Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Disbelief as golfer tees off in streets
A GOLFER who was attempting to play a round in the heart of Dundee city centre told an onlooker it was “just a laugh” after the stunt.
Footage shows the man teeing off from the corner of Union Street looking on to the Nethergate.
Connor Scroggie had been walking along the Murraygate with his daughter before recording the antics and condemning the man’s actions on Monday, shortly before 5pm.
He said the stunt had been like watching scenes from Adam Sandler’s golf comedy, Happy Gilmore.
“I was picking my daughter up from nursery just around from the Wellgate and when we got to KFC I saw this yellow ball rolling towards me,” he said.
“Initially I thought some kids had just rolled it along the ground, and then I saw another golf ball bouncing up and down I’m looking around thinking ‘what’s going on here?’”
The 26-year-old walked along the Nethergate to find a man with a driver in his hand and a basket full of golf balls.
He added: “The guy had a blue jacket on. He was with a couple of younger kids.
“As I got closer I saw he was trying to do a forward roll and hit the ball. It was like something off of Happy Gilmore.”
Connor thought the incident was over, then the man proceeded to use a bottle cap to tee off another ball.
He added: “I got my phone out at the point to record what he was doing to highlight how dangerous this was.
“After he hit that ball I challenged him and asked him ‘what he was doing?’ before he advised me it was ‘just a laugh’.
“I couldn’t believe how stupid he was being and the damage he could have caused in the process.
“It could have easily injured someone but thankfully I don’t think anyone was hurt, but you see from the video there are cyclists and pedestrians coming past.
“I just don’t know what goes through people’s heads.”
Tayport resident Myra Thatcher viewed Connor’s video and said the antics had almost rendered her speechless.
The 64-year-old added: “A golf ball could be a serious missile if someone is on the receiving end of it landing.
“I’m almost speechless watching that. It could have hit a bus and caused endless amount of damage.
“You don’t expect to see this sort of thing happening, its so stupid.”
Maryfield councillor Lynne Short said she was “gobsmacked” by the events on Union Street.
She added: “I can vouch that it is sore getting hit by a golf ball.
“When I saw the video I was gobsmacked. “My first hope was that it wasn’t a proper ball and it was one of those plastic ones, but it really could have caused some problems if that had hit anyone or a vehicle.”