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I was nearly swallowed by sinkhole — because why wouldn’t I sit on the edge?

By
Social Links for Jack Hobbs
Published May 24, 2023
Updated May 24, 2023, 2:17 p.m. ET

Sinkhole in one.

A video of a sinkhole opening up on Fox Hollow’s golf course in Utah has gone viral after it was posted on social media by four teenagers who were driving past the phenomenon on a golf cart.

The TikTok, which was posted on Saturday, has a whopping 725,600 views.

“So today we went golfing out in Utah with the boys,” said Jake Ebert, who posted the initial video. “And as we are carting, we come right up on this sinkhole in the middle of the course on par 3 and you can tell it is literally washing away as we go.”

The video shows the raging waters churning in the hole around a silver pipe.

Ebert is then seen sitting on the edge of the massive hole — “Because why would I not sit on the edge?” — before getting up and retreating to stable land.

The golfer later told Storyful that he regretted his choice.

“It didn’t seem scary to sit on the ledge at the time but later watching the video back it was kind [of] insane,” Ebert said.

Ebert is then seen sitting on the edge of the massive hole "because why wouldn't I sit on the edge" before getting up and retreating to stable land.
Jake Ebert is seen sitting on the edge of the massive hole — “Because why would I not sit on the edge?” — before getting up and retreating to stable land. Jacob Ebert via Storyful
"We can see where I was sitting, ends up doing the exact same thing and totally washes away," explains Ebert who added that the entire section of the course was underwater within an hour.
“We can see where I was sitting, ends up doing the exact same thing and totally washes away,” explains Ebert, who added that the entire section of the course was underwater within an hour. Jacob Ebert via Storyful
"It didn’t seem scary to sit on the ledge at the time but later watching the video back it was kind [of] insane,” said Ebert to the outlet.
“It didn’t seem scary to sit on the ledge at the time but later watching the video back it was kind [of] insane,” said Ebert to the outlet. Jacob Ebert via Storyful

A true moment of terror comes when the ground underneath the person filming the video begins to crack and falls into the water.

Thankfully, the young adult manages to escape the flimsy bit of grass.

“We can see where I was sitting, ends up doing the exact same thing and totally washes away,” explains Ebert, who added that the entire section of the course was underwater within an hour.

The video shows the raging waters churning around in the hole around a silver pipe.
The video shows the raging waters churning in the hole around a silver pipe. Jacob Ebert via Storyful

In a follow-up video posted by Ebert, the sinkhole was shown to have grown in size.

“You can see how huge it is now. It is taken up most of the fairway,” stated Ebert, who also praised the club’s attempt to ward off those who would want a closer look by putting up orange barriers.

According to the club’s head golf professional, Jaxson Taylor, the sinkhole was reported around 1 p.m. and no one had been injured.

In a follow-up video posted by Ebert, the sinkhole was shown to have grown in size.
In a follow-up video posted by Ebert, the sinkhole was shown to have grown in size. jakeebert7/Tiktok
"You can see how huge it is now. It is taken up most of the fairway," stated Ebert who also praised the club's attempt to ward off those who would want a closer look by putting up orange barriers.
“You can see how huge it is now. It is taken up most of the fairway,” stated Ebert, who also praised the club’s attempt to ward off those who would want a closer look by putting up orange barriers. jakeebert7/Tiktok

“We got a phone call, and I ran out there and immediately got on the phone and contacted the city,” said Taylor to local NBC news outlet KSLTV. “Their rapidness, I think, was beneficial.”

According to the man who had mowed the grass that morning, the appearance of the sinkhole was “freaky.”

“There were no indications the ground in this spot would give way,” said member Destry Cobbley. “That’s kind of freaky.”

“There were no indications the ground in this spot would give way,” said member Destry Cobbley. "That’s kind of freaky.”
“There were no indications the ground in this spot would give way,” said member Destry Cobbley. “That’s kind of freaky.” Jacob Ebert via Storyful

The Post reached out to Ebert and the Fox Hollow Golf Club for comment.

According to Taylor, the club believes the sinkhole was caused by a tree from the nearby American Fork River.

“We think a tree from the river got jammed into our pipe, and the water expanded through the pipe, and that’s what caused that,” Taylor said. “They removed that, so it’s at least flowing right now, so it’s not overflowing. There’s a little bit that got out on the golf course, but it’s all dried up now.”

Taylor said the city has since ripped out the pipes that flow underneath the golf course.

“When the water goes down, we’re going to try to find a more permanent solution, but for right now, they’ve piled in a bunch of rocks to try to keep it contained,” said Taylor. “American Fork city was here all night monitoring it and making sure that it stayed contained, and overnight it’s not gotten any bigger.”

@jakeebert7

#utah #utahflooding #golf #golftiktok @ziregolf #flood

♬ original sound – Jake Ebert

Until the situation is resolved, Taylor added that there are only 16 and a half holes open to players and that they shortening a few of them to “keep people away from hitting in that direction.”

This is not the first time a sinkhole has sparked panic.

A growing sinkhole in the Texas town of Daisetta has caused several residents to start fearing for their safety.

“I was having a lot of trouble going to sleep last night because I didn’t know if we were going to get swallowed up,” nearby resident Jordana Priessler told KTRK. “My family told me it happened kind of fast before.”

The sinkhole first appeared in 2008 and went from 20 feet to a shocking 900 feet wide and 260 feet deep overnight. Officials are still trying to decide if they should call for residents to evacuate.

Also in January, doorbell camera footage managed to catch shocking footage of an elderly Long Island resident and two good Samaritans falling into a sinkhole before they were rescued.