Pro golfer shot and killed on Georgia country club golf course

[marmar]

Professional golfer Gene Siller was shot and killed on Saturday while at the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, Georgia, according to local reports and the Georgia State Golfing Association.

"All of us at the GSGA are deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred earlier today at Pinetree CC. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gene Siller’s family and friends," the Georgia State Golfing Association tweeted on Saturday.

Siller, who was in his 40s, was a member of the Pinetree Country Club staff and had previously worked as the director of golf and head golf pro at Summit Chase Country Club, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post. Kennesaw is about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta. ..........(more)

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pro-golfer-shot-killed-georgia-country-club-golf-course-n1273075?

[PatSeg]

1. What a bizarre story

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. While I've never quite understood the appeal of golf,

shooting a golfer dead seems a bit extreme.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

6. I never understood the appeal of expensive country clubs.

I think playing par 3 or playing a local municipal course is plenty of fun and cheap, especially on week days.

I agree this killing seems bizarre, my condolences to his family. In reading about him, he was married with two small children.

[marble falls]

13. There's golf and there's country club golf. And then there's something as crazy as this ...

... I loved golfing at the Loyal Oaks course in Norton, Ohio, especially in the fall. 36 holes all by myself. Playing two balls, using my arm-iron, smoking a doob and having a beer or two - no cart.

It was a beautiful course back then, and I bet it's still gorgeous in the fall. Next door to a vineyard I've been to, once. I bought a white I liked a lot.

[Blue_true]

14. Everyone should play golf in the Fall before the leaves start falling.

It is a unique experience being that close to nature. Most golf courses are not mostly treeless manicured spaces, most run over some of the most beautiful natural scenery.

[marble falls]

18. Just the smell of fallen maple and oak leaves in the fall after a rain. I'd move back to Ohio ...

... just for that.

[Blue_true]

22. I am from Florida. But I have lived temporarily in places that have true seasons.

You are right, just fallen leaves and trees in the woods have that special smell after a mild Fall rain. It is something that a person has to experience to appreciate. Here in Florida, pines and oaks have a unique smell after a light rain, just not as beautiful as that of colder climate trees and leaves.

[marble falls]

26. I like that resin-ey smell in FLA and LA after a rain in the late summer. Too bad ...

... cedar and live oak pollen get me here in Texas, though both my wife and I noticed allergies were a lot milder with masks. Still wearing ours.

[Blue_true]

31. It is truly amazing, the soul healing salve that people can get from noticing nature.

Masks crushed the Flu last Winter, so them taking out pollen is not a surprise. When I work outside in dusty conditions (when it gets dry here in Florida) I wear a mask, even before Covid.

[Treefrog]

39. Hiking in the woods does that for me.

No need for the frippery of golf.

[Blue_true]

45. Ahhhh.

You haven’t lived until you have cursed at a golf ball.

[Brother Buzz]

21. Golf is great seen through the demented mind of the late great Robin Williams

[msfiddlestix]

37. .....

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. Good golfer with a gun?

GoFundMe referenced here....

GoFundMe started for Kennesaw golf pro who was shot and killed at country club
Gene Siller was identified as the victim in the shooting on Saturday by a member of the club.

Link: https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/gene-siller-kennesaw-pinetree-country-club-gofundme/85-9a16f001-5b11-4dbd-81b7-f6b8f3fb2ad3

snip...

KENNESAW, Ga. — Friends and community members are trying to raise funds for a family grieving the sudden and shattering loss of Gene Siller, the golf pro at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, on Saturday.

According to a member of the club, the alleged shooter drove his car to the 10th fairway at the country club's golf course, Siller went to see what was going on and he was shot.

In a fundraiser posted to GoFundMe, organizer Dianne McPherson wrote: "As many of you are aware Gene was tragically killed Saturday, July 3rd. We are asking for donations to help Gene’s precious family in this terrible time of need. Please keep Gene's family as well as his Pinetree family in your prayers." As of Sunday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised about $17,000 of a $100,000 goal.

RIP and peace be with his family and friends.......

KY

[Skittles]

7. I am curious why they need 100,000 bucks

[Zeitghost]

10. I would assume

Burial expenses and help replacing lost income for the family.

[Blue_true]

15. Makes sense.

That would help the family for the short-term on an immediate basis. Long-term they will need other fundraisers.

That truly is a strange situation (the truck coming onto the course). Looks like a person that was determined to kill someone, but he still ran from the police.

[Skittles]

28. sorry

I thought that was what life insurance is for.

[MichMan]

33. If they didn't buy enough life insurance, too bad, right?

Not much compassion there.

[Skittles]

34. you should not rely on gofundme if you support a family

ya know?

