Two Liberty County residents’ afternoon golf game went downhill Monday when an off-duty Hinesville police officer found a bottle cooler on the course that contained marijuana allegedly belonging to one of the men.
According to an incident report filed by HPD Officer Bryan Wolfe, Officer Vera Poulsen, who was off duty, had been playing a round of golf at Cherokee Rose Country Club Golf Course and was on the 14th hole when she found an orange bottle cooler on the ground. Poulsen picked up the cooler and felt something inside. When she looked inside the cooler she found what appeared to be marijuana.
Poulsen called Sgt. Mike Gosseck to report what she had found.
She told Gosseck she believed the cooler belonged to four men who were playing ahead of her.
By the time Gosseck arrived, two of the men already had left the course. Gosseck approached the two others and asked who the cooler belonged to. According to the report, Howard Pitts, 48, of Fleming told the officer the cooler was his. The other man, identified as Travis Sphar, 42, consented to the officer’s search request. A bag containing a suspicious substance was found in his golf bag.
The contents of the bag were field-tested by HPD Officer Donnie Nunnally and found to be marijuana.  
Both men were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana. They each paid $1,594.75 in bond and were released.