[Photo: Kara Grubis]
A run-of-the-mill round at Hillcrest Golf Club in Durango in August turned to violence after a dispute over golf balls being hit by one group into another. One Durango man and two Alburquerque men were eventually charged with misdemeanour assault after allegedly starting the fight.
The altercation at the Colorado course began when the golfers in the group behind started to hit balls at the leading party, according to the Durango Herald. The group ahead began to shout at those hitting the errant shots and tempers quickly ascended. The golfers hitting into the other group became physically confrontational on the seventh hole, according to the Durango Police Department.
Commander Deck Shaline stated that punches were thrown with one person even being potentially put in a headlock. One individual was thrown to the ground and one man took himself to the hospital for observation after the altercation. A witness said that the men who started the brawl had been drinking, but the cops could not corroborate this statement. No golf clubs were used during the fight.
The suspects were 21, 26 and 48 years old and their charges were filed on September 1 in La Plata County Court.
Two of the alleged victims attempted to protect themselves by pushing the aggressors, but police have determined that they did not start the fight and that it was just self-defence.
“You’re out there to enjoy yourself on a round of golf on a sunny Sunday afternoon,” Shaline told the Durango Herald. “You don’t expect something like this to occur.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
