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A golfer allegedly used his club to brutally whack a goose to death on the 14th hole of a New York course in a misguided attempt to put the bird out of its misery.

Enrico Sarli of Carmel allegedly beat the Canada goose “several times with his club” last week after watching the animal get struck by a flying ball on the grounds of the Putnam County Golf Course.

Officials say he then walked away from the dying bird but returned to deliver more blows after he witnessed it moving, according to the county’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Sarli beat the bird so violently that he separated the goose’s head from its spine, an autopsy revealed.

“[It] almost looked like he was chopping wood,” Putnam SPCA chief Ken Ross said.

Witnesses said Sarli told fellow players “he was going to put it out of its misery” after it was struck by the ball, but veterinarians determined the initial blow likely wasn’t deadly.

The goose’s chest was swollen from the golf ball strike, leading experts to believe the animal was only dazed when Sarli assumed it was dying.

“The issue that arises is that none of the individuals were veterinarians,” Ross said. “None of the individuals knew the extent of the injuries to the goose.”

Instead of killing the goose, he said the golfer could have called the police or wrapped it in a towel and taken it to a vet.

The golfer was charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, a Class A misdemeanor. He will be arraigned in September.

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