BATTLE GROUND — High school girls golfers competing in the IHSAA regional championships had an unexpected fan invade the 12th hole at Battle Ground Golf Club.
Crawling on four legs in a shell was an adult snapping turtle who crawled from the rough and across the putting green. The reptile occasionally hid inside of its shell to avoid the sight of curious onlookers.
Harrison freshman Nola Painter was one of the players who got a close look at the reptile during her turn around the 12th hole.
“It was pretty interesting,” Painter said. “He kind of was just there. We had to work around him because he didn’t want to move.”
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Westfield sophomore Sophie Raines had a chip shot fall on the green while the snapping turtle attempted his slow crossing through the field.
The snapping turtle waddled from the rough to the green. It was 30 feet from the hole and didn’t impact the shots of players. But the reptile was noticed and Raines was on alert.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” Raines said. “I’ve never seen a turtle while playing golf. It was right behind me while I was putting. I was a little scared for myself. It was pretty big.”
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Snapping turtles are common around Indiana and have made refuge in the North American wetlands for 90 million years. They are dangerous and carry a bite force strong enough to sever human fingers.
Golfers, coaches and parents snapped photos of the snapper with their phones but stayed far enough of a distance to not bring harm to themselves or to the reptile.
While the movie “Happy Gilmore” reminds the diehard golfer to “play a ball as it lies”, Battle Ground Golf Club pro Jackson Hillard explained that the well known rule is voided when there’s a potentially dangerous animal on the course.
“There is a rule for dangerous animals and a snapping turtle would be considered a dangerous animal,” Hilliard said. “You can take reliefs so you don’t actually have to be around it believe it or not. Golf rules allow you to play around it. You can move your ball a safe distance, away from the danger.”
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Snapping turtle causes stir during IHSAA girls golf regional tournament
