Water Hazard ball retreaval hazards...

[UltimateMonky]

I was wondering what all types of things I would need to watch out for if I were to start retreaving balls at some local golf courses.

I live in south GA - Statesboro, GA to be exact if anyone knows of there. So we have Cottonmouth Water moccasins** and gators, and the like. I was wondering about other things like treatment for the grass, and other animals/bacteria/etc. that I should be on the look out for. This would be my first venture in any kind of golf ball getting - but i've dove alot of lakes, and the Ogeechee river - so im used to pretty nasty, minimal visabilty water.

Thanks,
Will

 

[Bob3]

You'll be going into a pretty potent soup thanks to all the fertilizer runoff, so at the minimum you should go with a drysuit & full face mask. There will probably be a lot of bird crap, especially seagulls that will be snacking on night crawlwers during rainy weather.
Make sure your shots (tetanus) are up to date, & a gamma globulin boost wouldn't hurt either.
You'll also need to get permission to dive in there too, the owners can be more hazardous than the local fauna.

 

[UltimateMonky]

You'll be going into a pretty potent soup thanks to all the fertilizer runoff, so at the minimum you should go with a drysuit & full face mask. There will probably be a lot of bird crap, especially seagulls that will be snacking on night crawlwers during rainy weather.
Make sure your shots (tetanus) are up to date, & a gamma globulin boost wouldn't hurt either.
You'll also need to get permission to dive in there too, the owners can be more hazardous than the local fauna.

Haha, I've been making all the calls trying to find courses that don't have the work contracted out already. There are alot of divers around here, college and older, so there's alot of other people that wouldn't mind making some extra money. I don't know how many of those people get scared off, or frustrated because of the work and such though. Dry suit might be cost prohibative for now, but I am looking at getting a full face mask. I'll have to be ignorant here for a moment to, I'm not sure what a gamma globulin boost is - turn me into a big green beast when I get angry at the golf balls?

Will

PS-Don't worry, i'm no pocher