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As if golf was not frustrating enough, imagine walking toward your next shot with the ball placed neatly in the middle of the fairway only to have it snatched up and taken away by a coyote.

That's what happened recently to a golfer at Highland Country Club in Attleboro, where numerous coyote sightings are beginning to concern some club employees, members and nearby residents.

The sightings of both adults and pups began last fall and have increased in recent weeks, club President Kevin Bowler said.

The country club, off Mechanic Street, is surrounded by a densely populated residential area less than a mile from downtown, where pet owners and parents of young children especially should keep a watchful eye.

"Personally, I would be very concerned about our neighbors," Bowler said. Bud Cobb, a club member who lives across the street from the course, has seen the coyotes but is not worried because he does not have pets.

"As long as I don't go out at night," he added.

The club notified its membership of the situation Tuesday via e-mail and planned to begin alerting surrounding neighbors, club PGA Pro Drew Chapman said.

The country club contacted the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Authority earlier this week to have an observer check out the situation, Chapman said.

Coyotes are protected by the state. Environmental officials told the club that any type of removal of the animals would be done as a last resort, Chapman said.

"To me, it's kind of crazy. It seems like something that would be a public health problem," Bowler said.

What has been most troubling, Bowler said, is how relatively comfortable the coyotes are around humans.

Coyotes do thrive in suburban and urban areas close to people, however, they are usually shy and elusive, seen only during non-daylight hours, either individually or in small groups.

The animals are afraid of loud noises and bright lights, according to the MassWildlife Web site.

But in a recent incident, a grounds keeper at the golf course encountered numerous coyotes on a course green in daylight, Bowler said. When the grounds keeper drove toward the pack in his cart, the coyotes stood their ground and did not disperse until an air horn was sounded multiple times, Bowler said.

Also, earlier this year, a pro shop worker retrieving golf balls in the ball collection machine on the course's driving range was approached by a couple of coyotes, Bowler said.

Though the sightings are not an every day occurrence and the closest the coyotes have ever come to a human is about 30 feet, Chapman said club officials are worried.

"My fear is that something serious is going to happen," Bowler said.

The state offered some advice to club officials and local residents to make the coyotes feel unwelcome, including being aggressive towards scaring them off.

The entire grounds crew has been equipped with air horns, Chapman said, although most golfers rarely carry such equipment.

"It's a lot easier said than done," Bowler said of deterring the coyotes.

Wildlife officials also advised that no food, trash or habitable areas be left available to the animals.