VENICE — It’s pretty unsettling when you hit a golf ball and then can’t find it because the ball flew into the high grass or fell into a pond, but what happens when a golf ball disappears in thin air?
You may be the victim of a crow golf ball heist.
“My friend and I were on Capri Isles and we both hit our drives about 12 feet apart. When we got to the fairway, one ball was there and one was gone,” Harriet Isom said.
Luckily, the woman with the beverage cart saw exactly what happened and solved the mystery.
“She said that a crow took one of the balls and flew away with it,” Isom said.
Since Isom was driving the cart and talking to her friend heading up the course, they never actually saw the bird steal her ball, but each knew there were two balls right in the middle of the fairway after their drives and now there was only one.
Crows are drawn to shiny white or yellow golf balls, making them a target for the inquisitive behavior of the bird.
Rose Leblanc recalls when not only did a crow swoop down and steal her golf ball but also then went into her golf cart and stole her friend’s lunch.
“She had open food and it went right into the golf cart and took the brown bag out and flew away with it,” Leblanc said.
At the time, they thought it was hysterical, but thinking back, the bird could have run away with keys or a wallet.
“I once saw a crow pick up my ball, drop it and then pick it up again and fly off with it,” Judy Karr said.
She also said that two weeks ago on Capri Isles, a crow stole her potato chips and another time her health bar.
“I think the golf ball shape is like an egg, and they carry it away before finding out they can’t eat it,” she said.
Not all crows are troublemakers; some can be heroes.
Ed Welsh recalls he was golfing at Calusa on the 8th hole and his first shot went to the left, off the fairway. He saw a crow take his ball and fly away with it, then drop the ball further down the fairway.
“After the crow moved my ball to a better spot, I took the good advice of a really great golfer Jack Nicklaus, which is always play it where it lies,” he said.
Welsh’s ball was 20 yards closer to the hole and he played the ball from that spot. Welsh said he wasn’t about to argue with one of the world’s greatest golfers.
Mitzie Pulio has the saddest crow story.
“I was on the 9th hole on one of the Waterford golf courses, and I hit a very strong drive,” she said.
A crow flew past it and the ball connected with the crow. The crow went straight down and she thought it either was stunned or she killed it.
“He dropped right down on the fairway and I was so upset that I couldn’t finish my game and had to quit.”
Pulio said she will never forget that day not only because of the possible crow death, but also because she was shooting a 49 on the 9th hole and decided to quit and go home.
According to the Rules of Golf as published by the R & A and USGA, the following rule should be followed if a crow steals your ball:
“If a bird is an outside influence, if it moves a ball at rest, replace it without penalty. If it carries the ball away and it cannot be replaced, the ball is lost and stroke and distance applies.”
As of this date, there are no rules in the USGA about a crow stealing your lunch.