dogs on the course

[PThomas]

The last issue of Golf Digest's Index magazine has an article about a member of Yeamans Hall and Headwaters , both clubs that allow him to take his dog on the course when he plays at quiet times...i remember reading a similar article decades ago about a golfer - it might have been the legendary Bill Campbell - who took his dog out with him too

being a lifelong dog lover, i can't think of many cooler things than that:  having your own pooch accompanying you as you play...the writer even mentions how his dog gets excited when they get near the 6th at Headwaters, cause it knows the hole has a water hazard and his owner throws a toy into the water hazard for him to retrieve!

any good similar stories anyone?

[Anthony Gray]

  I played Sherwood Country Club With Garland Bayley.

 

  Anthony

[Carl Johnson]

As best I can recall, the first time I saw a golfer and his dog together was on the Lundin Golf Club course in Lundin Links, Fife. I saw them on the first hole, in the rain, with a caddy.  One golfer, one dog, a caddy and rain.  We were in the restaurant in an inn, now maybe closed, overlooking the first fairway.  I thought it was neat.  I decided I wanted to play Lundin.  In 2007, probably 10 years later, I did.

[Eric Smith]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtFTF2ii7U

not on a golf course, but a must see

[John Pflum]

About two weeks ago I was on deck at The Old Course when someone stepped onto the first tee with their Golden Lab.   Does that count?  

[Brad Swanson]

During my last round at Wild Horse I was joined by my wife and dog.  We had the place to ourselves, and it was a round I'll never forget.  Charlotte (my dog) wanted to try and retrieve nearly every shot (and would've if she wasn't on leash).  Years later she still tries to follow the flight of the ball when I'm just swinging a club in the backyard.



Cheers,
Brad

[Bob_Huntley]

The best dogs on the course story that I am aware of is that of Cinderella who appeared in Bill Murrays book, "Out of Nowhere." A dear friend, Bill Brandt, now deceased, had a Black Labrador that was the greatest ball retriever in history. Bill, a member of the Beach and Tennis Club at Pebble beach  would go over to the Club in  the early morning for a cup of coffee. Afterward he would take Cinderella up the hedges on the right of the eighteenth hole of Pebble and Cinderella would plunge into the hedgerows and pull out brand new Titelists and Callaways with PB logos galore.

Later on, Cinderella taught my Max, a giant Rottie and Black lab mix to try his luck. The end result was that Bill accumulated a few thousand balls that he donated to a Pacific Grove charitable group but insisted that that  they should charge att least a dollar a ball. They refused his request and basically gave them away. He then gave them to any youngster that he saw.

Cinderella and Max have passed on but my two Labs are now in training to carry on the tradition.

Bob

[Ben Sims]

Eric,

Great link.  I think it should be required viewing for all of our Merion thread buddies.

[Sam Maryland]

I saw a fellow with his cocker spaniel on #13 green out at Garden City MC last week.  The dog looked happier to be there than I was! 

[K. Krahenbuhl]

I remember the dogs following the SWWOG match at Sunningdale between Nicklaus and Player.  They spoke about how the dogs were often seen as playing partners at the club.

I did see a couple out playing with their dogs in the late afternoon at Prairie Dunes a couple of weeks ago as well.

[PThomas]

some great stories guys, thanks

Eric, that video is awesome!  i just had my youngest girl come down and watch it

Brad, i remember that picture from an earlier post by you...a yellow lab, yes?  i have one too Junie B...

Sir Bob, hope those labs are doing well

Kyle, I dont think i've seen that entire match, cause i dont remember the dogs......and PD would be a great course for a dog with all the gunch for one to explore!

[Philip Gawith]

Paul, in the UK there is no better indication of whether you are on a traditional course than the dog-count. And yes, Huntercombe, where I play always has a few dogs around. Mostly they pootle around gently beside or behind the owner, but occasionally you get a young tearaway who hares around the course. The younger ones are on leads, the older one's behave themselves. Mostly in the UK they are labradors, but you also get a fair number of terriers of one sort or other. Wherever you have a drinking fountain for humans there is invariably a little plastic bowl beneath for the pooches!

