What to do about Aligators?

[Trapperchamonix]

I've never been to Florida before so my question might be a bit niave. I know that there is a small chance of coming across an Aligator when you are playing some of the courses.

What should you do?

a) Just leave the ball where it is and drive on? (I'll put myself down for a birdie on the score card)

b) wrestle with the gator and bring my wife back a pair of shoes?

c) take a selfie with the Aligator and die in the attempt?

d) tell the caddie this is where he earns his tip?

[BIG STU]

Now this is from personal experience here in the beach area of SC. Most gators are not aggressive at all if you do not provoke them actually they are more scared of you than you are of them. If you hit a ball near them approach cautiously and slowly not being aggressive and 9 out of 10 times they will slide slowly into the water. Now if it does not do that I would not get any closer and let it have the ball. Most gators around courses are used to people but still cautious and will run. Now in the spring if it is a mama gator and she has little ones use extreme caution because she can become agitated if she thinks you are going to hurt the little ones. Common sense and a cautious approach is always needed.

[playoffbeard23]

Thought the same thing when I moved down here 2 years ago from Boston. I was expecting a Chubs style battle with these beasts on every other hole and to be honest haven't come across too many. One course I play regularly has a bunch of good size gators (above 6ft) but for the most part you really don't come across them very often. Like Stu said they're more afraid of you than you think and will usually leave when the cart pulls up and you wont even notice. Now if its mating season they can be more aggressive but still not a huge deal they usually just hang out on the back tees to keep hackers off and keep up pace of play. :taunt:

[oldschoolrocker]

Let common sense rule the day. Just a bit down south from Stu ^, and most courses in the area have signs on known locations where they hang out. Usually "Don't feed or molest." I have been playing from South Carolina to Louisana for 40 years and have seen many on and around, but, have NEVER felt threatened. Only once, when a particualy large one was sunning itself on the back fringe of a green did our group say "good, good..." Leave the balls and move on. Do however, if you run across a fire ant mound use caution.

[BrianL99]

Most golf course will provide reasonable direction on how to handle any Alligators you may run into.

[Baitkiller]

It's the one you don't see that will eat you. Gators is sneaky critters.

[Pondy]

If I come across one on the tee I say "par" and move to the next hole, with the intention of coming back to the hole later.

 

If during a hole, your ball is within 50' of a gator, that hole is "par" and move on to the next tee. Remember, gators (not crocodiles) are extremely agile and much faster than humans are for the first 40 feet. I've never had anyone challenge my 'local' rule in a scorecard.

 

If you hear the gator hiss at any time, leave calmly but quickly. Also, be extra attentive if you're preparing to play a shot near waters' edge as they are often just in the water, waiting to pounce on lunch. Usually, lunch is a bird or other critter, but you never know, lol.

[Qqq123xx]

I would go with b you'll score some major bonus points and she will be amazed at your manliness, or totally pissed for you being so stupid.

[Gbxgold]

My advice is be very carefull near water. And NEVER go digging around the woods for lost balls. The 5 foot rattlesnake came out of the woods across our tee box with out a care in the world. The gator was a nice one and you can see my ball tried to scare him into the water by inchig the golf cart towards him he didn't budge.dont know why the gator picture keeps uploading upside down but you get the idea. Both taken in Palm beach county Florida.

[RichieHunt]

Yup. No reason to go towards the water. If it ain't for the alligators, you have water moccasin's. I also look at it this way...while they say that alligators and most snakes are not aggressive and more scared of you than you are of them....it would be my luck to get that rogue alligator that will pull a Chubbs Peterson.

 

As Ron Bennington once said 'you better respect nature, dude.'

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Option E kill it and make some nice gator belts

[Pondy]

Option E kill it and make some nice gator belts

 

Says the guy that has never been one on one with a 10 footer, lol.

[deadsolid...shank]

Yup. No reason to go towards the water. If it ain't for the alligators, you have water moccasin's. I also look at it this way...while they say that alligators and most snakes are not aggressive and more scared of you than you are of them....it would be my luck to get that rogue alligator that will pull a Chubbs Peterson.

 

As Ron Bennington once said 'you better respect nature, dude.'

 

 

 

 

 

RH

 

Those people who say snakes and gators are more afraid of me than I am of them grossly underestimate what a scaredy cat I am!

