Aussie mates given fright of their life after chilling discovery on golf course

Daily Mail​

22-04-2025

A group of golfers were given the fright of their lives after discovering a huge eastern brown snake slithering across the green.
The serpent was filmed on the fairway of a hole at Magenta Shores Golf Course on the NSW Central Coast.
The golfers understandably didn't want to get too close to the world's second most venomous land snake as it passed by.
A video of it was posted to Facebook with social media users left in disbelief.
One person said: 'That would have to be THE biggest brown EVER.'
'I think l would have dropped dead seeing that in front of me,' another said.
Austin Pols, from Sydney Snakes and Wildlife Removal, told Daily Mail Australia he estimated the snake to be about three metres long.
'It was quite a fascinating one because I've never seen one that size. The snake's size is that of a large python,' Mr Pols said.
'My opinion is that it's six or seven-years-old and has survived some harsh seasons. It was quite stunning, no question about it.
'It seems to have tolerated the harshest conditions or gotten extremely lucky.'
Found primarily in eastern Australia, brown snakes are highly adaptable and can be found anywhere from woodlands to suburban gardens.
'The thing with golf courses in particular is they're a prime location for snakes because they have everything they need,' Mr Pols said.
'They have water, food, shelter and sun.'
Despite the intimidating size of the brown snake, catching it wouldn't be too difficult compared to a baby snake, which is just as venomous from the day it is born.
'The problem with baby snakes is they're difficult for snake catchers because when you pick them up they're very agile,' Mr Pols said.
'With a big snake it's quite different. I wouldn't say that big brown snake on the golf course would be hard to capture.
'You grab it from the tail and it won't be overly aggressive.'
A bite from an eastern brown snake can be fatal in little as half an hour and they are responsible for more bites in Australia than any other species.
Despite the statistics, they're not the most caught snake by Sydney Snakes and Wildlife Removal.
'I'd say 95 per cent of our snake calls are for black snakes. Only two per cent are for brown snakes. We don't come across them that often but that's not to say they're not common,' Mr Pols said.
Eastern brown snakes can live to 10-plus years in the wild but are generally more likely to have longer lifespans in captivity.
They mainly survive off rodents, lizards, birds and frogs, making a golf course prime real estate.
Despite the ongoing fear of the deadly reptiles, Mr Pols urged Aussies to leave snakes alone and call a professional snake catcher if they need to be removed from a property.