An Arizona golfer got an unexpected wildlife encounter this week when a herd of javelinas wandered across his course, a moment captured on video that’s since circulated widely online.
Golfer Mike Rodenbush, who posts golf content under the handle Mikey TeeTimes, filmed the animals as they crossed a cart path during his round. Unlike some past run-ins, this group showed no interest in the course itself. The javelinas simply made their way across the path and disappeared into the woods, leaving the turf undisturbed.
Javelinas are resilient desert mammals found throughout Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and golfers in the region have learned to expect the occasional crossing. Arizona’s year-round golfing weather, low humidity and abundance of courses make it a popular destination, but it also means golfers share the landscape with animals not found on fairways elsewhere in the country.
Not every encounter ends as peacefully as Rodenbush’s. Javelinas are known to tear up courses while foraging for food, and a hotter-than-normal summer a few years back is believed to have caused unusual damage at a course in northern Arizona.
In 2023, Seven Canyons Golf Club turned to chili oil in an effort to keep javelinas from digging up the grounds. General manager Dave Bisbee said the course had previously tried coyote urine without success before experimenting with the spicier deterrent.
“We’re still trying to figure out the right formulation in the chili oil we put out. It’s a delicate thing for the grass,” Bisbee said. “It’s a continuing dance we do.”
This time, no such measures were necessary. The herd passed through without incident, making for one of the tamer animal encounters an Arizona golfer is likely to experience.
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