I got a horsefly bite on a golf course. Here's what every golfer needs to know.

Bites, stings, ticks and horseflies — the rough has more residents than you think. A first-hand account and a practical guide to staying safe on the course.

On one of those unexpectedly warm mid-March days that makes you feel like the season has finally arrived, I played the Valley Course at Greetham Valley — the shorter par-68 layout, with six par 3s that kept me honest with my irons and, as it turned out, well acquainted with the rough. What I didn’t expect was to come home with an angry, inflamed bite that itches like crazy and takes the best part of a week to settle.

That’s a horsefly bite, photographed about 48 hours after it happened. I initially wasn’t sure — the inflammation was significant enough that I spent a day wondering whether it might be a tick bite and whether I needed to think about Lyme disease. It settled over a few days, the swelling went down, and it’s now clearly consistent with a horsefly reaction rather than anything more serious.

But it got me thinking. Nobody really talks about this stuff in golf. You’ll hear plenty about muddy fairways and slow greens, but very little about the surprisingly varied wildlife that’s quietly waiting for you in the rough, the heather, and the long grass behind the 14th. So here’s the guide I wished I’d had.

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Horsefly bite on a golf course: the underrated menace

A horsefly bite on a golf course is more common than most golfers realise. They're bigger, faster, and considerably more unpleasant than wasps — and they get far less attention. Unlike bees or wasps, they don’t sting: they bite, and they cut the skin rather than pierce it, which is why the reaction can look so bruised and angry. They’re most active near water and farmland on warm, humid days.

Greetham Valley, like many parkland courses, has water features and the kind of

open, wooded mix that horseflies love. Late March is early in the season, but on a mild day they’re already out. By June and July on a warm afternoon near a lake or a stream, they can be relentless.

What to do: Don’t scratch — horsefly bites can become infected if broken. Clean the area, apply hydrocortisone cream to reduce inflammation, take an antihistamine if it’s very itchy. Monitor for signs of infection over the following days: increasing warmth, spreading redness, or pus. If any of those develop, see a GP.

DEET-based repellent is effective. Covering legs and arms on humid summer days near water is even more effective. Light-coloured clothing also helps — horseflies are attracted to dark colours and movement.

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The one that actually matters: ticks and Lyme disease

That long rough on the banking behind the green. Exactly the kind of habitat ticks love. Check yourself after you’ve been in there

The reason I initially wasn’t sure about my Greetham bite is that tick bites can look similar in the early stages — a central mark with surrounding redness. The distinction matters, because ticks can carry Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that’s straightforward to treat early and considerably more complicated if missed.

Ticks are tiny eight-legged parasites that live in long grass, heather, bracken, and woodland edges — exactly where your ball keeps landing. In the UK, the sheep tick is the primary carrier of Lyme disease and is active from spring through to autumn. The good news is that a tick usually needs to be attached for 24–48 hours before transmitting the bacteria, which gives you a decent window if you check yourself after a round.

What to do: After heathland, moorland, or woodland courses, check your skin — particularly legs, waistband, behind the knees, armpits, and the back of the neck.

If you find a tick, use a tick removal tool or fine-tipped tweezers and pull straight upward without twisting. Clean the area with antiseptic. Monitor for a bullseye-shaped rash in the days that follow. If you see one, see your GP promptly and mention the tick bite — a short course of antibiotics at this stage is effective.

A tick removal card costs about £3 and fits in your bag pocket. There is absolutely no reason not to carry one.

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Wasps and bees: more drama, less danger

The wasp encounter is a time-honoured golf tradition. You’re searching the rough, you’re almost certain it went in here, and then suddenly everyone’s waving their arms and retreating while pretending they weren’t. Disturbing a nest in the rough is more common than you’d think, especially near wooden sleepers, dry stone walls, or dense vegetation.

For most people, stings are painful and briefly humiliating but not dangerous. The exception is anyone with a known allergy — anaphylaxis can develop quickly and is a medical emergency. If you or anyone in your group carries an EpiPen, make sure you know where it is before the round starts.

Worth knowing: Bees leave their sting in the skin — scrape it out sideways with a card or fingernail rather than pinching, which pushes more venom in. Wasps don’t leave a sting but will sting multiple times if threatened. Retreat calmly rather than swatting.

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Midges: the Scottish problem

If you’re planning a golf trip to Scotland between June and September — and you absolutely should be — you will meet the Highland midge. They bite in clouds, and they represent a genuine tactical consideration for tee time selection. Early mornings and evenings near water are peak midge hours. DEET-based repellent is your first line of defence, but for midges specifically, Smidge or Avon Skin So Soft are the most recommended products among those who've survived a summer links trip. Consider them essential kit alongside your waterproofs!

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The practical checklist

None of this needs to ruin your enjoyment. Carry tick tweezers in your bag. Apply repellent before heathland or woodland rounds in summer. Check your legs after the round. Know where the EpiPen is if someone in the group carries one. And for Scotland, pack Smidge.

The wildlife on golf courses is mostly on your side — great courses are often great precisely because they sit in ecologically rich landscapes. The ticks, wasps, and horseflies are just the price of admission. As I found out on one warm mid-March Wednesday on the Valley Course at Greetham Valley.