[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by buckeyegirl

We actually kept on playing after the "alligator incident" and my husband got a par on the next hole! On a serious note...I have now lived here for 1 1/2 years and started playing golf shortly after we moved to The Villages. What we wanted to let people know by sharing this story was this: I play golf three days a week. I have watched people I play with from the beginning go near the water to hit the ball. I thought this was ok. I thought you would see the alligator and if you didn't it was ok. I was wrong. Very wrong. I will NEVER go near the water again. The attack was lighting fast. He was hidden under the water. He flew out of the water about 3 1/2 feet in the air and hit my husband at least 4 feet from the water. He grabbed his leg and knocked him on his back. He was completely out of the water. He stood on his legs and came a few steps forward with his mouth open. Then he stopped, lowered himself to the ground and slide backwards back into the water. Please, everyone, be safe and stay away from the water. My husband did not think he was in danger since he was at least 4' from the water. He did not think he was doing anything wrong. There were no green stakes with or without red tops by the water. I have hit my ball near where he hit his before. Please everyone, let that ball go. Do not go near the water. The debate of whether or not the alligators should be there is not relevant. They are there here and they are very good at what they do. Finding things to eat. Let's not be their dinner!

Thank you for the good reminder. I always personally stay well away from water, always. I've seen a gator come out of a pond and it can happen in a split second.

However we back on a couple of small ponds. And all day long golfers go to the water's edge trying to retrieve lost balls. It's amazing. The ponds are small, but we've seen a gator in one of them.

[Jdmiata]

I must say that I was extra careful playing golf near the water today.

[jimmy D]

Your friend Gary. I hope he is ok, but why risk this for a couple of bucks or did he not care or realize it is dangerous around water in Fl?????

[kaydee]

I gotta believe that most all of us golfers have at some point gone within several feet of waters edge to hit a retrieve a ball. Trying to save a couple bucks is not the issue..speaking for myself, I'm playing golf and if my ball is found or playable in what I thought would be a safe distance from waters edge then that's where I would have been. Not anymore. As posted, the gator was not visible and it leaped out of the water. Again, speaking for myself, I wouldn't have thought that a gator would have been that aggressive to have been hiding so to speak and then spring out to attack.
I thank the OP for this wake up call.

[gustavo]

Originally Posted by mulligan

Unless the red stakes have a green top. That indicates a preserve area where you may not enter under any circumstances.

Green tops were not mentioned in the OP.

[gustavo]

Originally Posted by kaydee

I gotta believe that most all of us golfers have at some point gone within several feet of waters edge to hit a retrieve a ball. Trying to save a couple bucks is not the issue..speaking for myself, I'm playing golf and if my ball is found or playable in what I thought would be a safe distance from waters edge then that's where I would have been. Not anymore. As posted, the gator was not visible and it leaped out of the water. Again, speaking for myself, I wouldn't have thought that a gator would have been that aggressive to have been hiding so to speak and then spring out to attack.
I thank the OP for this wake up call.

Let's put some perspective on this. How many tee times are there each year in the Villages? A couple million. At least one person in each group has probably ventured near the water's edge in search of a lost ball. How many gator attacks have been reported? One, this one and the guy kept playing after the attack and actually parred the next hole. So I think it is safe to assume you will be hit by a car before you're the next gator attack story.

[kittygilchrist]

The villages is a set up for an alligator attack. There is too much water, too many alligators, and too many unsuspecting people for it to be otherwise. anyone who sees an alligator over 4 feet in a location where people are coming and going, may report it as a nuisance alligator. In my opinion this should be a common practice to keep golf course and backyard water as free of them as possible.

866-392-gator is the nuisance alligator hotline. The fish and wildlife commission will contact the CDD for permission to enter the property.

