"I don't know where that came from," [Rick] Hill said, referring to the picture of the enormous reptile. "It's a lie that got put out on the Internet."

Hill said the snake's size has stirred fear in the community.

"I've got people calling, saying 'I won't ever come play golf with you again,'" said Hill, who owns a stake in the golf course and has developed a neighborhood of homes there. "And I've got people and their grandparents saying they are scared for their children to walk outside their house because they think there is a big old snake out there."

The e-mail has had a chilling impact, said John Wicks, the golf course's superintendent.

"I believe it has hurt our business, and it's not funny any more," he said. "It kind of shows what happens if something is untruthful and it gets put out there and how that can affect somebody's business. It shows how fast things can move (on the Internet). You just can't stop it now."