Monster-sized alligator terrifies Florida golfers

An amateur golfer has had his round interrupted by a giant "Jurassic Park-like" alligator roaming down the fairway in Florida.

Charles Helms was teeing off at Buffalo Creek Golf Course in Palmetto when the enormous gator came casually strolling past a sand trap.

The lumbering beast has reportedly been roaming the links for years and has become something of a tourist attraction.

"He doesn't bother anybody and they don't bother him, he's like a mascot for the course," pro shop cashier Wendy Schofield told 3 News.

The alligator is estimated to be almost five metres long, which would make it the biggest ever seen in Florida.

The current record is a 4.2m gator, which weighed 353kg.