Estes Park, Colo. — Golfer Shanks Drive Toward Bull Elk 'Smash'

Estes Park, Colorado — A golfer's drive veered sharply toward a large bull elk standing near the course after she paused to notice what OutKick, the Fox News sports site, called "a nice rack," according to video the outlet published Oct. 18, 2026. The shot never reached the fairway; it sailed toward the animal instead, forcing the golfer to abandon the ball rather than retrieve it near the elk, the outlet reported.

What happened on the tee box?

The golfer shanked her shot in the direction of the elk while playing a course in Estes Park, a mountain town in Colorado's Rockies, OutKick reported. The outlet's account, published under the headline "Golfer distracted by 'a nice rack' shanks tee shot in the direction of large bull elk, wisely grabs a new ball," said the animal's antlers pulled her attention away from her swing just before contact. Rather than walk toward the elk to retrieve the stray ball, the golfer set it aside and teed up a replacement, the outlet reported.

Who is the elk involved, and how was it caught on camera?

OutKick, writing under Sean Joseph's byline, credited footage of the encounter to Good Bull Outdoors and described the animal as "the famously feisty Colorado elk." The report did not provide the elk's precise location on the course, its age or any history of prior encounters with golfers, and the version of the story reviewed for this report does not include an on-camera interview with the golfer herself.

What does the headline's wordplay mean?

OutKick's headline — "Golfer distracted by 'a nice rack' shanks tee shot in the direction of large bull elk, wisely grabs a new ball" — plays on the dual meaning of "rack," a term golfers and hunters alike use for an animal's antlers. The outlet's framing suggested the golfer's attention drifted from her swing to the elk's antlers just before contact, though OutKick did not quote the golfer directly explaining what drew her focus.

Why didn't the golfer retrieve her ball?

OutKick's headline credited the golfer with "wisely" abandoning the shot rather than approaching the elk. The outlet did not report any contact between the woman and the animal, any injuries or any intervention by course staff or wildlife officers.

Does OutKick cover elk encounters regularly?

The same page carrying the report also promoted separate OutKick Outdoors coverage of country singer Chris Janson discussing what the outlet called a "grueling" elk hunt in Colorado, suggesting elk encounters are a recurring subject for the outlet's outdoors coverage, though that item is unrelated to the Estes Park golf shot itself.

What should golfers do if elk appear on a course?

The available reporting does not include guidance from golf course operators or state wildlife officials on how to handle elk encounters during play. OutKick's report is limited to the single incident captured on video, and the source material reviewed for this report does not quantify how often elk interrupt play on Estes Park courses or elsewhere in Colorado.

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