Florida Man on a Golf Cart Attempts Escape with Stolen TV

It's always a Florida man on a golf cart. Like this little gem out of Polk County. A 60-year-old dude named Ronald Spiker, who apparently doesn’t believe in normal retirement hobbies like golf or bingo... No, this dude decided to break into someone’s farm trailer. And what does this genius go for? A TV. Not a even some fancy flat-screen either, just an old TV he felt was worth the trouble.

Now, you’d think someone might have a getaway plan in mind for this sort of thing, right? Ronald? Not at all. According to the Tampa Free Press, he decided to hop on a stolen golf cart. Classic. A Florida man on a golf cart. It's always hilarious.  So, here’s this dude, rolling through a pine grove, with a stolen TV bouncing around in the back on a joyride. And the Polk County's deputies? Oh, they were ready for this one.

It didn’t take long for the boys in blue to track him down. A pine grove isn’t exactly a great place to lose the cops, especially on a golf cart. When they caught up with him, they discovered Ronald wasn’t just stealing TVs. Turns out, he had meth on him too. Shocking, I know. The deputies added dope to his growing list of charges, which already included burglary and theft. Let us be honest. Meth and theft go together like peanut butter and chocolate.

Sheriff Grady Judd wasn’t too surprised by this guy’s latest blunder. Judd made it know that It doesn’t matter where you drive, they’re catching you. Basically confirming Spiker isn’t exactly a criminal mastermind. Sheriff Judd even hinted this wasn’t Spiker’s first run-in with the law. Seems like old Ronald’s got a bit of a track record for bad decisions, and this one just added to it.

Now Ronald’s back in the Polk County jail, where he belongs. Hey, if you’re going to steal a TV and run from the cops... Don't be a Florida man on a golf cart. You look silly and you’re going to get caught.

We are officially one week into National Golf Month. To celebrate this and inspire you to hit the links, Home To Go published a report that details the most affordable golf destinations and three Florida courses made the list.

"The ranking explores the affordability of green fees, golf carts, club rentals and nearby accommodations, so you can stay on the green and out of the debt bunker," they explain. To compile this information Home To Go analyzed these four categories and then compiled a list of the 40 most affordable rounds. Furthermore, they listed that the Naples and Marco Island area has the most golf courses per capita in the country. There are 69 golf courses in that metro area.

The sport of golf has many unique components that separate it from many other activities. Hitting the links can be a casual day out among friends, or a highly competitive tournament. Either way it certainly takes practice and skill to master. Furthermore, there are traditions to the game that are respected widely across the globe. In addition to proper golf attire and etiquette, golfers are expected to follow the guidelines each course lays out. Many of these are standard, but different course layouts and features then factor into what the cost to play is.

In Florida, the three courses that named among the 40 most affordable golf destinations in America are actually in two locations. To clarify, two of these course are along the same east coast club grounds. They are among a group of 30 PGA courses that the pros play, and then are open to public usage. Then, if you head about 225 miles south, you will come across the third Florida course to make the list. This popular destination is only an hour outside the Tampa area.

Golf excursions can get quite expensive. So, if you are understandably budgeting your next golf trip to Florida, these three destinations are worth considering given their overall affordability.

"The Players Championship" club in Ponte Vedra has both of their courses listed among the most affordable. The first is Sawgrass coming in at #14. Local accommodations average $94.23. The green fee here is $175 and includes a golf cart. If you'd like to rent clubs, that will cost an additional $80, but your total will still be under $350.

The second TPC Sawgrass course to be featured here is Stadium. While the local accommodation and club rental fee are the same as Dye's Valley, the green fee is the different. That will run you $450, which aligns Stadium to the 34th most affordable.

Streamsong has become a very popular destination for golfers looking for memorable getaway with friends and family. It's about 65 miles southeast of Tampa and comes in at number 17. Here, the local accommodations are expected to be relatively inexpensive at $44. The green fee is as well, at approximately $179, however, this does not include a golf cart ($35). Lastly, if you don't want to travel with your clubs, a rental set will cost you $100.