If I lived in the country I am sure i would do the same - the dogs are always so pleased to be out and their presence adds such a civilised dimension to the sport and the club.

No dog story, alas, can ever match the surreal humour of Peter Herreid's Pebble Beach companion who brought along not a dog, but his white rabbit!

[John Mayhugh]

For a couple of years, I kept my membership at a small town country club about an hour away primarily so I could take my dog along during the winter.  I never tried taking her when there would be more than a few groups out, but she probably would have been fine. 

One day I needed to play quickly because I was going to visit some friends.  So I took a cart, with Lola running alongside.  On the last hole she just ignored me, went over to the parking lot, and plopped down beside the truck.  Seems that she preferred walking too.

If there were any club around that encouraged (or at least permitted) dogs, I would likely join it - regardless of the architecture.  I spend around an hour on dog walks every evening already.  It would be so much better to have a couple of clubs along and play a few holes at the same time.  The dog would get more exercise and I would get more golf in.  Talk about win-win.

[Carl Nichols]

Dogs seem to be permitted on some of the courses in Argentina.  But this may reflect nothing more than the fact that in a country with a horrible stray dog problem, no one minds if you bring a non-stray along when you golf. 

[PThomas]

Philip, it certainly would be tough to top the PB bunny story!

and John you are so right about that win-win situation...i wish i could do that too!

and come to think of it, when I played Ekwanok the ladies in the group behind me had a little terrier with them riding along in their cart while they played...

[Brad Wilbur]

At the Irish Open at Baltray, there was a clip of a gentleman watching from the rough, with his dog at his side.  My golden retriever might have had problems not retrieving any ball hit in the vicinity.

[PThomas]

another story just came back to me:  in the highlights video for the 1970 British Open Trevino is shown missing a putt and after that you here him moaning about how hard he's worked and then somebody brings there dog out there (not sure if someone brought there dog our there or if it was a stray) and distracts him, yada , yada...

[Jeff_Mingay]

Coincidentally, I just got off the phone with Richard Zokol. We talked about this very subject. Zokol's encouraging/allowing "qualified dogs" to accompany members of Sagebrush Golf and Sporting Club, in B.C., while playing the course.

Though I'm yet to play with a dog, it certainly sounds like a wonderful experience. Sagebrush will be one of the few clubs in Canada I can think of that will be encouraging members to take their dogs out, onto the course. Great stuff.

[henrye]

Jeff:
Very smart move.  I can't figure out why this doesn't happen at more clubs.  Maybe Cabot will adopt this policy.  I brought this issue up at my club and they looked at me like I was an alien.

[Peter Wagner]

My home course allows members to bring their dogs as long as they are well behaved.  We make sure the owners know there is no allowance for any trouble... first strike means no doggie.  So far we've had no trouble whatsoever and we have usually 3 or 4 dogs per day.  It's kind of cool to see a walker with his dog taking off from the first tee.

[Wade Whitehead]

Please pardon the following.

In 1998, my brother and I drove for the day to Hot Springs to play the Lower Cascades at the Homestead.  The parking was (as it usually is) nearly empty.  After checking in, the starter said "Mr. Snead is here today.  He's on #2 by now.  Take your time so you don't catch up to him."  We played as slowly as we could, but were within sight many times, especially on the somewhat parallel holes near the middle of the front.  Sam Snead was, indeed, playing.  He was in a group of five, which occupied five golf carts.

At the turn, as we stopped to order a snack, JC Snead, who was chipping on the practice green immediately behind the clubhouse, said "They want you to play through.  Play as fast as you can and don't wait on them to wave."  We could see them ahead, hitting approach shots on the tenth.  We forwent food and headed to the back.

A few minutes later, as we neared the tenth green we stopped to watch Mr. Snead hit his shot on the eleventh, a lovely downhill par four.  He struck it pure, then called "Run, girl!"  From his cart sprang a golden retriever, who proceeded to bound down the fairway, all the way to the green, where she circled a few times and laid down.  She waited while he hit his approach, then walked to meet him as he arrived to putt.

