Florida Golfer Fights Off Alligator with Putter

A Florida golfer survived an alligator attack Wednesday thanks to some quick thinking, as he used his putter to fight off the massive reptile.

According to WINK News, Tony Aarts escaped the harrowing incident at Magnolia Landing Golf & Country Club in North Fort Myers, Florida, by clubbing the gator in the eye after it latched on to his right ankle.

Aarts rolled into a water hazard after getting grabbed by the alligator and described the sequence of events that followed:

"

I remember having a club in my hand, and as soon as he had me in the water up to my waist, I started hitting him over the head. ... He was looking at me with his big eyes, and I kept hitting him. And I'm thinking I'm getting deeper and deeper, and I thought you're not gonna get me. ... I started hitting him in the eye socket. I hit him three times and he let go of my foot, so I crawled back out and by that time the guys were there.

"

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers captured and put the gator down after Aarts escaped.

According to figures released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in September 2016, 388 alligator bites on people have been recorded since 1948, with 24 of them being fatal.