74-Year-Old Golfer Drowns at Pinellas County Golf Course
Florida is famous for many things. There are the Everglades, the miles of coastline, the fair weather for most of the year offset only by the increasingly brutal hurricanes. Over the past several decades, Florida has also come to be known for its attractiveness to retired individuals. Flocks of 50, 60, 70, and 80-year-olds move to the Sunshine State every year for, well, the sun. As a result of this influx of elders, Florida has become home to some of the nation’s most popular golf courses. These places, while frequently serene and spacious, are occasionally the scene of troubling accidents. This is the situation with an occurrence from the last day in February involving a 74-year-old and a missing golf ball.
The reports from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office released a statement that provides us with the bulk of information relating to the incident. It appears that the 74-year-old in question was golfing at the East Lake Woodlands Country Club alone when a ball they had struck departed from the green and landed in one of the many scenic pools that adorn golf courses. Rather than simply get a new ball, the 74-year-old decided that he should find the one that he lost. At least, this is what authorities believe to be the case. Truth be told, not much is concretely known about what exactly happened as it wasn’t until sometime later when another 74-year-old golfer and their companion stumbled upon the solo 74-year-old’s abandoned golf cart and putter.
The discarded objects were close to the green at the third hole, the last place that the 74-year-old was seen.
Police were called to the scene, and after an unsuccessful search of the surrounding grounds, a diving team was called in to explore the small pond of water. It was while the diving team was searching the pond that the body of the 74-year-old was discovered. The current supposition is that this person was looking for their ball when something happened to cause them to fall into the pond without being able to climb back out again.
An investigation into the incident does remain open, but the team looking into what happened strongly believes that no questionable activity or interference resulted in the fatal incident.
Sources:
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.