Animals on the Course

[CeeMart]

A couple of weeks ago playing at BraeBen, looking for a ball, I was spooked by a garden snake in the grass. Yesterday at Rolling Hills I was spooked by a frog.

Anyone come across any animals while playing??

Kinda reminds me of that Golf Muskoka Commerical where the couple saw deer in the forest. I'd LOVE to see that!

[boo1]

A couple of weeks ago playing at BraeBen, looking for a ball, I was spooked by a garden snake in the grass. Yesterday at Rolling Hills I was spooked by a frog.

Anyone come across any animals while playing??

Kinda reminds me of that Golf Muskoka Commerical where the couple saw deer in the forest. I'd LOVE to see that!Sppoked by a Frog??? Musta been one of those giant killer frogs:rofl:

[HUYman]

What about the unidentified bush creature behind the green that spooked us both yesterday?

I wonder what would happen if you ran into a gator playing in Florida?
:hyper:

[iyell4]

... I was spooked by a frog.
really? and you weren't too 'spooked' to lovingly embrace that hedgehog in your avatar? :)

[akrus]

Came across this little guy on one of the holes at a course I played in Florida, a couple of years ago:

[boo1]

I played in St.Kitts acouple of years back. They have monkeys all over the place. They actually come on the fairway and steal your ball. No such thing as a lost ball though..just blame it on a monkey and take your free drop!!

[akrus]

I played in St.Kitts acouple of years back. They have monkeys all over the place. They actually come on the fairway and steal your ball. No such thing as a lost ball though..just blame it on a monkey and take your free drop!!
Could probably train them to spot only high end golf balls and bring them back to you. Crap balls could be thrown back at golfer...

Albert

[Focker Singh]

well well, if you get spooked by garden snakes and frogs not sure if you could handle golfing in the Carolina's or Florida. I was in Santee, CA last summer and as we were walking up to our ball next to a pond my friend didn't even realize there was a gator 3 feet from his ball!!! My friend decided to just take out another ball and play it from a safer distance! Was hilarious to see his face though when he saw the reptile.
I've seen deer, foxes, coons, and all the usual wildlife from golfing.

[Spottswoode]

saw a couple of deer at scarlet woods near the beginning of the summer.. just as nightfall took over

[247golfing]

Mid/late October 2003, Rolling Hills Challenge Course. After we teed off the par 5 #6 and on our way to the fairway, we heard noice behind us. Saw a deer ran across the tee deck area left to right into the woods. We would be killed if we were there.

[openflows]

I've seen all sorts of critters and wildlife. I've seen the deer that live along the humber river valley courses, foxes, snakes, eagles, osprey, gophers, beavers, racoons, skunks, all sorts of insects, and all sorts of humans. ;)

[tjhayko]

I've seen deer (Legends on the Niagara & Deer Creek), skunks (Deer Creek South), snapping turtles (Oakridge), foxes (Oliver's nest), frogs (all over the place) and of course ducks and geese.

[duffer_devon]

I was surprised to see about a dozen deer at Bigwin Island and they an albino deer, pure white !! They are so tame, if they are 4-5' off the cart path, you can drive right by and they won't move. I'm bringing some oats or something to see if they will eat out of my hand.

[joshk]

this is a great thread

hows about having a great drive and a fox comes out of nowhere and steals my ball so i was like what the heck?

so i didnt know what to do was it a free drop?
lol

[tjhayko]

I also had a seagull peck my ball closer to the hole on #15 a Nobleton Lakes one time. :D

[noback]

Seen many deer and foxes on courses we play here near the hills and mountains. Was also in Belleville this summer at Trillium Wood and took this pic of a deer cutting accross the fairways and disapearing into the trees. And to think he never even asked to play through:D

[el tigre]

Snakes, frogs, ducks and geese are pretty common on a golf course.