 

Being from the Great Plains I've obviously never encountered a gator, but more than my share of Diamondbacks.

[Pondy]

Most of the wildlife in Florida is poisonous or has really big teeth and a bad attitude.

 

Its a really competitive ecosystem down there and we are just visitors (or lunch).

[shortgame85]

If you really must ask: stay the F away from them!

[RSinSG]

20 or so alligator attacks per year in The US. 7000-8000 venomous snake bites in the US per year. The odds are very small that it would happen, but I wouldn't want to test the odds. Keep away.

[Trapperchamonix]

Let common sense rule the day. Just a bit down south from Stu ^, and most courses in the area have signs on known locations where they hang out. Usually "Don't feed or molest." I have been playing from South Carolina to Louisana for 40 years and have seen many on and around, but, have NEVER felt threatened. Only once, when a particualy large one was sunning itself on the back fringe of a green did our group say "good, good..." Leave the balls and move on. Do however, if you run across a fire ant mound use caution.

 

Thanks everyone for advice.

 

OSR, the one thing I definitley will not do is "molest" a Gator.

[RichieHunt]

I see alligators occasionally out of the water. They usually stay in the same position, never moving, for hours at a time. So if they are say 50-feet away from you (and on land), they shouldn't be a problem. They have no intention of coming towards you in that situation. But get near the water and it's a completely different ball game. And again, the snakes are a larger issue. Golf ball ain't worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[EKELLY]

That's why I'm always packin"......!!......

[playoffbeard23]

Like a boss, well done

[Hybrid]

Sorry, never heard of an 'Aligator'.

[ob1soccer]

My advice is be very carefull near water. And NEVER go digging around the woods for lost balls. The 5 foot rattlesnake came out of the woods across our tee box with out a care in the world. The gator was a nice one and you can see my ball tried to scare him into the water by inchig the golf cart towards him he didn't budge.dont know why the gator picture keeps uploading upside down but you get the idea. Both taken in Palm beach county Florida.

 

is that a rattlesnake, i cant tell from the picture

[Will Par]

Chance of getting bitten by a critter playing golf in Florida (in order of most likely to least likely):

 

Mosquito

Fire Ant

Noseeum (may be at top of the list depending on where you play)

Bee or wasp

Snake

Alligator

 

Don't worry about the gators. It's the other smaller critters that need your attention.

[Gbxgold]

My advice is be very carefull near water. And NEVER go digging around the woods for lost balls. The 5 foot rattlesnake came out of the woods across our tee box with out a care in the world. The gator was a nice one and you can see my ball tried to scare him into the water by inchig the golf cart towards him he didn't budge.dont know why the gator picture keeps uploading upside down but you get the idea. Both taken in Palm beach county Florida.

 

is that a rattlesnake, i cant tell from the picture

 

Yes one of the guys I was playing with siad it was an eastern diamondback.

[Cwing]

Easy

 

Free drop no closer to the hole and a safe distance from the critters. Lost ball in water/woods. Drop no closer to the hole, safe from critters.

 

Zero chance Im giving you a par and moving on when you can hit 50 yards left or right of the beast in question as long as they aren't being aggressive and someone is watching.

[vonasemj]

Free drop. Let the gator have your ball.

 

Never having been around a gator though I feel like I'd be tempted to see how close I could get. How fast do they run if they get aggressive?

[Baitkiller]

Roughly 30 mph but you only have to outrun the slowest guy in your group.

[Pondy]

I never thought it THAT way, lmao

[JustinG76]

This one is from Sarasota National down in Venice.....year before the grass wasn't cut and like idiots we were looking for lost balls along the edges of water.

[Orlandogolfguru]

Now this is from personal experience here in the beach area of SC. Most gators are not aggressive at all if you do not provoke them actually they are more scared of you than you are of them. If you hit a ball near them approach cautiously and slowly not being aggressive and 9 out of 10 times they will slide slowly into the water. Now if it does not do that I would not get any closer and let it have the ball. Most gators around courses are used to people but still cautious and will run. Now in the spring if it is a mama gator and she has little ones use extreme caution because she can become agitated if she thinks you are going to hurt the little ones. Common sense and a cautious approach is always needed.

 

This. And take a selfie.