iStockphoto / kojihirano / twildlife
Golf course management is a never ending task because it requires constant upkeep and maintenance in order to maintain pristine playing conditions. Turf managers can do everything possible to keep a course in optimal shape but there’s nothing they can do to prevent a squadron of javelinas from showing up and destroying the place.
That’s exactly what happened at the Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona, Arizona. Well, it’s presumably what happened because the javelinas weren’t caught in the act but the destruction they left behind is characteristic of how they root in the ground. This video was share by Seven Canyons Golf Club assistant superintendent Em(ily?) Casey:
Come along with me on my carnage (I mean course) check this morning. What should be one of the most beautiful golf courses in the country is being destroyed by herds of javelina. If anyone has a contact in AZ state govt that can help us find a solution please pass it along. pic.twitter.com/XftywHtVCf
— Em Casey (@emcaseyturf) October 22, 2023
Somehow, this video seems to have found the ‘nature’ crowd versus the golfing crowd. The comments on X (formerly known as Twitter) aren’t sympathetic to the groundskeeper.
One person replied to say “golf course land protection is an important issue, said no one” while another added “Solution: stop wasting precious resources on golf courses.”
Another user chimed in with “Bro crying about his golf course being destroyed in the middle of a desert while the whole state is in a drought.” And another person chirped in the comments by saying “Sorry that you put your golf course in the natural habitat for javelinas. Looks awful green for a desert, where does the water come from?”
We could spend plenty of time discussing how Golf Tourism is vital to the Arizona economy. I could mention that in 2019 alone, golf-driven tourism brought an estimated $2.2 BILLION to the Arizona economy through 2.4 million visitors who supported an estimated 24,100 jobs. But what’s the point?
The people in the comments of the video have already made their minds up that the land belongs to the javelinas. It is possible, however, to be sympathetic to this groundskeeper whose hard work was destroyed while also recognizing habitat loss of the javelinas.
For those who need a refresher on what javelinas even are, there is an article I wrote years ago about a viral video of a javelina sprinting as fast as a car. That footage quickly got turned into memes.