Birdie blitz leaves Galway golfers without their balls

A birdie has become a hazard for Galway golfers on the fairways of Oughterard Golf Club!

For a bogey grey crow and his caddy pal have been stealing golf balls since last November in the belief that they will make a tasty egg snack.

The bandit duo wait in the wings on the fifth hole – a short Par 3 of just 107 metres – and swoop on balls as they land near the green, before dropping them in an adjacent bog in an attempt to break them and ‘feed’ on the contents.

Dozens of balls have been stolen by the klepto-crows, although the notorious duo haven’t been seen the past couple of weeks.

Club Vice-President Barbara Buckley – also a keen environmentalist – told the Connacht Tribune that the delinquents were brazen in their raids.

“There was a time when in the space of five minutes, eight or nine balls would vanish. Two grey crows were waiting in the wings around the corner on the fifth. When the balls landed near the green, ‘bang’, they were down and gone.

“It was great fun for a while, and people saw the funny side of it. But if you’re losing Pro V1 balls at €3 or €4 each, it’s not funny for long! You could lose three balls in three holes,” she said.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.