I've seen deer at many courses (Canadian, Emerald Links, Casselview) and foxes at some (Falcon Ridge, Stonebridge), and there are a couple of herons that are permanent residents at La Cite in Hawkesbury.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned groundhogs. They're everywhere at Pineview, a municipal course right in the city just off Hwy 417.

[AnnikaFan]

snakes :cry:
and a deer that was like 5 feet away from me...the deer was in the bushy, foresty place...where I happen to hit my ball to...oops :P

and lots of black crows...darn those bad luck birds...

and a darn swan/duck that made a huge "quack" just when I hit my ball...which ended up into the water...and successfully destroyed the remainder of my round (i was having the round of the summer until that stupid duck on the 9th hole)

[Mule56]

Seen many deer and foxes on courses we play here near the hills and mountains. Was also in Belleville this summer at Trillium Wood and took this pic of a deer cutting accross the fairways and disapearing into the trees. And to think he never even asked to play through:D Hard to tell if that's Anika or Ernie (as they have been name). I walked right past them one day while they were having a nap at the side of the marsh between #11 and #12. I ran into them and their mom (Nancy) in the early spring, with their dad (Arnold), just off in the woods. Nancy took them off in the field and Arnold came out to let us know not to follow.
Unfortunately the deer population has gone up so much that we have now had a cougar sighting, along with the wolf that were already in the area. Keeps the ground crew on their toes in the early morning.
Mule

[Ems]

Most memorable was at North Granite Ridge in Muskoka. A fox ran across the fairway and a couple of deer in the forest.

I got paired up with an old couple once (forgot the course) but I saw a frog in the pond and made a comment... the couple asked if I was from the city :$. So I was surprised to see such a big frog!! :rolleyes:
I like the story of the fox who stole your ball. Doesn't El Tigre know what the ruling should be in that situation? :)

[KingCobra]

A while ago, while playing Annendale (Cow Pasture), I hit my approch shot on to the green, as we walked up to the green a fox pup ran onto the green grab my ball and started playing with, throwing it around and chasing it. Funniest thing I every saw, from what I heard a lot of people had fallen victim to this playfull pup.:D

[el tigre]

I like the story of the fox who stole your ball. Doesn't El Tigre know what the ruling should be in that situation? :) Oops, sorry EMS. Guess I lose my allowance for this week.:D

The fox is an outside agency. If the ball came to rest, the ball must be replaced with no penalty under Rule 18. If the ball was still rolling, the ball must be played as it lies (wherever that eventually is) with no penalty under Rule 19. If the ball was still rolling and the fox takes it away and you can't find it, it is a lost ball and you incur stroke and distance penalty under Rule 27. If you have reasonable evidence that your ball is in a hole made by a burrowing animal, you would entitled to relief without penalty under Rule 25. The standard for "reasonable evidence" is high - you would basically have to see your ball go into the foxhole.

[lklk]

For me, one of the attractions of golf has always been that "walk in the park" and the ability to experience the flora and fauna. I've been lucky enough to have some tremendous encounters with animals. Deer aplenty all over the province, but I would have to agree the most impressive is at Bigwin Island where the deer are just so tame and get so close to you. A few years ago the fox population at the Toronto Hunt Club exploded to the point where nary a round would go by where you didn't share a bunker with a fox or see one scurrying across the fairway with a squirrel in its mouth for breakfast. Unfortunately, something has happened and the foxes have disappeared. Another time I was golfing down south on one of those mandatory golf cart courses and almost ran over an armadillo.

The Carolinas are an amazing place to experience wildlife. One time however I got a little too close. My ball had landed on the edge of a wetland that had dried up around the perimeter. I went up to hit my ball oblivious to the fact I had some company. As I was just about to hit my ball I heard a rustle behind me. I turned to see a large black and brown snake. I was later told by locals that it sounded like a Copperhead which is poisonous. I beat a hasty retreat but unfortunately in my haste I left one of the two clubs i had brought along as well as the golf ball. Not a problem. One of my playing partners who I don't think had been sober for five days went and got the club for me. The group was kind enough to give me a free drop away from the area of concern which probably violates seventeen rules of golf. However i would argue it should be a local rule at that course. Anyway, I used to hunt for balls down there and find hundreds of them. Now I know why I found so many and they will remain there because my golf ball hunting days down south are OVER.

