Bear steals golfers’ clubs at British Columbia course, video goes viral

A bear at Golden Eagle Golf Club in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, grabbed a golf bag by the strap and dragged it toward nearby bushes, turning a routine return to the cart into a viral wildlife encounter. The video showed the animal making off with the clubs as golfers looked on, and the scene quickly spread across social media.

The clip circulated on the r/golf subreddit and was picked up in coverage from CTV News and CP24 on July 13, 2026. CTV News described the animal as a “bold bruin” that was caught red-handed making away with a bag full of clubs. Social posts and reposts described the bear pulling the bag into trees or brush off the course.

Golden Eagle Golf Club bills itself as “fully public” and says it has two 18-hole championship courses, or 36 holes of golf. The club also uses the slogan “The Friendliest Game in Town!” on its site, a fitting contrast to a moment that showed how quickly a public recreation space can become shared ground with wildlife.

The club had already warned visitors, “We’re coming into bear season,” and told people to “stay bear aware,” noting that there are lots of black bears on the course. That message reflects a broader reality in British Columbia, where wildlife is increasingly part of the operating environment for golf facilities that sit close to forest edges, greenbelts and suburban growth.

British Columbia Golf says the province has more than 300 golf courses, a large network that makes encounters between players and wildlife hard to avoid. Similar bear incidents have been reported at Swaneset Golf Course and Country Club, including one case where a bear ran at a golfer and climbed a tree.

The Golden Eagle clip went viral because it was funny, but it also captured a more serious pattern: bears that spend time around people can become habituated, lose caution and move deeper into human spaces. On a busy public course in Metro Vancouver, that raises the stakes for golfers, staff and the animals themselves.