A pond just behind the third green of the Fremont Park Golf Center maybe a bigger water hazard than people think. For beneath the murky depths there may lie something most sinister - a caiman!

(A fake alligator head in the Fremont golf course pond - but a real one may be lurking just below the surface!)

The FREMONT (CA) ARGUS tees up news that a caiman may be residing in the pond next to the course. Although the pond is fenced in, the course plans on putting up warning signs to golfers to be on the lookout for the caiman.

This scary news brings us to just one question - What the hell’s a caiman?

Well, according to DICITONARY.COM, a caiman is “any of several tropical American crocodilians of the genus Caiman and allied genera: some are endangered.”

(A caiman [spectacled variety])

So, why not just say “crocodile”? Or “alligator”? Wouldn’t fit in the headline?

Anyway, golf course general manager Ken Powell says that on Wednesday morning, he saw something about 3 feet long “turn over like a big fish” in the reeds - but he thinks it’s not just some big ol’ fish or turtle:

“It’s larger than anything that should be out there. Turtles don’t create wakes that big.”

But the most alarming evidence comes from a diver who was hired to recover golf balls hit into the pond. He “swears” that he came face-to-face with some type of alligator or crocodile or, yes, even a caiman!

Groundskeepers say they have noticed less birds, ducks & geese in the area in recent weeks. Powell says the fowl may have been “scared off”. Maybe they became some caiman’s dinner.

Animal Control employees have been staking out the pond for any sight of the caiman, but no luck so far. Authorities say the creature might have originally been an illegal pet that was released into the wild when it became too big. (Hope the previous owner took Bob Barker’s advice to spay & neuter their caiman to prevent overpopulation.)

And we thought gophers were the worst varmints on the course. Never mind “Slice” - this caiman episode is your real golf horror story.