There are countless reasons why a golf ball ends up where it shouldn't. Normally it is the fault of the golfer, but occasionally you don't have to take the whole rap.

Playing in the beautifully situated Woodenbridge Golf Club in Wicklow last Monday, a drive from the 18th tee across the Avoca river surprisingly found the fairway just beyond the main battalion of bunkers. Having walked across the bridge towards the ball, a crazy raven swooped onto the fairway from a tree and pecked at the ball. For sport it picked up the ball in its beak and lazily flapped away disappearing into the woods on the side of the hill. So what do you do? Marvel at the beauty of dumb animals? Recommend ravens should be grouped with pheasants during the season of shotgun mayhem or apply Rule 18-1. Rule 18-1 says that if the ball is moved by an outside agency you may take a drop without penalty where the ball landed. Apparently a bird is an outside agency as is a dog - or any scallywag, in fact.

PS: If you come across a Balata in a really weird place with an Irish Times logo and Lexus stamped on it, don't call the paper coz it ain't our fault.