Boo! Golf’s Spookiest Myths and Legends

October 31, 2014

If you golf often enough, you’re bound to encounter some intimidating shots on the course, whether it’s a four-foot putt with left to right break or a long iron approach into a small, undulated green surrounded by large bunkers and water hazards. But whoever thought the game of golf could be downright spooky?

In celebration of Halloween, we have uncovered some of the scariest aspects of the game – from mysterious ghosts to decades-long hauntings. Before you pass out candy to trick-or-treaters, attend a Halloween party, or visit a haunted house tonight, check out some of these frightening stories…if you dare.

 

The Ghost of Victoria Golf Club

Although nearly 80 years have passed since her death, Doris Gravlin apparently maintains her presence at Victoria, British Columbia’s Victoria Golf Club, Canada’s oldest golf club. Late one night in September 1936, Doris and her estranged husband Victor walked along the 7^th fairway of the golf course. She was never seen or heard from again…alive, that is. Ever since her body was found a few days after her disappearance, she has often haunted guests of the golf club, appearing as a white figure. In fact, many locals consider her to be one of the most regularly seen ghosts in the Victoria area.

 

An Eternal Pursuit?

If you ever have a chance to golf at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas’s Trails West Golf Course, you should be forewarned: many locals believe it is haunted. During the late 1800s, a former resident named Catherine Sutter experienced unimaginable tragedy, as two of her children disappeared without a trace from their family’s farm. Apparently, Catherine has yet to give up on the pursuit of her missing children, as her apparition is often seen wandering throughout Trails West, doing whatever she can to finally find her long-lost family members once and for all. As if golf isn’t challenging enough, imagine trying to focus on a ten-foot putt while Catherine walks by and stares at you.

 

Ghosts Abound at the Home of Golf

Although it is typically ignored by spectators and members of the media whenever St. Andrews hosts the Open Championship, Martyrs’ Monument, located near the 18^th green, is often considered the course’s most haunted landmark. Created in honor of Protestant martyrs burned at stakes during the 15^th and 16^th centuries, the monument has reportedly had its fair share of ghastly visitors, assumed to be the ghosts of some of the former martyrs. Aside from this ghoulish hangout, nearby residents have also seen the apparition of what is believed to be the notorious golf legend and four-time Open champion, Old Tom Morris, who passed away after falling down a flight of stairs at the New Golf Club, located alongside the Old Course’s 18^th fairway.

 

There is Certainly More Than Meets the Eye

Nestled in the heart of California’s gorgeous Napa County, Aetna Springs Golf Course offers guests incredible views of the area’s pristine vineyards, hilly terrain, and soaring oak trees. But when golfers are not preoccupied with the course’s natural landscape, they may notice some seemingly unnatural objects – the ghosts of eight Dominican monks. Believed to have been murdered in the area nearly 600 years ago, the monks, complete with clean-shaven heads, have been reported by a variety of golfers in the past. A photograph was even taken in the early 1960s, which reportedly shows each of the monks walking across one of the course’s fairways.

 

 

Featured image courtesy of WinnipegFreePress.com.