Golfer sneaks up and retrieves ball from the tail of 10ft-long ALLIGATOR

This is the hair-raising moment a golfer sneaks up behind a 10ft-long alligator to snatch a ball that was lodged on the creature’s tail on a golf course in Florida.

Brandon Downes was playing golf with with his brother, Kyle, on December 13 at Cape Coral’s Coral Oaks Golf Course in North Fort Myers when they noticed the alligator.

Despite the fact that alligators are a common sight in southern Florida, the two brothers noticed that this one had somehow gotten a golf ball lodged on its tail.

In an act of foolish bravery, Brandon decided to attempt to retrieve the ball and Kyle began recording the moment on his phone.

The footage shows Brandon creep up behind the 10ft-long gator that is basking in the sun, laying very still beside a pond.

Brandon moves slowly so the beast wouldn’t notice him approaching but Kyle warns him, saying: ‘He’s going to whip you with that tail dude!’

He pays no heed to Kyle’s warning and gets even closer to the alligator until he crouches down, reaches out and grabs the golf ball off its scaly tail.

The alligator senses the movement and quickly splashes back into the water as Brandon sprints away. 

Brandon decided to attempt to retrieve the ball while Kyle recorded the moment on his phone. He creeps up behind the gator, crouches down and grabs the golf ball off its tail

Kyle Downes, who shot this footage, said he was playing a round of golf with his brother when they spotted the alligator.  

‘We came across the gator on the back nine and noticed a ball on the tail,’ Kyle said. 

‘Never unusual to see a gator, but a gator with a ball on its tail? Very unusual.’  

The brothers still don’t know how the golf ball ended up on the tail of the alligator, saying it’s a ‘mystery’.

‘We golf a lot being in SWFL [Southwest Florida] so this is a rare sight indeed,’ Kyle said. ‘How the ball got there is a mystery to me.’

The alligator senses the movement and quickly splashes back into the water as Brandon sprints away

American alligators tend to be a shy species that can be found in freshwater such as canals, lakes, rivers and swamps in south Florida.

However, while they are scared of humans, they are efficient predators that sit at the top of the food chain.

To catch dinner, they disguise themselves by staying in the water with only their eyes peeping above the surface. They usually wait for something to swim or walk by and then lunge at it.

Alligators can grow up to 800 pounds in weight and up to a massive 15-feet long.