Golfer in South Dakota Dies By Snakebite

A golfer has died in South Dakota days after he was bitten on the gold course by a rattlesnake.

The Black Hills Pioneer reported this weekend that a 70 year-old man from Illinois was bitten on the ankle Monday at the Elkhorn Ridge Golf Course, in Spearfish, South Dakota.

Mike Mendleson, the gold pro at Elkhorn, said there are signs on the course that warn of snakes. He says the man had stepped into a grassy area to retrieve a ball when he was bitten.

The man was rushed back to the clubhouse where an ambulance took him to Spearfish Regional Hospital.

Mr. Mendleson says the course intends to post additional warnings around the course, "and will adjust policies so that tall grass area’s will be treated as lateral hazards; that way golfers will have the option to take a penalty rather than re-starting at the tee box.

[Source: Black Hills Pioneer]