Obliterating a bird with your tee-shot??

[faldo]

Playing Nation this morning my buddy had his big drive just crunched by a suicidal chickadee (guessing, but very small bird). Just a big POOUUFF of feathers & we could see the head spinning down into the gully.

We made him play it when we found it . No blood though...

Anybody ever lose a tee-shot that way??

[nokids]

PETA lawsuit pending...

[downhillslider]

Pablo, that could have been you today at the range.

Amazing focus with those 2 birds eating the grass seed all of 10ft in front of you !

[goochy]

My mate killed a goose on a golf course. He hit a screaming drive that never got more than 2ft off the ground. It flew over a flock of geese, one if whom decided to stick her head up at just the wrong moment...thwack! It staggered around a bit and then collapsed. Pretty poor luck so far from Christmas

[retread]

I hit a low stinger of a drive off the 10th hole at Stonebridge (which is now the first hole) 7 or 8 years ago that hit and killed a goose on the fairway across the pond from the tee block.

I don't believe that any golfer is a fan of Canadian Geese on a golf course, but I found it to be upsetting. My buddies wanted to get me a goose head cover in which I declined.

[nokids]

Amazing focus with those 2 birds eating the grass seed all of 10ft in front of you !

Thanks but I was aiming at them.

[Sunny D]

Not a bird but hit a gator once in Florida. He was sunning himself on the cart path near a bunker. Hit a screamer and hit him - he never moved, and the ball ended up a 3 feet from him. I decided to let him keep the ball. My playing partner wanted me to sign a glove and offer to him. Don't think so last thing he needed was an appetizer.

PETA -- People Eating Tasty Animals (right )

[sharkshooter]

... I decided to let him keep the ball. ...

Unplayable lie? Or, are there other rules for, shall we say, unfriendly spectators who won't let you play it as it lies?

[Sunny D]

I always played the rule never tick off anything designed to eat me.... but I looked it up on USGA rules. Used USGA 'cause let's face it there are not many gators on courses in Canada... Here is the closest thing that I could find in the decision in the USGA. It mentions snakes and bees but I would assume (perhaps incorrectly) that it applies to all manner of critters that can eat me. (bears in Canada for instance) I of course bow to the rules experts in the forum to correct me if I got it wrong.


Decision 1-4/10

Dangerous Situation; Rattlesnake or Bees Interfere with Play

Q.A player's ball comes to rest in a situation dangerous to the player, e.g., near a live rattlesnake or a bees' nest. In equity (Rule 1-4), does the player have any options in addition to playing the ball as it lies or, if applicable, proceeding under Rule 26 or 28?

A.Yes. It is unreasonable to expect the player to play from such a dangerous situation and unfair to require the player to incur a penalty under Rule 26 (Water Hazards) or Rule 28 (Ball Unplayable).
If the ball lay through the green, the player may, without penalty, drop a ball within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest spot not nearer the hole that is not dangerous and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.

If the ball lay in a hazard, the player may drop a ball, without penalty, within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest spot not nearer the hole that is not dangerous. If possible, the ball must be dropped in the same hazard and, if not possible, in a similar nearby hazard, but in either case not nearer the hole. If it is not possible for the player to drop the ball in a hazard, he may drop it, under penalty of one stroke, outside the hazard, keeping the point where the original ball lay between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped.

If the ball lay on the putting green, the player may, without penalty, place a ball at the nearest spot not nearer the hole that is not dangerous and that is not in a hazard.

If interference by anything other than the dangerous situation makes the stroke clearly impracticable or if the situation would be dangerous only through the use of a clearly unreasonable stroke or an unnecessarily abnormal stance, swing, or direction of play, the player may not take relief as prescribed above, but he is not precluded from proceeding under Rule 26or 28 if applicable. (Revised)