A Florida golfer lost his mind when another player did one thing that sent him into a violent rage

Golf is supposed to be a gentleman’s game.

But one Florida man forgot all about sportsmanship on the links.

And a Florida golfer lost his mind when another player did one thing that sent him into a violent rage.

Golf courses across America see their fair share of heated exchanges during peak season. Most disputes over pace of play end with some harsh words and maybe a few dirty looks.

But what happened at a Kissimmee golf course in June went way beyond typical golf course etiquette violations.

Jason Hughes was having what you might call a rough day on the links.

The kind of day every golfer knows – when nothing’s going right and your patience is hanging by a thread.

Hughes found himself stuck behind a slower-playing group, watching as the golfers ahead of him took their sweet time with every shot.

According to the arrest warrant, Hughes made his frustration crystal clear by telling the men in front of him more than once to pick up the pace.¹

Most reasonable golfers would either let the faster group play through or just accept that some days the course moves slower than others. Not Hughes.

The breaking point that changed everything

Here’s where things took a dark turn that nobody saw coming.

The victim was playing with a friend, and they were chatting on the green after their shots. For most golfers, a little conversation between holes is just part of the social aspect of the game.

But for Hughes, watching these two men talk while he waited behind them was apparently the last straw.

That’s when Hughes snapped and did something that would land him in handcuffs.

According to deputies with the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Hughes attacked the other golfer without warning and started throwing punches at his face repeatedly.²

The assault was so vicious that witnesses had to physically separate the two men to stop the beating.

The victim ended up with serious injuries that required medical attention.

When deputies showed up, they found the victim in rough shape – bleeding, bruised, with a broken bone around his eye socket and gashes on his cheek that would require stitches.³

Hughes? He was already gone.

Running away like a weekend warrior

Hughes wasn’t about to stick around and explain himself.

He and his buddy grabbed their golf cart and made a beeline for the parking lot.

They drove off before law enforcement could arrive, leaving their victim bleeding on the course.

The injured golfer declined an ambulance ride but had to be driven to the hospital by a friend to get treatment for his injuries.

Hughes probably thought he’d gotten away with his assault.

But he clearly didn’t think through the modern realities of golf course security.

The golf course provided deputies with surveillance video of the incident and gave them Hughes’ name based on the credit card he used to make his tee time reservation.⁴

Technology caught up with him faster than he could run.

Deputies tracked Hughes down and arrested him on charges of aggravated battery causing bodily harm.

He was booked into the Osceola County Jail on Thursday.

When Hughes appeared in court on Friday, a judge set his bond at $2,500.

But here’s the kicker – one of his bond conditions is that he can’t play golf on any public course.⁵

Talk about adding insult to injury.

The man who couldn’t control his temper over slow play is now banned from playing the game that set him off in the first place.

What other golfers think about this madness

The golf community in the area wasn’t exactly sympathetic to Hughes’ violent reaction.

One golfer put it perfectly: “If you linger around a few minutes and let that guy go through, by the time you play the hole, you won’t be behind him anymore.”⁶

Another player pointed out the obvious: “If you’re out here trying to be aggressive, you absolutely picked the wrong game to choose. Go do jiu-jitsu or kung fu.”⁷

The most sensible comment came from a third golfer who said: “There’s no reason to be fighting out here. You could easily call the shop, and they’ll come speak to the person, but it should never turn to violence.”⁸

That’s exactly right. Golf courses have procedures for dealing with pace of play issues. Most courses employ rangers who patrol the course specifically to keep groups moving and address any problems.

Hughes had plenty of options that didn’t involve throwing punches.

He could have called the pro shop. He could have asked the group to let him play through.

He could have simply accepted that some rounds take longer than others.

Hughes picked the nuclear option for what should’ve been a minor annoyance at worst.

Why this matters beyond one bad day on the links

Look, we’ve all seen it happen more and more. Someone gets slightly inconvenienced and suddenly they’re ready to throw hands.

Golf used to mean something different.

You kept your own score honestly. You fixed your ball marks and divots.

They repair divots and ball marks. They shake hands after the round regardless of who won or lost.

Hughes threw all of that out the window because he couldn’t handle waiting a few extra minutes on a golf course.

The victim in this case will recover from his physical injuries.

But the psychological impact of being violently attacked during what should have been a peaceful round of golf will probably last much longer.

Golf courses are supposed to be safe spaces where people can escape the stresses of daily life, get some exercise, and enjoy time outdoors with friends.

When someone like Hughes turns a golf course into a scene of violence, it ruins the experience for everyone else who just wants to enjoy the game.

The judge’s decision to ban Hughes from public golf courses sends exactly the right message.

If you can’t control your temper on the golf course, you don’t deserve to be there.

Maybe Hughes will use his time away from golf to work on his anger management skills. Because clearly, his short game isn’t the only thing that needs improvement.

¹ Manny Martinez, “Florida man arrested after beating up golfer over slow play, deputies say,” FOX 35 Orlando, July 25, 2025.

² – ⁸ Ibid.