[Cisco Kid]

Originally Posted by buckeyegirl

We actually kept on playing after the "alligator incident" and my husband got a par on the next hole! On a serious note...I have now lived here for 1 1/2 years and started playing golf shortly after we moved to The Villages. What we wanted to let people know by sharing this story was this: I play golf three days a week. I have watched people I play with from the beginning go near the water to hit the ball. I thought this was ok. I thought you would see the alligator and if you didn't it was ok. I was wrong. Very wrong. I will NEVER go near the water again. The attack was lighting fast. He was hidden under the water. He flew out of the water about 3 1/2 feet in the air and hit my husband at least 4 feet from the water. He grabbed his leg and knocked him on his back. He was completely out of the water. He stood on his legs and came a few steps forward with his mouth open. Then he stopped, lowered himself to the ground and slide backwards back into the water. Please, everyone, be safe and stay away from the water. My husband did not think he was in danger since he was at least 4' from the water. He did not think he was doing anything wrong. There were no green stakes with or without red tops by the water. I have hit my ball near where he hit his before. Please everyone, let that ball go. Do not go near the water. The debate of whether or not the alligators should be there is not relevant. They are there here and they are very good at what they do. Finding things to eat. Let's not be their dinner!

Did someone pee on the wound to sanitize it ?

[MoeVonB61]

IT'S ALLIGATOR MATING SEASON!!! THEY LAY THEIR EGGS AT THE WATER'S EDGE!!.. first....it's a sin we don't respect their territory and STAY AWAY from the water's edge JULY AND AUGUST.....Common sense to me....Happy that person is unarmed but the alligator was merely WARNING him!!

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by kaydee

I gotta believe that most all of us golfers have at some point gone within several feet of waters edge to hit a retrieve a ball. Trying to save a couple bucks is not the issue..speaking for myself, I'm playing golf and if my ball is found or playable in what I thought would be a safe distance from waters edge then that's where I would have been. Not anymore. As posted, the gator was not visible and it leaped out of the water. Again, speaking for myself, I wouldn't have thought that a gator would have been that aggressive to have been hiding so to speak and then spring out to attack.
I thank the OP for this wake up call.

I agree with all of the quoted post. I have played the same way forever , now will heed the warning. I can remember one time hitting a ball out of the water and onto a green in TV. The ball was in the water, one or 2 dimples breaking the surface of the water. I had to take a shoe off and step into the water. I am glad the 'restaurant' was closed that day

Might be time to get a caddy? Someone to send into the the waters edge before you proceed so you can safely try to save par?

[asianthree]

I have never understood why a golf ball or a penalty stroke is worth taking a chance for such an encounter

[ajbrown]

Originally Posted by asianthree

I have never understood why a golf ball or a penalty stroke is worth taking a chance for such an encounter

I.G.N.O.R.A.N.C.E

I was ignorant to the fact a gator would be submerged in the water waiting for an old hacker to come by for a bite....

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by ajbrown

I.G.N.O.R.A.N.C.E

I was ignorant to the fact a gator would be submerged in the water waiting for an old hacker to come by for a bite....

And most people don't know they can rise on their hind legs and launch themselves at you. Nice post, AJ, a lot of us don't know what we're ignorant about until it bites us on the... You know.

[firewalkerb3]

Read a lot of different opinions on how to handle/deal with this issue. I think some good common horse scenes (as my grandfather would say) will go a long way addressing the need to have safe places to enjoy without threat of being eaten of disfigured. I don’t like the dramatic twists and approach some put on things in an attempt to create a ghoulish picture of gators demise after capture, while averting the demise of what the gator captures. I’m sure the gator is a lot less humane about how he dispatches his desires. I respect everyone opinion and beliefs, we all have to decide what we a willing to live with.

[kittygilchrist]

Originally Posted by firewalkerb3

Read a lot of different opinions on how to handle/deal with this issue. I think some good common horse scenes (as my grandfather would say) will go a long way addressing the need to have safe places to enjoy without threat of being eaten of disfigured. I don’t like the dramatic twists and approach some put on things in an attempt to create a ghoulish picture of gators demise after capture, while averting the demise of what the gator captures. I’m sure the gator is a lot less humane about how he dispatches his desires. I respect everyone opinion and beliefs, we all have to decide what we a willing to live with.

I'd rather see people live and gators populations sensibly managed. We do have a choice about this, and if we choose to leave large gators in our ponds, someone will get seriously hurt..