Does a video show a self-driving Waymo car erratically driving on a golf course? Yes, but that is missing context: The Waymo car, equipped with self-driving technology, was nonetheless being operated by a human driver according to a statement Waymo released about the footage. They said the human-driven car was preparing for an event at the golf course.
The claim appeared in a September 27, 2025 video posted on X.com account @JeffTutorials (archived here). It opened:
A Waymo drove onto a golf course today and nearly hit several golfers
FSD would never do such a thing
This is what the video looked liked on X.com at the time of writing:
(Image source: Screenshot from X.com account @JeffTutorials taken by Lead Stories.)
Waymo posted a message on their X.com account @Waymo (archived here) stating that the vehicle was being operated by a human driver getting ready for an event at the Penmar Golf Course in Los Angeles, Ca., as this screenshot shows:
(Image source: Screenshot from X.com account @Waymo taken by Lead Stories.)
The original video was posted on TikTok account @foreplaypod as seen here:
@foreplaypod Technology is beautiful (via @drewkirsch IG)
♬ Funny video "Carmen Prelude" Arranging weakness(836530) - yo suzuki(akisai)
Lead Stories reached out multiple times to Penmar golf course staff for comment and did not receive a response. We will update this fact check when they reply.
