Now that’s a hazard! South Carolina golfer’s ball lands on alligator’s back

OKATIE, SC (WCIV) — Some golfers take twisted pleasure in playing their ball “as it lies” after errant shots on the course, sometimes resorting to bizarre and improbable escape shot attempts rather than accepting a stroke penalty.

We’d hope most would draw the line at alligators. A South Carolina man made the wise choice after he found himself dealing with an amazingly bad lie this week.

In something almost out of Happy Gilmore, golfer David Ksieniewicz said his ball came to a rest neatly atop the back of a roughly 7-foot alligator while playing a round at Okatie’s Spring Island Club on Monday.

Fortunately, the official U.S. Golf Association rules account for such a thing in what it calls “abnormal course conditions.” That allows players to take “relief” by moving their ball or dropping a new ball in a safe and reasonable location for their next shot without assessing a stroke penalty.

Read more here.