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Golf courses are home to plenty of traditional hazards with the potential to derail your round, but bunkers, ponds, and other areas you typically want to avoid on the course aren’t the only things you need to be aware of.
In 2023, The British Open was temporarily delayed courtesy of a rare toad that made its way onto the links at Royal Liverpool, and while that animal didn’t pose a threat to the competitors, the same can’t be said for plenty of other species of wildlife that have a tendency to make an appearance at venues around the world.
If you’ve played golf in Florida, there’s a very, very good chance you’ve spotted one of the many alligators that reside on courses in the state (although you have to be particularly unlucky to land your ball on top of one), and I’m not sure anyone has ever suffered a worse stroke of luck than a guy who had his club snapped in half by a massive robber crab the crawled onto his bag in Australia.
There are also plenty of instances where bears have made a somewhat unexpected appearance—which now includes a recent incident that may have resulted in one man having to purchase a new golf bag.
According to Global News, Jerome Gignac opted to buy a new bag before the season kicked off this year and was playing a round at Westwood Plateau in British Columbia at the end of July when a black bear emerged from the woods and made a beeline for the cart that was holding his gear.
A buddy of mine got a new golf bag for this season.
Last weekend a Bear took a liking to it.
Hilarity ensued. pic.twitter.com/iNFoKATTrp— Rob Johnston 🇨🇦🎧🎵 (@Robbie_J) August 1, 2023
Gignac did what he could to dissuade the bear from jacking his bag (which he said didn’t contain any food), but he was unable to prevent the animal from dragging it into a nearby ravine where it seemed to shred his fairly new purchase to shreds.
At least he got a story he’ll be able to tell at the 19th hole for the rest of his playing days.