Just in case you are thinking of playing any of the courses in Montana, the following is advice that I'm sure will prove helpful.

The Montana State Department of Fish and Wildlife is advising golfers to take extra precautions and be on the alert for bears while in the Gallatin, Helena, and Lewis and Clark National Forests golf courses.

They advise golfers to wear noise-producing devices such as little bells on their clothing to alert, but not startle the bears unexpectedly.
They also advise you to carry pepper spray in case of an encounter with a bear.

It is also a good idea to watch for signs of bear activity.

Golfers should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear droppings on the golf course.
Black bear droppings are smaller and contain berries and possibly squirrel fur.
Grizzly bear droppings have bells in them and smell like pepper spray.

good one!

There is truth in them words....let me tell you.

Grizzly bear droppings have bells in them and smell like pepper spray

I figure this might be the first thread in 'anything goes' that TRBO responds to...

The joys of the nomad lifestyle we live is that we get to play golf in lots of area with lots of bigger critters on the golf course. Been forced to contend with moose and caribou on course up north ...

I've been lucky enough to not have to deal with a bear, but from what I understand, this warning is a very good one

I golfed in Florida last year and had to contend with gators in every water hazard...They would come out of the water every time you would approach. No big deal to the locals but real unusual to me.

Speaking of Gators in the water hazards I remember in the sixties when I lived in Jax, FL and worked for the Florida National Group of Banks a rival bank had a commercial aired on TV about a alligator that would come out of a water hazard at the Ponta Vedra Golf Coarse a grab any golf ball that landed near the water hazard.

It was also common knowledge that many a pet owner living next to those golf coarses lost their poodles to the gators when they let them out to make natures call.

Nice post H2O

In August, we were playing Cascade Golf Course in North Bend. When we approached the ninth hole tee box, there was a 5 point bull elk standing between the markers. Two of his ladies were 75 yards down the fairway. He showed no fear of us as we walked up to him waving our drivers and loudly requesting him to let us play through. Finally, he sauntered off to the side of the teeing area and grazed while we hit our tee shots. Later, the bull moved onto other fairways, and the only way golfers could get him to move was to go at him with a golf cart.