What began as a quiet Monday quickly turned chaotic, not because of noise, heckling, or security stepping in, but this time, the spectators had hooves.

The 2018 John Deere Classic winner, Michael Kim, shared a video on his X account on February 10, showing a herd of deer walking onto the Pebble Beach course. and crossing through the ropes. 

Kim captioned it: “These unruly spectators are coming through the ropes now.”

Garrett Johnston, a golf journalist and host of the ‘Beyond the Clubhouse’ podcast, jokingly responded to the post, writing: “Disgusting. They need to see the forest through the trees.”

The herd also ran through a bunker, which made the situation more difficult. As a result, it will now be up to the course staff to repair the footprints left in the sand.

Pebble Beach Golf Links is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, a recognition from Audubon International for efforts toward water protection and wildlife habitat support. 

As a result, the course is known not only for golf but also for the wildlife present in its coastal setting.

In general, the animals most often seen there fall into two groups: land mammals and marine life.

Over time, this connection between the course and surrounding wildlife has also led to several recorded incidents in and around the nearby coastal areas.

Wildlife and Environmental Incidents at Pebble Beach Golf Links

In 2017, a fisherman was attacked by a great white shark while spearfishing in Stillwater Cove, a water located next to the golf course, and emergency responders later applied a tourniquet to control the bleeding. 

In a separate incident in 2025, a seagull took a golfer’s wallet during a round, which was recorded and later spread online. 

Meanwhile, another issue emerged when researchers found more than 50,000 golf balls on the seafloor off Pebble Beach, where studies showed the balls release chemicals as they break down, creating a risk for marine species such as sea otters and harbor seals.

What other golf incidents do you remember? Tell us in the comments.

Follow Daily Club Golf for more updates!

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu