Published August 12, 2026
CINCINNATI, Ohio — Imagine you’re standing on a golf course as a summer storm rolls in. Rain is pouring down, your friends are struggling to get a golf cart up a wet slope, and you’re casually recording the chaos on your phone.
Then, in a fraction of a second, everything changes.
A brilliant flash fills the screen. A deafening crack follows. The recording abruptly ends.
What could have been an ordinary video from a rainy day on the golf course instead captured the moment a Cincinnati-area golfer was struck by lightning — and remarkably, survived.
The golfer was on an Ohio golf course Friday as thunderstorms moved through the area. According to meteorologist Matt Devitt, the man was struck on the arm and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He is now recovering from the incident.
What makes the incident particularly remarkable is that the golfer was recording at the exact moment the lightning strike occurred.
Chris Schiavone shared shocking video online of his brush with lightning. He was filming his friends scrambling to cover their golf clubs when the strike hit
The video begins with the golfer apparently filming three friends as they struggle to move a golf cart that has become stuck on a wet, grassy incline. The cart rolls backward at one point as the group attempts to get it moving.
The golfer, meanwhile, remains nearby with an umbrella and a golf bag beneath a tree.
Then comes the lightning.
A sudden flash appears, followed immediately by a powerful crack, and the video stops. According to the report, the golfer was struck on the arm but was not seriously injured.
Flames from the bolt flashed past his camera as a loud strike was heard while his friends scrambled to get out of the downpour
The footage offers a frightening reminder of how quickly conditions can change during a thunderstorm.
Golf courses can be particularly dangerous places during lightning-producing storms because players are often exposed across large, open areas. Trees can also create a false sense of protection. Standing beneath one during a thunderstorm does not make a person safe.
The golfer appeared to drop the phone after the strike. He later shared the once in a lifetime video online and clarified that he was standing behind the golf cart and was not holding the umbrella
In this case, the golfer appears to have been standing near a tree while an umbrella was positioned in his golf bag. Those circumstances made an already dangerous situation even more concerning.
Despite the severity of the strike, the golfer survived and is recovering.
His survival is the extraordinary part of the story, but the circumstances surrounding the incident also provide an important warning for anyone caught outdoors when a thunderstorm approaches.
Schiavone later said that he was struck on the arm and suffered minor injuries, but was recovering.
Chris Schiavone shared the video online, writing that he was ‘very lucky and blessed’ to have walked away from the strike
Many commenters questioned why Schiavone was on the course during a storm, noting that lightning safety 101 also warns against sheltering under trees.
‘Before the strike I was thinking doesn’t every golfer know not to shelter under a tree? Guess not,’ one comment read.
‘Before the lightning ever struck I wondered why you’re sitting on a golf course under a tree….. you’re asking for it!’ a second agreed.
‘The lord spoke loudly here… don’t laugh at others misfortune…I’m waiting for my lightning strike now too [laughing emoji] … but really an umbrella during a storm is brave dude, glad you’re good,’ another added.
‘Dudes holding an umbrella… standing under a tree … in a lightning storm …(2 of the first things not to do) laughing at the other guys who are 100x safer lol .. the irony here is too much,’ wrote a third.
‘Do you think his phone is charged,’ a fourth joked.
The odds of getting struck by lightning in any given year are over one in one million and one in 15,300 in a lifetime, according to the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service’s basic safety message is simple: when thunder is heard, go indoors.
Lightning does not have to strike directly overhead to be dangerous, and waiting for the storm to become visibly severe can leave people with too little time to reach a safe location.
For the Ohio golfer, the storm produced a moment he will likely never forget — one that happened to be recorded by his own camera.
What began as a casual video of friends struggling with a golf cart ended with a lightning strike, a sudden blackout and a remarkably lucky escape.
The golfer is now recovering from injuries that could have been far more serious.
And the footage serves as a powerful reminder that when a thunderstorm moves over a golf course, the game can wait. Getting to safety cannot.
⚠️ Implications:
- Thunderstorms can become dangerous within seconds. The incident shows how quickly a routine outdoor activity can turn into an emergency.
- Golf courses present particular risks during lightning storms. Players are often exposed in open areas, and taking shelter under trees does not provide adequate protection.
- Recording the event highlights how unpredictable lightning can be. The golfer was apparently filming a routine moment when the strike occurred.
- The golfer’s survival is remarkable, but the outcome could have been much worse. Lightning strikes can cause serious injuries or death even when the person survives the initial strike.
- The biggest takeaway is safety. When thunder is audible, golfers and other people outdoors should stop what they are doing and seek proper shelter rather than waiting for the storm to pass.
💬 Overall Takeaway:
