Golfer’s shock after spotting snake slithering across the green on UK course

A golfer has told of his shock after spotting a 3ft long poisonous SNAKE slithering across a UK course as he went to play a shot on the green.

Businessman Dan Owen, 58, had been enjoying nine holes in the sun after work when he came across the reptile at Belton Woods Golf Course, in Grantham, Lincs.

He said at first he thought it was a stick lying in the grass before he was given a fright when it started to move and made a beeline for the nearby woods.

Dan managed to grab his mobile phone to film the getaway on the seventh hole before the slippery customer disappeared into the undergrowth.

He reckons the creature may have been a black adder, which are rare in the UK, but can carry a venomous bite – in some cases inducing kidney failure.

The snake Dan Owen spotted at Belton Woods Golf Course, near Grantham. (Pix via SWNS)

The snake Dan Owen spotted at Belton Woods Golf Course, near Grantham. (Pix via SWNS)

Dad-of-four Dan, of Hough-on-the-Hill, Lincs., who runs his own manufacturing firm, said: “It was just lying there basking as they do, basking in the sun.

“I thought it was a stick at first but as I got closer I got a bit of a shock.

“It went off into the woods. It was going as fast as it could. I was just having a sneaky nine holes after work.

“I’ve shown the video to quite a few people and the consensus is it’s a black adder, which are quite rare in the UK.

“I’ve only ever seen a snake on holiday in Sussex a long time ago and I lived in Australia for 28 years.

“You think you’d expect to see them in Australia a lot but you don’t see snakes too often, only their skins.

“You play alongside crocodiles in Australia, you don’t go into the water to fetch your balls!

“We just need some crocs in the ponds now and it would be pure Queensland.”

There are three types of snake native to the UK – adder, grass snake and smooth snake.

Black adder numbers are decline in recent years and the likelihood of being bitten is slim, though 14 people in Britain have died from their bites.