Strangest Animal Encounters

[MadGolfer76]

Got charged by a bull moose a few years ago. Not as much fun as you might think.

[Talon_Bomber]

A couple of friends of mine took me to Paa-ko Ridge GC in NM before I moved to FL. On the 3rd tee box we heard a strange noise and turned around to see a brown bear sitting in the top of a tree no more than 30 ft from the tee box and roughly 70 ft tall. Probably shouldn't have sat there watching but we took pics and then hit our tee shots, could have sworn the thing laughed at my buddy's slice OB


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[Talon_Bomber]

another NM treat as well. Glad I'm back in FL...

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[koiom]

I watched a cow eat a friends ball that was snap hooked OB into a paddock

[CowtownTexas]

I've seen all the things others have mentioned: Deer, elk, moose, bears, large cats, snakes, etc. Never played in Africa or Australia, so I haven't seen those animals.

Strangest encounters were a red fox that picked up my ball and took off into the river bed when I was a kid. Was particularly bad as that was my only ball so I had to just walk in.

Other was these odd looking green monkey's in Nevis, West Indies. Hit a shot into a blind green, got there, couldn't find my ball, then saw the green monkey in the tree holding it. Was definitely odd.

[1972Todd]

One afternoon in the summer of 09' I went to step out of the cart at Marshall Canyon Golf Club in LaVerne, CA on hole 8. I heard kind of a loud hissing/shaking sound. I looked over and a rattlesnake was coiled and sounding his alarm. He couldn't of been more than 2' away. I just hit the gas without even bringing my left foot back in the cart. My brother who was sitting in the cart, looked at me like I was crazy. I looked at him with "deer in the headlight eyes" and said "RattleSnake, Dogg!", he was stunned. I stop the cart about 20' away and showed him the snake, it was still coiled. He told me that he thought the tire was going flat and was wondering why I was driving so fast with the tire was going flat. My brother hit the snake with a rock and it didn't budge, just stayed coiled. This course has deer that are always present and we had even seen coyotes there. They had rattlesnake warning signs, but we had never seen any. My brother said it was a sound that he would never forget. We never went back to that course again. I love golf, but not enough to die for it

[1lissieb]

In college, I worked on a course in Indiana that had an unknown Emu farm next to it. We were cutting the greens in the morning when an Emu came running across the green. It took 8 of us in carts to persuade the Emu to our Maintenance Shack. The owner came and picked the Emu up and apologized. Nothing like mowing a green and an oversized [i]Ostrich[/i] comes running across. It was 7:00 in the morning.

[Stretch]

This dude was hanging around the 10th fairway today showing off and looking for a date.

 

 

[Woodridge]

Where I grew up playing, we used to have these Redwing Blackbirds that would divebomb you. Your best defense was holding an iron above your head.

[J13]

On a weekend fishing trip in deleware my father and I rented scooters to buzz around for the day. Well at dusk we were headed down the road after grabbing a bite and a buck came from a farm to our right and started charging my dad and was running right besides him dropping his head to swipe him with his antellars. Next thing I know my dad cocked back and rocked the buck with a right hook and the buck dropped on the road and all's you heard were antellars screeching on the concrete. Best part about it my dad maintained balance of the scooter and didn't stop for another 100ft or so. By the time I got to him the buck got up and literally stumbled around in a daze then eventually snapped out of it and took off. My dad was honestly in shock, he couldnt believe what had happened. It was the CRAZIEST THING I've ever seen. Also my dad is a former fighter so his naturally response is to throw punches ahaha the old man still has it even at 52 years of age. I won't be crossing him anytime soon.

[rhyno18]

I posted this last night in another post about dogs on the course.
[quote]The groundskeeper at one of the courses I play has a huge black lab named Bear. Friendly as heck, just a really good natured dog that's always out on the course with him. Last fall, while playing a late afternoon round by myself, I see Bear out on the course, near the 8th green. No big deal, but I don't see his owner. I go ahead and tee off, but instead of going to my ball I go on past it up towards the green, to make sure the groundskeeper isn't someplace I could it him with my approach, or fallen out hurt or anything. When I get about 30 yards from Bear, I realize it isn't Bear, its a bear! A bear cub about the same size as Bear. Of course we all know, where ever a bear cub is, momma bear ain't far behind. I left my ball in the fairway and made a hard left turn away from the cub and even skipped number 9 to get back to the clubhouse. Sad thing is, that's a narrow hole and I hardly ever hit the fairway on that hole. The one time I do, I leave the ball and run like a schoolgirl [/quote]



I played a little country club course in SE NC once that had the friendliest squirrels I've ever seen. Must be a local thing, because their logo balls even had a squirrel on them. I fed a cracker to one at the turn, and he ended up riding with me in my cart for half the back nine. If I hadn't run out of food I bet he would have stayed the whole time. I really wish I had a cell phone camera back then.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

This dude was hanging around the 10th fairway today showing off and looking for a date.

