Not much of a navigator! Heart-stopping moment alligator lunges toward cart on Florida golf course leaving driver heading for a pond as he veers off path

This is the heart-stopping moment an alligator lunges toward a cart on a Florida golf course, leaving the driver heading for a pond as he veers off the path.

The alligator can be seen cheekily running up to the cart, before taking a snap dangerously close to the passenger as the vehicle makes its way past the stretch of water in Ave Maria, Florida.

But the reptile does not feel like pursuing the vehicle and instead makes its way calmly towards the pond. 

Florida is home to about 1.3million alligators. When less than five feet in length they pose little, if any, threat to humans and sightings of them on golf courses are not unusual in the state. 

The alligator can be seen cheekily running up to the cart, before taking a snap dangerously close to the passenger as the vehicle makes its way past the stretch of water in Ave Maria, Florida

Social media users were quick to comment on the post, with one writing: 'Wow so lucky the golfer didn't wind up in the pond.'

Another posted: 'One more swerve to the right on that wheel and the gator could have had a couple of leg thighs on the 8th hole!'

Someone else added: 'Who knew golf was such a dangerous sport?'

In March last year, a huge alligator tore through a newly-installed metal fence at a Florida golf club.

A local meteorologist shared the video from the gulf coast town of Placida, which has over a million views on Facebook and 50,000 likes on Instagram.

'Check out this big guy bend the aluminum bars and plow right through it this week in Placida,' Matt Devitt wrote. Aluminum is considered a lightweight metal, explaining how the huge gator was able to make his way through the fence so easily, Devitt explained to Fox 35.

But far flimsier materials are also used to build porch dividers intended to keep the reptiles out of people's yards, sparking fears about what would happen if this gator was met with such an obstacle.

Florida gators are known to move around more in the spring time, and have been seen climbing over fences in the past, but this gator clearly wanted a more direct route.

Devitt noted that the person who originally took the video said the gator eventually fully mauled his way to the other side.

Video camera caught a terrifying moment as a huge alligator simply tore through a newly-installed metal fence at a Florida golf club

A local meteorologist shared the video from the gulf coast town of Placida, which has over a million views on Facebook and 50,000 likes on Instagram

'He knows what he's doing...he did it before,' one Facebook user commented. 

'That's why in Florida, if there's a body of water, there's a gator in it! Stay safe people!,' another wrote on Instagram.

In February last year, Gloria Serge, 85, was mauled to death by the 10-foot alligator named Henry when she tried to rescue her beloved dog Trooper from the beast.

Henry was later captured and euthanized, with three other reptiles subsequently captured by wildlife officials from the series of interconnected lakes and removed.

A terrified neighbor fought to try to save Gloria, calling 911 after witnessing the alligator lunging at her after stalking her for 100ft. Her dog, Trooper, survived the attack.