[raccoon]

44. And social Security. Nt

[KY_EnviroGuy]

48. Check this out: It's now up to $650K.

AJC Headline: ‘RIP, my friend’: Fundraiser for slain Cobb golf pro surpasses $650K

See: https://www.ajc.com/news/rip-my-friend-fundraiser-for-slain-cobb-golf-pro-surpasses-650k/6X6PXJBKHNBRDOLODBNZYSU5CQ/

I'm certainly not one to begrudge a grieving family of tokens of sympathy and love, but this seems to be taking "in lieu of flowers" a bit too far. It encourages one-upmanship among the wealthy in particularly and encourages folks of common income to try the same bullshit.

Unless the man's family is in horribly dire straights, if they want to truly honor him, have donations funneled to a worthy charity.

After seeing events like this and thousands of dollars spend recently in my area on illegal fireworks, I never want to hear anyone around here say they can't afford to contribute to charities that now so desperately need help to feed and provide basic healthcare to starving and sick people around the globe.

KY rant done........

[joetheman]

11. There is something very, very strange about coverage of this incident.

I have only been able to learn anything about it from what is posted here at DU. Is it because the gun folks don't want to talk about it, is it the holiday? But to me this is a major story about what is happening in America. Folks getting shot on freeways, parking lots, now golf courses. Any more known about the shooter?

[KY_EnviroGuy]

19. See my post below. This is getting weirder by the hour.

KY.......

[joetheman]

4. One paper said he had responded to an incident on the course. Who the hell was the shooter?

This is insane. I wish gun-humpers would leave the country.

[ProfessorGAC]

5. Just A Hunch

I fear we may find this to be a disgruntled ex-employee story.
Sure seems like a staff member was targeted, and at country clubs (and resort courses), the pros are the quality control team. Incompetent or unreliable greenskeeping crews are usually retained or terminated based upon the opinions of the professional staff.
A guy getting canned would have reason to believe his firing was because of the golf pros.
Now, a golf pro is dead.
Just speculating here, but the pieces do fit.

[Blue_true]

20. Your view makes a lot more sense than any that I can think of.

Truly strange situation.

Even sadder, a lot of people don’t realize this given that PGA Tour payouts are large, the overwhelming majority of PRO level golfers struggle to earn a living. Some are Rabbits going from one tournament to the next to try to win pots that may be in the $100s and occasionally in the $1000s. Their cloths and vehicles are usually highly worn. Most of them are White, though as a kid I knew of a Black one (lived out of his car, played as often as possible, winning bets from Attorneys, Doctors, ect to pick up entry money for larger tournaments and gas money to reach them). The guy who was killed likely didn’t make much, Club PROs don’t unless they do a lot of other stuff around the club, and get a steady flow of golfers that want golf lessons.

[ProfessorGAC]

24. All True

Players on TV making $2, 3, 5, 10, 15 million a year, so many think golf pro means big income.
Guys that make $75,000 are in a very distinct minority. 6 figures requires head pro status.
Head pros at destination courses might make that.
That said, the head pro at Pebble Beach makes around 75k. And that course costs nearly $600 per round. (That's stupidly expensive! I don't care what one's resources are.)
I've known pros that MAYBE gave 300 lessons a year at $30 to $50 per lesson. 15 grand tops, but those guys weren't making a $75k salary.
I knew 3 assistant pros (they worked at 2 different courses) who shared an eleven hundred square foot rental home. And, it was a dump.
99% of them are just barely getting by.

[Blue_true]

25. You know the score.

The guy that got killed likely has a wife that was bringing in a lot of the family income. Now she has to provide for their two kids alone.

I read that the shooter looked like a Hispanic male. Now this becomes an potentially anti-immigrant situation that louts like Trump and other republicans will try to profit from.

[malaise]

36. Two bodies were found in the pick up

It gets stranger and stranger

[ProfessorGAC]

38. Indeed!

If this is going to a "dump the victims" gone wrong, I retract my prior hunch.

[flying_wahini]

8. Mad ex employee or jealous husband.

Both are plausible.

[Hoyt]

9. Or some rube who got stuck driving on a golf course and shot the golf pro when he approached.

"Siller worked at Pinetree Country Club, and was at the 10th hole checking out a white pickup truck that had driven onto the course and into a sand trap, according to a witness who spoke to local news station 11 Alive. When Siller approached the vehicle, he was allegedly shot and killed by the driver. Another witness told 11 Alive that they heard five gunshots in a row."

https://sports.yahoo.com/golf-pro-gene-siller-shot-and-killed-on-georgia-golf-course-204637080.html

Hate citing "Yahoo," but that's the most recent article.

[Treefrog]

40. The owner of the truck was one of the bodies in the bed.

Read the stories.

