A group of guys in Texas were getting ready to tee off at a course near Houston last week when a RANGE ROVER sped past them . . . followed by a cop car a few seconds later.

It turned out some 20-year-old idiot was running from police, and thought he could lose them by driving ONTO the golf course.

The golfers tried to help the cops by pointing in the direction they saw the Range Rover go.  And one of them got the whole thing on video.

The guy in the Range Rover made it across the course, but then crashed in a nearby neighborhood.  Police say he had an assault rifle on him and tried to ditch it after the crash.  Then while they were arresting him, he SPIT on one of the cops.

A 19-year-old kid in the passenger’s seat also got arrested later on.  They found him at home in his parents’ swimming pool and arrested him in his bathing suit.

The driver’s name is Grey Martinez.  It turned out he was supposed to be in court that same day for another high-speed chase that happened in December.

Now he’s facing fresh charges for spitting on the cop, and evading arrest in a motor vehicle, which is a felony.