Golf is played outside, which means there will be different elements of nature involved from time to time. A Massachusetts golfer found out last week that could mean having to replace a stolen golf ball.
Hank Downey was playing golf at Springfield Country Club on the 8th hole when the commercial lender hit a pretty solid pitch shot onto the green over a bunker. As soon as the ball stopped, something unexpected happened.
“(The foxes have) been at the course all summer,” Downey said, according to MassLive.com. “I’ve seen up to five of them at a time. I’ve heard the story of them doing the same thing to other golfers’ balls.”
Rule 18-1 covers an “outside agency” moving or taking your ball from the course, so Downey could replace his ball with no penalty, but the fact remains that a fox running onto a green and taking your golf ball is tough to bounce back from when you’re trying to save par from a tough spot.
