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Golf Course

Meet the Animals

Discover the 15 Animals lurking on the golf course that you'll want to avoid at all costs

Image by Mads Severinsen

Camel

Hit ball in sand bunker (must come to rest in bunker)

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Cricket

Failure to make the green from 20 yards or closer (closest part of green, not the pin)

 

If you're in a greenside bunker and get the Mole, you also get the Cricket because you didn't make the green.

Tree Frog

Frog

Hit ball in water hazard; this does not earn the Moncoon.

 

Casual water does not earn the Frog.

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Grasshopper

Hit the ball through the green within 20 yards of the green, or putts off the green.

 

It's also a Grasshopper if your ball catches part of the green and rolls back off.

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Moncoon

Lost ball or ball hit OB (as dictated by white states and local rules).

Image by Joshua J. Cotten

Roadrunner

Ball hits cart path or other paved area (road, parking lot, etc).

Visual evidence required, and yes, a scuff mark is visual evidence.

Image by Bill Pennell

Woodpecker

Ball hits tree or any part of tree (exposed tree root does not earn the Woodpecker).

You must see or hear the ball it the tree; attached leaves and pine needles are part of the tree, so if you see a ball go into a tree and an explosion of leaves follows, you just earned the Woodpecker.

Chameleon

Lizard

Ball rests in desert area that’s not a bunker, or comes to rest in native area on course.

Image by hang niu

Pussycat

Failure to make it to or pass the ladies tees on tee shot.

 

And yes, a whiff on the tee box is a stroke and earns the Pussycat.

Image by Federico Faccipieri

Scorpion

Hit your ball out of one bunker into another bunker

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Zookeeper

Have 5 animals in your possession at the same time.

Example: you have 4 animal coins in your possession and you just 3 putted to collect the Snake. The person putting after you also three putts, so he now collects the Snake. You don't acquire the Zookeeper because you didn't have 5 Animals at the conclusion of the hole.

 There can be multiple Zookeepers; this and the Zoologist are the only two coins that can be in multiple players possessions and you retain the Zookeeper until you make the turn to the back 9.

Image by Ryan Stone

Mole

Failure to make it out of bunker in one stroke.

Image by Brett Jordan

Rat

Cheating or purposely causing distractions during swing

Image by The New York Public Library

Snake

Last player on green to 3 putt. Must employ ‘honors’ rules for snake.

Even if a player 4-putts (or worse) they don't get the Snake unless they were the last player to 3-putt

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Zoologist

Collect 5 Animals on the same hole.

 

Also gets Zookeeper (7 total animals on

that hole).

There can be multiple Zoologists; this and the Zookeeper are the only two coins that can be in multiple players’ possession and you retain the Zoologist until you make the turn

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