On the twelfth tee, one of Mr. Snead's playing partners waited for us.  He told us to play through.  "Don't worry about any of those guys.  Hit when you're ready," he instructed.  Everyone ahead was waiting next to the par five's fairway, except for Mr. Snead, who continued to play towards the green.  Minutes later, my third shot stopped in the fringe and left a birdie chip of about 18 feet.  Mr. Snead's retriever was laying just a few paces from my ball when we arrived at the green.

Mr. Snead tended the pin and I hit my chip.  It neared the hole, lipped out, and stopped about a foot past.  To this, he remarked "That son of a bitch would have rolled off the green if it hadn't rained last night."  All I could muster was "Thank you, sir."

I putted out, shook his hand, and walked to my cart.  My brother said "Beautiful pup," to which Mr. Snead shared "I wouldn't be out here without her."

Before we drove to the thirteenth, I turned to see Mr. Snead already in his pocket and crouching, petting his dog.  I'll always remember that image: a legend of the game, enjoying his day, and appreciating the finer things just a few miles from the place he was born.

WW

[JC Jones]

great thread.

On the course I grew up playing, a little 2700 yard nine holer her in town, the owner had 2 labs that were the "course dogs."  They just roamed the course, occasionally hanging out around tees and greens looking for a scratch or often just around the clubhouse greeting the golfers as they showed up.  For whatever reason, the dogs just created a community feel to the place that I'll never forget.

I'd love to belong to a club someday that had "course dogs" and allowed mine out there too.

[Jamie Barber]

Our club allows dogs but they must be kept on a leash, except the pro's dog Jesper (after Parnevik) but he never strays far from the spike bar where is a demon "sausager".

I often see a chap at St George's playing with his 3 Irish Wolfhounds. I'm told he's the pro there. He's got them well trained; they always walk across to Prince's to do their business

[JLahrman]

great thread.

On the course I grew up playing, a little 2700 yard nine holer her in town, the owner had 2 labs that were the "course dogs."  They just roamed the course, occasionally hanging out around tees and greens looking for a scratch or often just around the clubhouse greeting the golfers as they showed up.  For whatever reason, the dogs just created a community feel to the place that I'll never forget.

I'd love to belong to a club someday that had "course dogs" and allowed mine out there too.

A public course I used to play at quite a bit had a dog.  The dog hunted moles (I forget what his one year record was).  When he wasn't out hunting, he would hang around the grill and patio with the golfers.  Often he would ride in the carts with the rangers as well.

After a round one day, I asked a guy in the pro shop where Sam was.  He said "Mrs. So-and-so's foursome is playing this morning, Sam likes to ride along with them when they play."

The dog died a few years ago and was buried complete with a marker under the flagpole right outside the pro shop.

[Tim Leahy]

I had a scary on course dog encounter many years ago at Stockdale CC in Bakersfield, CA. I was playing the course for the first time and was carrying my bag in the afternoon and had the course to myself. The course was surrounded by big houses but there was noone within shouting distance when I got to the 13th hole. I got to the tee, propped my bag up and looked over my shoulder to see the biggest Doberman I had ever encountered standing still about five yards away from me looking what seemed to be eye to eye with me. The first thought I had was he must have escaped from one of the big houses and was a guard dog wondering what I was doing in his backyard. I looked around for an owner, but saw noone. I looked back at the huge hound, still standing silent, no movement what so ever and thought I am going to have one shot at him if I grab for a club before he goes for my throat. Thank God, the dog then sat back and started panting with his nub tail wagging.
After letting my heart get back into my chest from my throat, I carefully pulled out my driver and teed up my ball while he sat and watched. I then hit a great tee shot down the fairway at least 280 yds and the dog took off like a race horse after my ball. In what seemed like seconds the dog brought my ball back and dropped it almost on the spot I hit it from. I then figured out that his owner must have practiced with him. He looked for some gratitude so I gave him a pat on the head. I then thought how am I going to get rid of him and finish my round. I got an old ball out of my bag and teed it up in the opposite direction and let it fly. He took off after it and I took off on my hole hoping he wouldn't follow. Luckily I didn't see him again and finished my round.