South African Golfer Films Hyena Stalking Him Around Course

Hitting the links at South Africa’s Skukuza Golf Club might be the most unique golf course experience on the planet. Sitting unfenced next to a wildlife sanctuary in Kruger National Park, it’s billed as the “wildest course in the world” where all kinds of critters from the surrounding area frequently stumble onto the fairway while golfers are out there. 

Local golfer Neil Whyte got to immerse himself in this (literally) wild experience firsthand. Skukuza shared video online of a hyena following him around the course’s nine holes, stalking him from behind but never attacking him. 

“Got a new caddie on the golf course,” Whyte joked in the footage. The hyena walked slowly behind him, and when he stopped in his tracks, the animal began veering off the side, getting awfully close to the golfer. 

Skukuza addressed the nerve-wracking phenomenon and assured viewers it was nothing out of the ordinary. “For those who have wondered if people actually play golf on our course, YES they do and they tend to make new friends along the way,” the club wrote. 

The club often uploads videos of the wild animals roaming the golf course as if it were the savannah. A clip from Aug. 31 showed a pride of lions seemingly watching golfers on the course. “We are pretty sure that they are silently judging your swing,” Skukuza quipped. 

Concerns about the setup of the course are addressed on its website. “Since the course is not fenced-in, uninvited spectators are a common sight—hippo, impala, warthog, and baboons to mention but a few.”

Related: Video: Wild Hippo Fight Breaks Out on Golf Course

One Facebook commenter perhaps summed up many people’s thoughts the best: “That hyena would be chewing on my dead body because I would have a heart attack right there.”