Across the world it’s becoming more common for golfers to walk a course accompanied by their faithful friend, which makes for an enjoyable round.
Across the world it’s becoming more common for golfers to walk a course accompanied by their faithful friend, which makes for an enjoyable round.
As the next edition of Women & Golf is on the shelves NOW, here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect from columnist Lewine Mair this issue.
Other than the US and European players, who will have their Solheim Cup uniforms, Henry is probably alone in knowing precisely what he will be wearing from 13-15 September.
As the Gleneagles dog, this golden Labrador will be out and about in the tartan neckerchief he modelled on the day he became the face of the match.
To date, the one-and-a-half-year-old Henry has been more interested in hanging about with a Shetland pony called Henrietta than the golfing community but, give him a week of being petted by the two sets of players and all that could change.
Indeed, it is probably safe to say even now that he will be featuring in team pictures, though Catriona Matthew might at some point need to remind the Americans that Henry is Scottish through and through. (His official name, if you have time to master it, is Clachnaben Corranaich, with ‘Clachnaben’ the war cry for Clan Strachan.)
In the world at large, more and more dogs are getting involved in golf as clubs realise that partners will often be more inclined to give their other half the go-ahead to spend four or five hours on the course if he or she is accompanied by the family pet.
Ken Goodwin, the Secretary at Prestwick, captured the situation to perfection when he said, “Golf becomes less of a selfish game if a man can take his dog.”
When Goodwin first arrived at Prestwick, members’ dogs would sit in a circle round the hallway while the members - all of them male even if the sex of the dogs has never been an issue - wined and dined.
It was with some regret that he had to withdraw that privilege when one of the animals let the side down but his enthusiasm for having them on the course has never waned.
Goodwin’s predecessor, incidentally, used to bring his spaniel to work, with the dog performing the very useful service of jumping up to ring the bell at the 17th when the Secretary and his friends took to the course.
It is maybe worth noting that when a family has a dog, it seems to take the pressure off watching a talented offspring. For example, when Tommy Fleetwood was in his teens, his parents would bring Maisie, a collie, to all his tournaments and keep as much of an eye on her as they did on their son.
Maisie walked every step of the way when Tommy reached the final of the 2008 Amateur at Turnberry and, such was his all-round popularity that he was invited to spend the last night with the family in what is now Trump Turnberry.
This is just a snippet of Lily May Humphrey’s interview in the latest issue of Women & Golf magazine. You can pick up Women & Golf, on sale NOW, or click here to subscribe now to read the full feature and enjoy W&G delivered to your door!
Credit: Brand Photography