Golf club indicts homeless man

A homeless man who has lived on a golf course in America for 40 years said today he had been evicted.

Kenny Bethel, 55, has collected and re-sold lost golf balls to make ends meet since he ran away from home as a teenager.

But some golfers complained that Mr Bethel, who lived under a bridge on the course in Florida, was scaring them.

“This course became my job and, later, my home,” Mr Bethel said.

“What have I done to deserve this?”

Mr Bethel used the course washrooms at night and slept under a bridge on the Palmetto Golf Course.

For the last nine years he has been joined by his wife Francis, 43.

Carlos McKeon, manager of the course, said: “We used to cast a benign eye on Kenny.

“But when a few golfers complained that he’s trespassing and it’s against the law, we had to get him off.”

Now the staff chase Mr Bethel away when he tries to collect lost golf balls.

But many course regulars were surprised at the hard line the management had taken.

One player, Jim Adamson, said Mr Bethel has become an “institution”.

Mario Deif added: “You have to admire someone who has debunked modern life and lives off the land.”