Alligator Snatches Golfer's Ball From Green In Wild Scene On Florida Course

A couple of golfers in Florida unexpectedly encountered a real-life version of Gator Golf over the holiday weekend ... when an alligator straight-up snagged one of their balls on the green -- and then waddled off with it!

The cool (and scary!) moment was captured on video on Sunday ... when Mark Harb and some of his buddies were playing a round at the Ormond Beach golf club.

You can see in footage that Harb shot, as the crew was walking toward the green to putt their balls ... they spotted a gator right next to the flagstick.

"Adam just hit the green," Harb said while recording, "and a gator just had the ball in his mouth."

As Harb got closer, the large reptile bit at the ball, and then crushed it in its teeth repeatedly. The guys joked about it -- from a safe distance! -- saying, "have him just drop it in the hole."

But, doesn't seem that happened -- 'cause the gator kept on moving ... with the golf ball in its mouth.