Manly’s Ruby Kavanagh, who is ranked No. 1 for her age in golf in Australia, was practicing her skills at the Magenta Shores Golf Course in New South Wales when her ball collided with the camera drone that was filming her. The owner of the drone was her uncle, who is the creative director of the website Dronegear, Alex Kavanagh. As he told Mashable via email, his drone “got a bit lower than I should have and looked away for a second,” and next minute, the drone was down. Alex Kavanagh, Ruby’s uncle, said the drone was about 40ft in front of his niece, and 25ft high, when she hit it. “We were trying to get footage for a showreel,” he said. “I was trying to get that front-on shot and it got a little lower that it should of … it just hit that sweet spot.” Video of the incident, featuring footage shot both from the ground and by the felled drone, was posted to YouTube by Ruby’s uncle. The footage has also been picked up by the likes of ESPN and the Golf Channel.
The drone will cost in excess of $1,000 to repair. The Yuneec Typhoon H copped a broken leg, a broken boom on its arms, two broken propellers and a semi-twisted camera. “We loved this drone,” said Alex. “It’s got to go in for repairs, but will be back up and running and staying clear of those golf balls next time!” Ruby has been called a golf prodigy, as she boasts a 140m drive, and has already appeared twice at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship.
