A golfer caught practicing their swing while a lightning bolt struck nearby in Venice, Florida, prompted an urgent alert from meteorologist Matt Devitt, who posted the image on his Facebook page with a direct message: "No round of golf is worth getting hit by lightning."
The photograph, credited to Kathy P. McSteen and shared on the Matt Devitt Weather page, shows the player indicated with a white circle, seemingly unaware of the danger.
According to Devitt, a camp guard had to intervene to escort him and other players back to the clubhouse.
The meteorologist accompanied the image with a reference to the classic comedy Caddyshack (1980), in which Bishop Pickering is struck by lightning while playing in the midst of a storm: "Do you remember what happened in Caddyshack? Always stay safe."
The warning comes at a time of extraordinary electrical activity in the state.
Florida surpassed one million lightning strikes in 2026, with more than 200,000 lightning strikes recorded in just one week, according to data that Devitt himself published days before.
The season has already claimed at least one life: on July 4th, a man lost his life and three others were injured after being struck by lightning while swimming off Fort Myers Beach.
The meteorologist Rob Duns from Gulf Coast News described the situation starkly: "Every time there is a cloud-to-ground lightning strike, it's a dangerous situation. And unfortunately for those people who were simply enjoying the beach, it turned out to be fatal with that single strike."
Golf courses pose a particular risk during thunderstorms because they are open spaces with few safe shelters.
Although metal objects do not attract lightning, they do conduct electricity, which is why specialists recommend dropping the sticks and leaving the field immediately.
According to data collected by the National Lightning Safety Council, nearly half of the golf-related deaths between 2006 and 2023 involved individuals who sought shelter under a tree.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that no outdoor place is safe during a storm and recommend seeking shelter in a closed building or a vehicle with a solid roof.
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