Man drives onto Newton golf course while following navigation app

NEWTON, Mass. — A 27-year-old from Randolph told police he was following his Waze navigation app when he turned right onto the Brae Burn Golf Course in Newton.

“I think if he was watching the road a little bit better he may have seen it was something he shouldn’t be driving into,” said Newton Police Lt. Bruce Apotheker.

Police found his SUV stuck right by the 6th hole around 5 a.m.

That driver told officers he had dropped off some friends after 2 a.m. and was trying to make his way home.

“It’s about ¾ of a mile onto the golf course where he made it and finally got stuck,” said Apotheker.

Police said the driver went down a maintenance road behind the Woodland T station in Newton, which leads right to the exclusive country club.

The driver said it was too dark to realize he had driven right onto the green.

A spokesperson for Waze sent Boston 25 News the following statement regarding this incident:

“Waze is dedicated to promoting safety and expediency on the road and committed to keeping its maps up to date. We can confirm that the area surrounding the Brae Burn Country Club is mapped correctly. We encourage drivers to use their best judgment while driving and to take into account all driving laws as well as environmental information available to them when making decisions,” said a spokesperson for Waze.

“It might sound just like common sense, you can follow those apps, it’s good guidance, but your eyes don’t lie to you and what you see and what you should be doing is something maybe different from what the app is telling you to do,” said Apotheker.

Officers said the driver didn’t show any signs of alcohol impairment, and he will not face any charges for this.

There was also no damage to the golf course.

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