Gator attacks Florida man diving to retrieve golf balls

Golf is an expensive sport, so trying scoop up some extra balls from water hazards is usually a pretty common occurrence.

Unfortunately for Scott Lahodik of Florida, this common and usually innocuous activity got a little hairy on Tuesday.

Lahodik was diving into the pond on the sixth hole at the The Palms Course at Rotonda Golf and Country Club in Charlotte County when, according to a local ABC affiliate, an alligator attacked and clamped down on his left arm.

Thankfully, Lahodik was able to quickly free himself and swim to safety. He was flown to a nearby hospital so doctors could tend to his bite wound.

“Scott got bit and managed to get away from the gator, got out of the lake and drove all the way up to the clubhouse and that’s when we dialed 911,” course manager David Kelly said in a statement.

“I think he startled the gator,” Kelly noted. “He was looking around his home, looking for golf balls.”

Let’s all remember to be a little more careful trying to fetch our wayward shots on the links going forward.