Golfer accused of beating ‘dazed’ goose to death after ball hits it, NY officials say

A New York man is accused of beating a goose to death at a golf course, according to animal welfare officials.

Authorities responded to the Putnam County Golf Course, in Mahopac, on Aug. 18 after receiving a call that a man had beaten a Canada goose with a golf club, the Putnam County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in an Aug. 21 news release.

Witnesses told investigators with the state Department of Environmental Conservation that a golf ball struck the goose near the 14th hole, leaving it “dazed,” the SPCA said.

A man approached the bird and repeatedly hit it with a club, according to the release. As he walked away, the man saw the goose was still moving, so he returned and beat it a second time, witnesses say.

The man may have wanted to put the goose out of its misery after it was hit by the golf ball, county SPCA chief Ken Ross told the Associated Press. However, a veterinarian determined that the animal likely would have survived and recovered, the outlet reported.

“The wings were fine, the legs were fine, so the goose was probably stunned and struggling to deal with that,” Ross said.

The golfer, a Carmel resident, is facing a charge of animal cruelty, the SPCA said. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 12.

Mahopac is roughly 55 miles northeast of New York City.

This story was originally published August 24, 2023 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Golfer accused of beating ‘dazed’ goose to death after ball hits it, NY officials say."