Calgary golf pro wins Carnegie Hero award for rescuing man from pond

Josh Gardner will never forget the day he went swimming in his golf cleats.

It happened on July 5, 2014 shortly after he had opened the pro shop at the the Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club.

Gardner had juststarted teaching a lesson to a group of women at the driving range, when something much bigger than a golf cart accelerated down the green.

"I heard a loud roar and saw an SUV coming very fast down a large grass embankment," said Gardner.

It kept going and didn't stop until it hit theedge of the facility's containment pond below the ninth green.

"Ittook air,"says Gardner and landed in thewater.

The golf protold his students to call 911 and ran to the water's edge, yelling at the driver to get out.

But the only sound Gardner could hear was the SUV sinking deeperinto the pond.

"The water there is about 12 meters deep. Once the vehicle went down it was completely gone," he said.

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Gardner dove in, fully clothed and swam to driver-side of the SUV. Luckily, the window was half-way down and he was able to reach in and fully-open it.

"The gentleman was not coherent so I reached in and undid his seatbelt."

He pulled the driver out through the window and swam him to shore. The man was taken to hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

For his bravery, Gardner was awarded a medal and cash prize this week from the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.

The commission investigates acts of heroism throughout Canada and the U.S. and, to date, given out more than $37-million in grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and continuing assistance.

Gardner says his prize will be going directly into his children's education fund.