The Loop

Weird golf news of the week: Man survives SECOND gator attack on golf course

July 24, 2014

Meet Stephen Martinez, the bravest -- or dumbest -- man in the golf industry depending on your perspective.

Martinez makes a living diving for golf balls and has done so for more than 20 years. On Wednesday, CBS Miami reported he was bitten by an alligator while collecting golf balls in a pond at Bonaventure Country Club in Weston, Fla.

Fortunately for Martinez, he was able to leave the scene with what he called "minimal" bite injuries to his left hand and arm. Martinez described the gator as "aggressive," saying it "chased him down" in the murky water. Later that day, alligator trappers caught an eight-foot gator they believe is the same one that attacked Martinez. Here's video of the news report:

While Martinez won't have to worry about that gator anymore, obviously, there's always a chance he'll come across others. In fact, he knows from personal experience. In 2006 he was interviewed by CBS after suffering a similar attack at a golf course in Boynton, Fla.

But despite his repeated reptile run-ins, Martinez says he plans to continue with this line of work. For his sake, we hope this is the last time Martinez winds up on the news.