[Hoyt]

41. So a rube killed the owner and drove the truck onto the golf course and shot golf-pro.

[Treefrog]

43. Two bodies in the bed of the truck.

Very weird story. Maybe pissed off employee?

[Devil Child]

49. Suspect is a black male with criminal history

Is that a rube? Looks like you’re right about the driving onto course with two bodies in the truckbed, getting stuck, and shooting down the golfer part.

[Hoyt]

50. In that area, rubes are the usual ones armed. This was a criminal. Thanks for the update.

[Devil Child]

52. You're welcome and anytime Hoyt, some links with updates elsewhere

Harder to link on the dumbphone. Bizarre case.

[raccoon]

12. Good God, if you're not safe at the country club where the hell are you safe? Nt

[stillcool]

16. they have a description of the suspect

a description of the truck. The guy drove onto the frigging golf course, and parked in a sand trap? Doesn't seem very random. Kind of surprising they don't know who it is.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

17. And the plot thickens. Two bodies found in the truck!

Two more bodies found in country club golf course shooting that killed Cobb man
July 04, 2021 at 6:30 pm EDT
By WSBTV.com News Staff

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County police are investigating a triple homicide at a country club Saturday afternoon.

See: https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb-county/two-more-bodies-found-country-club-golf-course-shooting-that-killed-cobb-man/NZPPVTFS3VFVLLO2DEIRRHBE2Y/

snips...

Investigators also found a white Ram 3500 pick-up truck parked on the green. Two other bodies were found in the bed of the truck. Both had been shot.

One of the two bodies found in the truck’s bed was identified as Paul Pierson, the registered owner of the truck. The third victim has not yet been identified.
-----
The suspect has not yet been identified or located.

Sounds like the killer abandoned the truck and hauled ass into the woods. I read elsewhere that the truck had become stuck on the course. The Ram 3500 is a one-ton version, so probably a dually.

Very bad Fourth of July for several Georgia families.........

[sarcasmo]

23. Villanelle?

[struggle4progress]

27. Triple homicide probed

By Shaddi Abusaid
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Updated 2 hours ago

... officers located a male, identified as Pinetree Country Club employee Eugene Siller, unresponsive on the green of the 10th hole with an apparent gunshot wound to the head ...

A white Ram 3500 pickup truck was also located on the green, police said. Upon further investigation, two other deceased males were discovered in the bed of the pickup truck. Both males suffered apparent gunshot wounds. One of them was identified as Paul Pierson, the registered owner of the Ram 3500. The other male has not yet been identified ...

... several people told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution .. the gunman’s truck got stuck near the 18th green after he drove onto the course ...

Siller was shot when he went .. to investigate ...

https://www.ajc.com/news/update-country-club-employee-shot-killed-on-cobb-golf-course/DSFPAKSCUBARDBX2IQXUMRRZXY/

[crickets]

29. How awful. How utterly strange and horrible. nt

[tavernier]

30. We need guns in our country

to protect ourselves from golfers.

Please pardon my sarcasm. This is a heartbreak for family members and I shouldn’t make light of it, nor do I in reality.

What the hell is wrong with this country?

[struggle4progress]

32. It sounds as if the driver hoped to escape through the golf course

with two bodies, but got stuck, and then killed the unexpected witness

[malaise]

35. Dd I just hear on CNN that three people were killed?

WTF?

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pro-golfer-shot-killed-georgia-country-club-golf-course-n1273075

Pro golfer Gene Siller was shot and killed at a country club in suburban Atlanta on Saturday, and two other men were found dead inside the bed of a pickup truck on the golf course, the Cobb County Police Department said.

Cobb County police responded to a report of a person shot around 2:20 p.m. and discovered Siller on the green of the 10th hole at the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, Georgia, the police department said in a statement Sunday.

Siller, an employee of the club, was found unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

[Catherine Vincent]

46. Any update on this crime?

I did read on Twitter that the police have the killer's name but won't release it. Why so mum about it? Weird situation.

[ProfessorGAC]

47. Nothing New, I Think

This is from CNN, 3 hours ago.
There's not much here we didn't read last night.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/06/us/gene-siller-pro-golfer-shot-killed-georgia-golf-course/index.html

[BGBD]

51. It's a very odd situation

A man drove a truck onto the green. Apparently there were two bodies already dead in the bed of the truck, a man from Kansas and a man from California. Siller went out to see what was going on and was killed as well. He was essentially in the wrong place at the wrong time.....but I'm very curious what led up to that and how two men from across the country ended up dead in the back of a pickup driving through a golf green.

Shooter is Bryan Anthony Rhoden.

[Catherine Vincent]

53. Thanks

Since the guy is arrested, we'll eventually find out where and why all 3 were killed.