 

 

 

 

Are you sure that is not Ol' Jack Persal hanging out at a LPGA event

[Hambone1]

The weirdest one I have ever had came last summer at a club just outside Seattle. I was in early and got a call in the shop from our building maintenance lady, in hysterical Spanish. Over my years in the golf business, I have picked up bits and pieces of Spanish from trying to communicate with turf crews so I was able to pick out "oso" and "bano." Still a little groggy, and trying to figure out why I care that a bear took a deuce by one of the on-course bathrooms, I finally managed to get which bathroom she was at (36 hole facility). Turns out she was trying to tell me that there was a bear IN the on course bathroom (basically a little mini building, guys on one side, girls on the other) and that the closing turf guy had forgotten to flip the dead bolt the night before. So a full grown black bear had pushed it's way into the ladies bathroom, and was just kind of hanging out trying to figure out how to get out. So after having a very Hangover-esque moment of "there's a bear in the bathroom!" I called Animal Control who I'm pretty sure didn't believe me, and was able to watch from a safe distance as they tranq'ed the bear and dragged it out in a net to relocate it.

[CodyKid91]

This is a great thread. I live in PEI, Canada and we don't have anything even remotely dangerous here, no bears, snakes or anything. I've been to FL and SC but only saw gators no snakes. Gators are fine they just sit there but snakes scare the sh** out of me, I guess its mostly because i haven't seen one but not a fan that's for sure.

[BigOgolfer]

No, just kidding. That was not on a golf course. This guy was though. Took this from a cart.

[bknapp34]

[size="3"]I was on spring break one year playing with my family in southern Florida at a pretty nice course. on the 13th hole there is a house with a screened in pool area. In this pool area they kept a parrot in a cage. well apparently since this incredibly smart bird listened to hundreds of golfers hit tee shots on this hole and he picked up on all the most frequent sayings he heard at that tee bed. I guess A LOT of people hit it in the water on that hole because immediately after i hit my tee shot I heard "thats in the water!". THE DAMN BIRD WAS TELLIN ME I HIT MY SHOT IN THE WATER!!! lol. My older brother hits next and the bird yells "GOD DAMNIT!" my family was laughing so hard after this it was hard for my dad and other brother to hit their shots. it kept yelling obscene comments after both my dads shot and my brothers. one of the funniest things i have ever seen. oh there is also a 16ft alligator at the course that they call "BIG AL"...and let me tell ya...his name is VERY fitting lol[/size]

[hammy83]

^ 16 foot? are you sure? If so that would be one big alligator to let roam on a golf course. a human to him would be like me eating a slice of cheese. Not to say I don't believe you but its rare to see an american alligator that big.

[tesuquegolfer]

[quote name='Talon_Bomber' timestamp='1320899113' post='3782239']
A couple of friends of mine took me to Paa-ko Ridge GC in NM before I moved to FL. On the 3rd tee box we heard a strange noise and turned around to see a brown bear sitting in the top of a tree no more than 30 ft from the tee box and roughly 70 ft tall. Probably shouldn't have sat there watching but we took pics and then hit our tee shots, could have sworn the thing laughed at my buddy's slice OB


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[/quote]

I play there a few times a year as I live about an hour away. Anyway, the last time I played there we were up at the back tees on #17 looking back on the golf course when I got this eerie feeling, I looked down and saw fresh mountain lion tracks. We had talked for years about PaaKo being perfect mountain lion territory but that was the first time I saw any sign of them.

A friend of mine worked at Towa just north of Santa Fe and he said he saw a mountain lion lounging in the bunker one day. A few days later they found a blood trail and some tire tracks as some local came and took him home (typical here in NM).

