Golfing for the Birds

By C. MacDonald

One of the world's most famous golf tournaments--The AT&T Pebble Beach--takes place in February. This tourney attracts the top golfers, celebrities, masses of spectators and worldwide TV coverage. It's truly a California phenom and has a statewide history. Eighty years ago, Bing Crosby started the event at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in San Diego County. Sam Snead was the first winner as were a variety of charities, which still receive much of the proceeds.

In 1947, "The Crosby" as many called it, moved to the Monterey Peninsula, where it's played on different courses, including the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links. Ironically, Actor/Director Clint Eastwood, who has lived in nearby Carmel for many years, first played in the tournament's Pro-Am event, then became a partner in the Pebble Beach course ownership.

One of my father's students, Ken Venturi, won "The Crosby" in 1960 and went on to win the U.S. Open and later set a broadcast-record 35 years of professional golf coverage for CBS TV. He majored in Radio-TV Journalism at San Jose State and started out doing radio broadcast golf reports on the professional tournaments he was playing in throughout the United States. I always thought that was really cool and looked forward to his reports on a San Francisco radio station.

When you hear someone shout "Fore" at Pebble Beach or any other course in California, it means to duck because a wayward golf ball is headed your way. However, "Fore" also is used on and off the golf course as a warning "to dive for cover, you're under attack."

When I was playing golf with my dad near Pebble Beach at the Pacific Grove Golf Links, I was warned by the familiar scream, "Fore," and I ducked. But instead of being hit by a golf ball, I was pounced upon by four blackbirds, who got a few well-placed pecks, before taking off to regroup at a higher altitude.

Once regrouped, the birds attacked me again, in a military manner, diving one at a time. By turning and shaking my golf club at them, I discouraged their assault and they flew upward for a strategy session.

When my back was turned, their shrieks warned me they were dive-bombing again. Turning around, I just avoided the first attacker. Such attacks can surely ruin your golf game.

I called K.C. Lint, the legendary curator of birds at The San Diego Zoo, and found out I'd been a victim of Brewer's Blackbird, alias Euphagus Cyanocephalus. Each mating season, usually April through June, the male blackbirds aggressively protect the territory around their nests, Lint told me.

The male makes a metallic "tic" sound, when attacking. The defended territory varies from bird to bird and often several black birds band together in a mutual protection society.

Lint said the blackbirds are attracted to golf courses because of the abundance of earth worms, which reside in the grass. The birds also protect their territory from joggers, shoppers and even cars throughout California.

Wearing a hat will not discourage an attack and the taller you are, the bigger target you become. (I guess a hard hat might help.) A golfer friend of mine claims that if you want to play a round of golf unmolested by the birds that Alfred Hitchcock would be proud of, try playing at one of California's lighted courses at night when the birds are (supposedly) asleep (i.e., Mission Bay Golf Course, San Diego; Westchester Golf Course, Los Angeles and The Lights at Indio Golf Course).

As for golf in the daytime, some disgruntled victims claim, "it's for the birds!"

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