Squadrons of Hungry Javelinas Terrorize Posh Arizona Golf Course

A private golf course in Sedona, Arizona is under siege as dozens of javelinas – the wild pig-like peccaries of the Southwest – have been tearing up the grass in search of tasty grub worms. Seven Canyons Golf Club in the state’s Coconino National Forest has not yet figured out how to deal with the marauding beasts.

“What should be one of the most beautiful golf courses in the country is being destroyed by herds of javelina,” Emily Casey, the golf club’s superintendent, wrote on X.

Pity the poor course groundskeepers, who cannot hunt or even trap the little beasts because javelinas are classified as “big game” under Arizona law and as such are (mostly) protected. They tried sprinkling crystallized coyote urine over the sod but the javelinas apparently like it. “It was like putting bacon bits in their salad,” club general manager Dave Bisbee told ABC News.

The javelina (Tayassu tajacu) – also known as the collared peccary or skunk pig – is three to four feet long, two feet tall, and weighs between 35 and 55 pounds. They usually maraud in small groups called squadrons made up of a half-dozen or so members. They may be marauders, but they’re not invasive – these guys are indigenous to the Southwest.

It’s estimated that there are 30 to 50 squadrons terrorizing Seven Canyons, where they have torn up eight spots on the course (so far) in search of the grub worm. Casey says the course has to spend 45 to 50 hours a week repairing the damage.

After the coyote urine debacle, the course has tried drizzling the fairways with very spicy chili oil and has seen modest success with this approach. “We're still trying to figure out the right formulation in the chili oil we put out. It's a delicate thing for the grass,” said Bisbee.

Maybe our headline is backwards. It’s not that javelinas are threatening the golf course, it’s that the golf course has invaded the creatures’ home turf. Put us down for team javelina.
This short vid is a good primer on the delightful javelina.

Em Casey / Golf Monthly

Photo credit: mlharing / Golf Digest