Mob of hopping kangaroos invade Australian golf course
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — You’re having fun playing golf and then a mob of kangaroos suddenly interrupts your round.
Golfer Stephen Roche must have thought he’d gone hopping mad when he saw the stream of ‘roos approaching him.
Roche posted a video on X – formerly known as Twitter – Wednesday, in what he dubbed a “fair dinkum stampede” of the marsupials bounding along the course without a care in the world.
Roche explained in his post that the kangaroos were traversing the fourth hole on the St John’s course at the Heritage Golf and Country Club in Victoria, Australia. While their sighting at the private club was nothing new, the sheer number of them was very much a first, he added.
While Roche and his playing partner stood by to let the stream of ‘roos hop on by, he could be heard imploring them to “not stand on my golf ball.”
Some replies to his video expressed concern at the state of the course after the bouncy animals had made their way along the plush fairway and green, but Roche was quick to allay those fears.
“Surprisingly no,” Roche said when asked whether they was damage to the greens. “Soft footed animal. The only sign of them is footprints in bunkers.”
While the kangaroos’ appearance left some jumping for joy, others jokingly attributed some well-worn golfing habits onto the marsupials.
“Must be members. Not a rake touched,” a social media user said on the kangaroos’ bunker etiquette.
One compared it to a scene from Jurassic Park or Jumanji, while another had more simple concerns.
“Did they bother to check in at the pro shop before heading out?” they asked.
Roaming kangaroos are a common sight at golf courses across Australia. At Anglesea Golf Club, also in Victoria, players share the fairways with over 300 Eastern Grey kangaroos, with a popular bus tour run to educate visitors on its resident ‘roo population.
Disinterested by golf balls and tending to feed on the longer grass around the course’s edges, as well as providing free fertilizer in the form of manure, the kangaroos effectively “manage themselves,” Anglesea board member Marg Lacey told CNN in 2023.
“If there’s a baby just coming out or having a little jump, you just stop playing and watch that with your mouth open, even when you’ve seen it hundreds of times,” she added.
“They are infinitely fascinating and players just love them.”
The-CNN-Wire
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