OT: Man evicted after living on golf course for 40 years
 

MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- A man who lived on a golf course for 40 years was told to leave because some golfers complained that he scared them.

Other golfers, however, said Kenny Bethel is harmless and should be allowed to stay at Palmetto Golf Course.

Bethel, 55, first showed up at the golf course after he ran away from home in 1963. He collected and resold stray golf balls, used the club's showers and toilets at night and slept in a sheltered area on the course that housed the showers.

"This course became my job and, later, my home," he said.

For the last nine years, he had been joined by his wife Francis, 43. They have since relocated to a space under a nearby bridge.

"What have I done to deserve this?" Bethel asked.

Bethel now gets chased away by the staff when he tries to collect balls. And the restrooms are locked at night.

"It's a huge dilemma," said Carlos McKeon, manager of Miami-Dade County Golf Operations. "We used to cast a benign eye on Kenny. But when a few golfers complained that he's trespassing and it's against the law, we had to get him off."

Bethel turned down a job in course maintenance because he wanted to be self-employed, McKeon said.

Golfers who had become accustomed to seeing Bethel on the course were surprised by his banishment.

"It seems a shame that someone who is an institution on the course can't be grandfathered in," golfer Jim Adamson said.

"He's a nice guy," agreed golfer Mario Deif. "You have to admire someone who has debunked modern life and lives off the land."

I have trouble feeling sorry for him. Heck the course even offered him a job so he could stay.

Exactly.

That guy must be hung like a horse if he can get married and convince her to move to the golf course with him.

Err... ok... what the hell?? And how do you convince someone to live with you under a bridge?? I guess the only answer is that he really is hung like a horse.

it was golf course property guys? thats nice shit

"For the last nine years, he had been joined by his wife Francis, 43. They have since relocated to a space under a nearby bridge."

this is the strangest part of that story

He was a just a crazy old guy living on the golf course apparently not hurting anybody. If I were him, I'd turn to a life of crime and punish those who are out to get him. Then maybe people will just leave him the heck alone.

I'm guessing that his wife was homeless as well...

He is 12 years older than her. What a pimp.

Is a golf ball considered stray when it leaves the fairway? I've heard of lost golf balls but not stray ones...

"Is this your place Carl? It's really...awful."

A golf ball is considered stray when it wanders around without a license.

Obviously.