A 90-year-old golfer is recovering after an emergency at a course in The Villages.
The elderly golfer had been playing in a foursome Saturday morning at RedFish Run Executive Golf Course.
Ken Denby of the Village of Piedmont, who has known the 90-year-old for 20 years, thought something was off with his friend when he was having trouble locating his ball.
Denby was walking the course with the two other golfers in the foursome. The 90-year-old was alone in the golf cart when he unexpectedly hit the gas. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office reported he was apparently suffering a medical episode.
The golf cart traveled through a sand trap and then went airborne for about 3 feet. An earlier account from an eyewitness published in Villages-News.com stated the golf cart had been airborne for about 8 feet and that the golfer was ejected from the golf cart. However, that eyewitness account may have been a bit exaggerated, and the 90-year-old was not ejected. In addition, his golf cart did not strike another golf cart, as was originally reported.
He was transported by ambulance to UF Health Spanish Plaines Hospital in The Villages. He was released Saturday night and is recovering at home.
With the searing temperatures, it appears the man had overheated and was dehydrated, Denby said.
Villages-News.com is not identifying the golfer out of respect for his privacy.