Great picture, I will send it to my friends that know PaaKo. Thanks

[Stretch]

Played a twilight nine this evening and, while lining up a putt on the 11th, I can see this big grey heron standing really still at the back of the green in my peripheral vision. Kinda funny because usually he'd be fishing over in the hazard on the left of the green. Anyway, I go stand over the ball it and just as I'm about to putt he jabs his beak into the ground, spears a mole, throws it up into the air, catches it and swallows it whole. The greenskeeper's friend!

 

[UruguayanPGA]

Ive had a racoon come to our cart and open my friends bag and take a granola bar while we were on the green. I guess they like Nature Valley

[Saint]

[quote name='Thrillhouse' timestamp='1320524366' post='3763515']
In Florida i've seen gators and a coral snake
In Texas i've seen water moccasins and a few other kinds of snakes, as well as a big tarantula wandering across a green in Odessa
In Arizona i've seen rattlesnakes, red racers, a bobcat, [b][u]habalinas[/u][/b] (kind of like warthogs), coyotes
at Banff Springs in Alberta i've seen elk, and plenty of them.
in wyoming ive played a course with antelope all over the place, saw a rattlesnake at the same course
at other courses in Alberta and BC I have seen lots of deer, plenty of coyotes, a pack of wolves once, and a couple of black bears. I have yet to come across a grizzly and I hope I never do, they are really dangerous.
[/quote]

That would actually be a javalina, or a collared peccary. Much more like a pig than a warthog, but not related to either.

I've seen deer and hawks, and that's about it. Mostly typical TX wildlife is all.

[Bobcat43]

I have seen many an animal on courses in the 30+ years I've been playing golf. But during a guys weekend this past summer in Nashville (Hermitage General's Retreat) I witnessed a golf cart get attacked by a squirrel. I'm not kidding this little guy was not happy with us or our carts.

It happened on the first hole as our 4some was pulling away from the tee. This Kamikazi rodent came screaming out of the trees next to the tee. I was in the cart behind and my buddies were just in front. I swear he tried to miss him. Unfortunately, for the squirrel and the wedding party getting pictures 20 yards away he was unsuccessful. All the girls in the wedding party were quite upset. Especially when all the guys pulled out phones to take pictures.

I know it's supposed to be good luck if it rains on your wedding day, but what about this...


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[mandudebro]

Not uncommon to run into deer, red tailed hawks, coyote, turkeys on my local courses. Craziest by far was on El Tigre Golf Course in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico...just a bengal tiger- no biggie.

Only in Mexico...

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[One_Putt_Blunder]

I dont think that fence would do a whole lot of good to stop that tiger.

[ben w]

[quote name='UruguayanPGA' timestamp='1323030476' post='3890381']
Ive had a racoon come to our cart and open my friends bag and take a granola bar while we were on the green. I guess they like Nature Valley
[/quote]

I've heard they wash their food before eating it.... maybe that's how they deal with the mess of crumbs that invariably results from trying to eat a nature valley bar.

[grebeson]

gators are no fun for golf...

[TMBob]

Just posted on facebook, at the AP Private Course at La Quinta

This would be cool to see on the course!
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[TMBob]

[quote name='Hambone1' timestamp='1322676373' post='3871591']
The weirdest one I have ever had came last summer at a club just outside Seattle. I was in early and got a call in the shop from our building maintenance lady, in hysterical Spanish. Over my years in the golf business, I have picked up bits and pieces of Spanish from trying to communicate with turf crews so I was able to pick out "oso" and "bano." Still a little groggy, and trying to figure out why I care that a bear took a deuce by one of the on-course bathrooms, I finally managed to get which bathroom she was at (36 hole facility). Turns out she was trying to tell me that there was a bear IN the on course bathroom (basically a little mini building, guys on one side, girls on the other) and that the closing turf guy had forgotten to flip the dead bolt the night before. So a full grown black bear had pushed it's way into the ladies bathroom, and was just kind of hanging out trying to figure out how to get out. So after having a very Hangover-esque moment of "there's a bear in the bathroom!" I called Animal Control who I'm pretty sure didn't believe me, and was able to watch from a safe distance as they tranq'ed the bear and dragged it out in a net to relocate it.
[/quote]

Newcastle?

[LennyTheLip]

Playing in northern NJ, we just cleared a green on a par 4, were teeing off on the next hole, when I saw what I thought was a big a$% dog. Turned out it was a juvenile black bear.

[crp6]

On a par 3 overlooking a lake, I had a ball spin back off the green and come to rest on an alligator sunning itself on the bank. Needless to say, I took a drop.