows Run.....Lynx or Bobcat by the way?

For me, it was a Desert Tortoise at Ventana Canyon Mountain Course on hole 5 which is right after the famous short Par 3 (awesome hole by the way. We had just teed off and were driving down the cart path and the it was, a good size DT.....my friend who had moved down there had never ever seen one till that day after living there for the past 8 years.


So not only was it pretty cool, but super rare to see.
[/quote]

[Medic]

[quote name='One_Putt_Blunder' timestamp='1320449896' post='3760633']
I had a Coyote take a dump on my ball once right in the middle of the fairway and in plain sight of us driving from the tee box. That one was memorable, we were not sure of the ruling on that, as I sure as hell wasnt going to clean it up and play it, we agreed to a free drop for me. We now call that tee dropping the duece, which fits because it is a severly elevated tee shot.
[/quote]


Thanks for the laugh! I cannot even imagine seeing that unfolding.

But isn't it supposed to be good luck? How was the rest of your round?

[KYMAR]

Ok so Im 10-11 years old on vacation with the fam to Disney. Playing golf with my dad and brother and I'm walking over to yet another horrible tee shot next to a small stream that ran the length of the hole. There was a slight knoll and then down to the waters edge which was shrouded in high grass at this particular part of the hole. Well at the time, my favorite part of golf was finding balls in water hazards, woods whatever so i thought I'd keep walking over and see how many orange jerry pate specials were rinsed and waiting for me when the high grass starting [i]moving. [/i]before I could move this 26 foot alligator ran down the bank and into the water making a huge splash. OK, it was probably more like 7 feet but it was a freaking alligator and it was no more than 10 feet away from me and im from Ohio! I ran over to my dad who heard the splash, leaving my clubs behind, and told him what happened. He said "bullsh*&" and would NOT believe me despite the fact that i REFUSED to go back and get my clubs, was shaking uncontrollably and was whiter than the socks i sported that likely rose to 3/4 the way to my knees. After we were done we were sitting outside having lunch and my dad sees the guy from the pro shop and asks about it with total disbelief. The guys like "Oh sure, they are all over out there along the water. They won;t bother you if you dont bother them" and i just wondered "well wasnt i technically bothering that bastxxx? i mean he was sunning it up out there and here i come, knee high socks, a bad golf swing and a hankering for some free spaldings and he had to move for me" i was convinced, maybe I am STILL convinced, that i was just [i]this close [/i]to a horrible death that day. If you dont believe me, just ask my therapist. So, all you fellas with cute little deer stories, take that ya pansies!

[kiteman]

1. there were 3 or 4 alligators at the course my father and i were members at when i lived in georgia. that was a scary a** course, they would frequently be out near the fairway. usually you just skipped the hole.

2. about 3 weeks ago i saw a bobcat...twice. it was no more than 20 feet from me. luckily i was not walking...just looked like a big, lean alley cat. kinda cute.

3. deers, armadillos, rabbits, blue herons, cranes and squirrels. probably pretty common here. and i hit a goose once. didn't get the golden egg though.

[Splitter]

Cool thread. I always point out the animals to my kids when I bring them along. Lots of turkey, deer, fox, etc... in the hills up here.

I usually like to watch the raptors though. It's mostly hawks and Kites which will either hover or swoop down on a ground dweller. They're usually good for nabbing one creature a round at my local course.

Probably one of the coolest experiences was on the 12th fairway. I was waiting for one of the guys in our group to hit when I heard something from above roaring like a mini tornado. I looked up in time to see a falcon dropping out of the sky at full speed. The sound wasn't the cry of the bird, but the rush across it's feathers as it ripped the air open.

Whatever snack she was after made its getaway. About 30' before ground impact the falcon opened it's wings, put the brakes on and veered off, appearing to go from full speed to almost full stop in just a few feet. In less than 10 seconds I got to experience the incredible violence velocity creates followed immediately by a grace that didn't seem possible.

Nature is awesome.

[NPVWhiz]

While I was playing Torrey Pines back in 1999 or 2000, we were on one of the back nine greens on the North Course and a coyote loped up from nowhere.

He sort of looked at us for a second, then slowly walked over to the other side of the green..maybe 20 yards away from us, and without ever looking away from us, took the longest leak that I've ever seen an animal take.

He must have had a bladder the size of a milk jug. He was clearly letting us know that this was his territory, but just in case we were thinking about marking it, he was going to give it a quality marking. He finally finished, took brief look about then trotted on away.

