Why did javelinas damage an Arizona golf course?

PHOENIX - You may have seen a viral video showing the damage that javelinas caused to a golf course in Sedona on the web.

The massive divots were quite the sight at the prestigious Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona. As it turns out, it has happened before, but there are several reasons why.

"It usually follows a hot dry summer, which is what we had here," Dave Bisbee, the general manager of the club, said. "We had a record-breaking hot and dry summer here, which means that the surrounding national forest, there's no food and no water."

Bisbee said the javelinas have destroyed about half an acre of the 54-acre turf.

"They start to sense that the days are getting shorter, mornings are cooler, they're looking to find protein, so they can fatten up for the winter," Bisbee said. "We have a very healthy soil which has a lot of earthworms in them."

The animals frantically turn over the soil to get the worms. Bisbee said it’s happened before. The morning after, members of the grounds crew had to clean up the mess.

Bisbee said there is some fencing up, but clearly not enough, and they may need to add more.

"We've been working really closely with game and fish and forestry service here to figure out ways to co-exist with them," Bisbee said.

As for what happens, if a golfer should hit into the grass that is now considered ground under repair, Bisbee said you get a free drop.

Bisbee said the attention has been wild. He has been interviewed by National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Daily Mail, Golf Digest, and Golf Week.

"It has been amazing what kind of viral impact this has had," Bisbee said.

Bisbee said this is a community issue. Many homeowners have also had their bushes and plants torn up by hungry javelinas.