Throwing down some practice putts last night in my living room I found myself dancing with the alligator of my house… the family dog.  I putt, she takes the ball.  I try and get the ball back, she hunkers down with a snarl and taunts me to try and get it.  Is this how Chubbs lost his hand to the infamous one-eyed alligator in Happy Gilmore?

I love to tinker with clubs around the house but no matter what club I have in hand (trainer or traditional) or what brand of golf ball I use my dog seems to think it’s an invitation to cause some mayhem.

It’s somewhat rare but it does happen on tour (and in social play) – animals invade the game.  Here’s a fun recap of the Top 10 Animal Encounters on the PGA Tour:

 

You most likely won’t run into a one-eyed hand eating alligator (or any alligator down here for that matter) but if you run into a fox, turtle, hawk, coots, geese, seagull, or any other crazy Southern California squirrels the official USGA Rule 18-1 states:  If a ball at rest is moved by an outside agency, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced.  Snap a pic, share it to Instagram (don’t forget to hashtag #SOCALGolfer), throw down another ball and carry on.

If it’s a swarm of bees… run!