Fore! Emu joins Elma golf outing

ELMA — Every golfer likes a birdie, even more so an eagle. But an emu?

The big bird that showed up Tuesday at Oaksridge Golf Course was another matter, at least for Sue McMeekin of Satsop and Les Bell of Montesano.

The flightless bird, second in height among avians to the ostrich, followed the golfers for seven of their nine holes, watching each swing — and sometimes walking between them or standing directly in front of them. The emu seemed to take particular interest in McMeekin's red fleece jacket.

"It was strange," McMeekin said. "She's awful big and she made me nervous."

Emus, natives of Australia, can grow to more than 6 feet and up to 100 pounds and are capable of running as fast as 30 mph for short distances.

After hanging around the pro shop, the emu started following McMeekin and Bell while course employee Jeremy Behm called the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Department.

A deputy was dispatched but could not immediately determine where the emu belonged. Soon the emu's owner left his home near the course and picked up the bird, Behm said.