Man with Jacksonville ties bitten by alligator in Southwest Florida while diving for golf balls

STORY: Alligator seen chewing up body in the Everglades 

A man diving for golf balls at a Southwest Florida golf course had a "significant" injury to his left arm, FOX13 Tampa reported.

The 51-year-old man, identified as Scott Lahodik, who was a longtime Jacksonville resident, was shown being flown to a hospital in Lee County after the attack. The alligator bit down on his arm, the TV station reported.

The attack happened on the Palms Course at the Rotunda Golf and Country Club in Englewood in Charlotte County.

The gator was estimated to be 10 feet long.

“He drove up in his utility cart. He was out of it so we didn't get a chance to talk to him much, but he did make it up here. He's a big guy; he's not a small guy,” country club general manager David Kelly told FOX13. “I was able to see the wound, so he did have a good hold of him. There's quite a bit of flesh wounds.”

The golf course confirmed it had hired him to remove all of the golf balls from the water and described him as a diver with 30 years of experience.

Cox Media Group