[Bellyhungry]

My animal encounter experience:

Highland - a startled deer on hole #3
Glen Abbey - a Hawk attacking a rotten on one of the valley holes
La Costa in SoCal - jack rabbits running all over the course
Arizona (don't remember the course name) - rattle snakes - OB
Tiburon at Naples - an alligator in one of the ponds
Doral - fat rich people

I read in the news that recently some hiker got mauled near Silvertip GC in Alberta....

[962B]

I've seen a few animals at Dentonia that actually paid to play.

[swaaain]

I have played with Ronnie and Farmboy, they are both animals in themselves.

Oh, Wildlife.

I have seen, deer, black bears, moose, elk.

We have deer, coyotes, a rather large snapping turtle, skunk (just ask one of support staff member who was sprayed by one).

Rabbits, Racoons, the whole gamut of animals, oh and we even have some cows around too. Also, some foxes, oh there I go again, the bar cart hotties don't count.

[Ems]

My animal encounter experience:

Highland - a startled deer on hole #3
Glen Abbey - a Hawk attacking a rotten on one of the valley holes
La Costa in SoCal - jack rabbits running all over the course
Arizona (don't remember the course name) - rattle snakes - OB
Tiburon at Naples - an alligator in one of the ponds
Doral - fat rich people

I read in the news that recently some hiker got mauled near Silvertip GC in Alberta....
Are you referring to the jogger? She was jogging with two other friends near a golf course, I think near banff. A black bear approached them and while her friends were backing away from the bear, she decided to climb a nearby tree not realizing that bears can climb too.

It was a disturbing story, which is why I remember it...

[Jaydog]

saw a peregrine falcon at cresthaven last year. i thought it was just a fake to keep away some pesky birds (it was so still). as i neared the log it was perched on, the head turned and freaked me out. guess it was scared too cause it just flew away. what a treat to see such a beautiful bird only about a couple of metres away.

[Flogger]

While not technically an Animal, we did run right into a massive swarm of wasps at Timber Ridge two weeks ago. Had to be over a thousand. We were in a cart on 11 and drove off the tee right into the swarm. Made a quick turn to get out of it and didn't get bit once. Lucky as hell. Thought I was gonna die or something. Like a scene right out of a Hitchcock movie :eek:

[tjhayko]

While not technically an Animal, we did run right into a massive swarm of wasps at Timber Ridge two weeks ago. Had to be over a thousand. We were in a cart on 11 and drove off the tee right into the swarm. Made a quick turn to get out of it and didn't get bit once. Lucky as hell. Thought I was gonna die or something. Like a scene right out of a Hitchcock movie :eek:

That was scary, wasn't it? Half surreal. I pictured somebody in the group ahead of covered in wasps like one of those beekeeper tricks they show on TV.

[Garcia]

I was on the 18th tee at Wolf Run and a deer ran across the tee block. But the scariest encounter was at Chateau Whistler in BC. I was on the 16th, walked out of my cart to approach my ball and out walks a bear! I slowly got back into the cart and played a new ball 100 yards down the fairway. For the last two holes I was spooked; thinking I heard noises in the bush.

[Golfbum]

I have seen racoons, fox, muskrats and an old green snapping turtle on my course. I gave that snapper a little tap on the back one day with my 9 iron as he was going across the fairway from one swamp to the other. It did not miss a beat!

Then there are the damn Canadian Geese at my home course. Every spring and fall they are there, and have you ever tried to putt through goose crap? Not good:mad: We have to move it out of the way with our putters before we putt. Just plain nasty!

Speaking of nasty, look at this photo. NOW THAT IS NASTY!