Gators make golf interesting in Florida.

[John Schmidt]

Check this guy out. Reminds me about 40 yrs. ago I was golfing with my bro-in-law on a course that runs near the Wekiwa River. Some of the greens were close to the water and some are elevated so you can't see the surface of it from the fairway. I chipped up and noticed the ball bounced rather high when it hit the green. My BIL did likewise but his didn't bounce, no big deal so we drove up to the green, got out and started walking toward the hole. Whoa....there he lay, at least 10' long and sunning himself. My ball was about three feet from his nose, my BIL's ball was near the tail. He looked at me and said "looks like a gimme' from where I stand."  I agreed and we left the balls there. Apparently my ball had landed on the gator's head on a hard spot, causing it to bounce like it did. When we walked up, he turned to face us so it probably pissed him off a bit. We played through, don't know what the players following us did.

Needless to say, we both pared that hole. 

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/03/11/massive-gator-spotted-at-florida-golf-course/21152358/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl9%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D626511

[cookiedough]

40 years ago you could probably have outrun it, so should've grabbed the gators tail and pulled him off the green so you could see if a par was truly a par?   

I know most do not like ax men or swamp people reality TV shows, but I actually find them interesting at times.    Not many jobs you can make your entire 1 year salary in 30 days of hard work, if you make it out alive that is.   

[Crackerborn]

The overgrown geckos will leave you alone if you return the favor. At a public course I played often when I lived in Mouth of the Rat, FL there was a pair of boots on the hoof that always sunned itself on the dog leg of the 13th hole (par5). Either lay up or a 320 yard drive were the options since incidental alligator was not part of the course rules. 

[Patrick]

The overgrown geckos will leave you alone if you return the favor. At a public course I played often when I lived in Mouth of the Rat, FL there was a pair of boots on the hoof that always sunned itself on the dog leg of the 13th hole (par5). Either lay up or a 320 yard drive were the options since incidental alligator was not part of the course rules. 

Your choice was the long drive then ?     


We always allow the wildlife to play through.

[Crackerborn]

The overgrown geckos will leave you alone if you return the favor. At a public course I played often when I lived in Mouth of the Rat, FL there was a pair of boots on the hoof that always sunned itself on the dog leg of the 13th hole (par5). Either lay up or a 320 yard drive were the options since incidental alligator was not part of the course rules. 

Your choice was the long drive then ?     


We always allow the wildlife to play through.

I was much younger then but even so, if I hit a 300+ yard drive, it would have been on the other fairway so the only danger was to fellow hackers.   

[pais]

 Also in Georgia. I've been going on a yearly golf trip with a group of guys going on 15 yrs. We have been going down to Jekyll Island, Ga. What a absolute hidden jewel! My best friend of 40+ years stumbled upon this island in the early '80's. His future wife's family had been going since the late '60's.
   I love the place, the courses, everything about it. Except the gators, snakes and the spiders! You have to be on a constant look out for all the above. If you hit your ball out of bounds, forget about it. Physically you can't really go in and look for your balls. The courses are literally cut out of a pine forest and the under growth is brutal. The plants have razor edges to them that will leave you bloody. IF you get by all that you most certainly will run into numerous webs of spiders and they are big and nasty. About the only place I have not seen a snake is in the center of the fairways. I probably don't have to tell you, my game is not played from the fairway much. The gators are always prevalent. For obvious reasons mostly by the holes with water. They do venture on to the greens and stroll across the courses.
   Still a wonderful place to visit. No crowds and a slower pace to life.   This is a pic from last years trip, we will be headed that way come April 11