Two stroke penalty . . . Or did he get a drop?

It has been one of those weeks at work so when I saw this story it triggered a funny memory from a vacation I went on last year to Mexico. 

Now this is not a funny story so please do not take me as inconsiderate or mean when I look at this story from a slightly distorted viewpoint.  Feel free to comment and tell me that I am slightly demented to comment so vicariously on such a tragedy but I sometimes look at things from a weird perspective.

While we were on vacation Scott and I played golf on a Jack Nicklaus designed course at the Moon Palace Resort and Spa in Cancun Mexico.  It was an early morning tee time as we were the first on the course that day.  The weather was going to be hot so we wanted to get out early and off the course by lunchtime.  The first rays of light were rising over the Caribbean Sea amongst the clouds to the east as we hit our ball off the first tee.  The grass was still slightly wet from the sprinklers that were spraying when we arrived by golf cart from the main section of the resort.  We both hit par on the first hole and made our way to the second tee box.  The hole played over water with a slight dog leg to the left with the green about six feet above the water. 

Scott was playing with his son Bob while I paired with my son in law Brandon both who has never played before or struck a ball so it was a learning experience for both of them.  We played the “Jungle” course on the front nine holes and the “Dunes” course on the back nine.  The “Lake” course was closed for maintenance so we looked forward to this new adventure playing with many wild things walking the course.  There were the Iguana’s from the size of a tiny lizard to big ones over four feet long. 

I hit first over the water which played well for me being left handed.  I dropped it almost straight down with a small bounce about 10 feet from the cup.  Brandon and Bob both hit into the water and would take a drop closer to the pin.  Scott hit last and drove over the water but fell just a few feet short and landed in the water’s edge.  We headed up to the green and the boys hit their second shot from the drop point while Scott and I walked the green to look at my shot and see where his ball was in the waters edge.

This is what we saw . . .

Scott’s ball as you can see was sitting by this crocodile’s left hind leg.

Now we did not have anything happen while we were playing other than the heat of the day made almost everyone want to quit by the 15^th hole as it was pretty miserable but I was not going to quit after all it was a ‘Golden Bear’ designed course. 

We finished the round and had one ball left for each of us after losing balls into the jungle.  Several times they were looked for but after several noises and the scurrying of unseen animals it was decided that all balls in the jungle were gone.

 Now in South Carolina it was not the same outcome . . . last Thursday while playing the 11^th hole at the Ocean Creek Golf Course on Fripp Island a foursome encountered an alligator.  It was not the chance meeting like Scott and I had but more of snack time for the gator.  A 77 year old man lost his arm up to his elbow as he reached down into the water to retrieve his ball.

I can only hope the water was murky and he did not see the gator in the water but if he did maybe he forgot he was not playing at the goofy golf with the grandkids and just wanted to grab his ball quickly.  The article also said it grabbed him and pulled him into a ‘nearby pond’ and started doing “death rolls” where the man lost his arm.

According to the article: “The man's golf buddies were able to free him from the alligator's grasp and called 911.  They kept an eye on the alligator until workers from Tracks Wildlife Control in Beaufort arrived, Hines said.”

While they waited did they take the drop and continue play so as not to hold up other players behind them on the course?  They are real sticklers for playing 18 holes in less than 4 hours in most parts of the country.

I guess playing the ball where it lies or moving the ball one club length to avoid the obstacle (gator) did not come into mind at the time.  It was probably a small ‘irony’ that it would have been a wedge bump and run but turned into a rock & roll of a time.

The idea that his playing partners kept an eye on the gator until the animal control arrived is intriguing on its own.  When the game people came they killed the gator and were able to get the man’s arm out of its stomach.  The question now is . . . where the doctor’s able to reattach it and how will it affect his swing?  Will there be a noticeable difference now or will that correct his slice which got him in this predicament in the first place.

As a side note . . . my sincere hope that the man is ok and healing but this struck me oddly when I first started writing this last week. 

Get well soon and next time keep that 5 iron with you so you have a weapon to play out of the hazard.

Ice