Other than that, deer, snakes of all types, foxes (one of which used to steal balls on one of the holes at Sharon Woods back in the late 80s). I met a whole family...village...army of yellow jackets at a local course five or six years ago.

[feedlotdoc]

My old course had kite hawks. Those things would swoop down and dive bomb you. My buddy had his hat knocked off by one while walking off the green. I once saw two bull snakes mating on the second tee box, kinda weird. Was chased by a swan in AZ. Rattlesnakes, turkeys, coyotes, foxes, deer are pretty normal. I also saw a dolphin playing in the water off of a par 3 at Tyndall AFB in FL. That was cool! We also see bald eagles at my new course.

[KYMAR]

Splitter that was a GREAT POST! Well done sir!

[OpusX20]

While playing with a buddy up in Oregon (Tokatee, hole #5), his ball came to rest by a small non-poisonous snake. The snake did not seem inclined to move when we got up there. My playing partner, who is deathly afraid of all snakes, said that he knew there was a rule that would get him free relief from the situation. I told him that non-poisonous snakes would not be covered uder that decision since they are not dangerous. Long story short, we decided on a compromise where he would not get relief, but I would remove the "dangerous" offender. Pic of the serpent below...

[attachment=904959:Tokatee_IMG00283-20100625-1856.jpg]

[KYMAR]

lol "non poisonous snakes dont count, Play it as it lies!!" at least you moved it for him. If it were me, Id take stroke and distance to avoid that thing. I am certifiably cowardice around even the tamest of snakes. To me that little thing would look like a Boa in person. Ew,, cold shiver! I have to irrationally check under my couch now damn it!

[glauser]

I had a deer run right across my line on the green at TPC Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago. Made a ton of noise in the bush behind me then sprinted across the green. Crazy.

[Llortamaisey]

Saw the chupacabra on the Nicklaus course in the jungles of Puerta Vallarta. That thing was just hoping around everywhere.

[Instant Offense]

One summer I saw 14 Copperheads on our course. I am in Kentucky so I have also saw a few bear, tons of deer, lots of bobcats, skunks, rabbits, squirrells, a couple rattle snakes, several elk, and lots of turkey. Lots of wildlife up in the mountains.

[TMBob]

I forgot a few

Black Bears (mom and cubs...watch out) on a the course in BC were parts of Happy Gilmore was filmed on Furry Creek (Bob Barker and Adam Sandler fight took place there) and more Black Bears at Iron Horse in Whitefish Mt.

Bald Eagles are not that big of a deal in my area now as I see one or more every day, but I saw a few cool things with Bald Eagles

a) I made a double eagle one day this summer on the 5th hole and on my 12th tee, there were two bald eagles soaring right above us, aka another double eagle.

b) A course out our way is called Trophy Lake, which doubled as a golf course and a fly fishing spot. The lakes were stocked with big Rainbows and one could rent a fly rod and go fish there in the ponds. Well, we all know what sport was the king at this local and the only ones that are catching these Bows were the Bald Eagles....Quite the site to see these huge birds get a large fish and fly with them and then land on a tree that is now a stump 30 ft up and eat the that big bow as it flopped around pretty close to use.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

[quote name='Medic' timestamp='1320453066' post='3760871']
[quote name='One_Putt_Blunder' timestamp='1320449896' post='3760633']
I had a Coyote take a dump on my ball once right in the middle of the fairway and in plain sight of us driving from the tee box. That one was memorable, we were not sure of the ruling on that, as I sure as hell wasnt going to clean it up and play it, we agreed to a free drop for me. We now call that tee dropping the duece, which fits because it is a severly elevated tee shot.
[/quote]


Thanks for the laugh! I cannot even imagine seeing that unfolding.

But isn't it supposed to be good luck? How was the rest of your round?
[/quote]

On the day 6 birdies, 2 over 73 it was a weird mix of birdies and double bogeys. It was just as weird of a round as the coyote doing his business. I won 6 skins with a birdie on 18 though. Bought some new clean balls with the cash lol.

[GatorNate11]

Mainly deer here. During the spring and summer the geese are insane.

[jabrch]

[attachment=905193:croc2.jpg][attachment=905191:Croc1.jpg]

KYMAR - no pics? :-)

Ran into this guy a few feet from my ball at Playa Mujeres in Cancun. Needless to say, I took a free drop and considered it unsafe to play my ball...