Welcome – We weren’t too surprised when the course near our Umbiran AirBNB advertised right on the home page – “Pet friendly | Dogs on a leash” as the vast majority of Italian courses we have visited have been dog friendly. Despite not having any four-legged friends to take along, we decided to check it out and, in fact, we made two new friends – Luna and Lily (see photos below)

Walk – As course a flat as steamrollered pancake and only 9 holes makes the round an exceptionally leisurely outing to enjoy the Lago Trasimeno countryside.

Water – The course did feature a number of water features as well as drainage channels, but despite it being the beginning of spring (typically the wettest period of the year) and after a week of rainfall, they were all quite stagnant so I wouldn’t recommend a drink from them. As mentioned, the course is only 9 holes, so you are back at the clubhouse before embarking on a second 9.

Wind-Down – The cub itself features a comfortable snack bar, but we made our way up the neighbouring hill to Ristorante Masolino Dal 1959 in Panicale where I enjoyed the best carbonara ever with several dogs accompanying other guests. If you are really lucky (or can try to reserve in advance) there are a couple of tables by small windows with a lovely view over the valley.

For some dog-friendly courses are really extra dog-friendly…

• Sunningdale – Dog menu. The clubhouse not only welcomes dogs there in addition to the course, but also features a special dog menu of treats from the kitchen for the doggie diners.
• Goodwood– Dog membership. “We do still have Dog Membership at The Kennels, it’s £50 for the dog’s lifetime and that money goes to a chosen charity. The pay and play rate for the Park is dependent on when you’d like to play, but at the most expensive on Saturday and Sunday mornings it’s £45 and at the cheapest Monday to Friday after 3pm it’s £20. Dogs may accompany you on the course (free of charge) but we ask you to keep them under control, not disturb any other player on the course and pick up after them, general etiquette really.”
• New Zealand – Dogs “mandatory”. Reception says that “Dogs are mandatory. If you don’t have one, you can probably hire one from one of the other members”
• TPC Sawgrass – Good Boy Certification is a special badge given to who’s ever a ‘good boy’ (see photo above).

Taking care of Duke this weekend and taking him out on our course, Temple. Duke is currently our favourite golfing dog partly because he has picked up the trick of finding balls in the “ruff” so well. I should elaborate that there are essentially 3 types of ball-finding on the golf course:

UNWELCOME – Unwelcome fetching is when a dog finds and takes a ball during play (the “take” part being the problem). This gets reported periodically, But not to fret. Rules of golf mean that no material harm is done to your position as explained by the “Rules Guy” blog (I watched a dog pick up my ball. What now? Rules Guy):

• “The dog is an outside influence, and when an outside influence moves your ball at rest you are required, per Rule 9.6, to replace it. Had its owner been unable to retrieve the ball from his mischievous pet, you would have been able to replace a new one; as it happened, you were allowed to clean the ball before replacing it, should slobber have been an issue.”

A recent example was “A dog [who] ran off with Paul Casey’s ball in his mouth on the 12th green during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship…A European Tour rules official inspected both and Casey was allowed to play his original ball.”.

LOST AND FOUND – The internet has a number of stories of dogs who are particularly adept at finding lost balls in rough and out of bounds, etc. Mata finds her balls to help the local Special Olympics Golf Team.  One even has their very own blog – “Tilly the Golf Ball Retriever Dog”. Collie Jess is a particular stand-out – “Adorable dog saves her owner a FORTUNE by fetching 51,000 used golf balls” (any dog so trained on our course could find at least that many of just the balls I have lost!).

IN THE RUFF – The best ball “fetching” is not “fetching” at all actually, but “finding”. We taught our Grace to find balls in the ruff by scent (she would ignore other people’s balls she came across and would only find the balls with our scent on them) and point to them. Our friend’s Vizsla Luke is coming along very nicely in his ball finding skills after a successful outing yesterday.

Actually, Fireball Whisky came with come cinnamon scented golf balls to introduce this ball finding at a special event hosted by Bensenvilles White Pines Golf Club Dog caddies coming to Chicagoland golf course:

• “[They] let a pack of Golden Retrievers loose on the course as part of a one-day event. The friendly doggos will serve as caddies of sorts, sniffing out cinnamon-scented golf balls that get lost in the ‘ruff.’ On game day, participants will get a Fireball cinnamon-scented golf ball to use at the designated hole. If the shot goes sideways, the FireBall Retrievers will hunt it down.”

But the ultimate achievement in this space has to be the Labrador Murphy who has perfected the skills of finding balls IN THE LAKE! (“Dog is the ultimate caddie, retrieves ball thrown off pier”

• “Murphy is an eight-year-old black Labrador and was on vacation with his owner at Cradle Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada. The owner decided to throw a golf ball off the pier on the lake and into four-foot-deep water. Murphy hops into the water (probably a little chilly) and swims around briefly before diving underwater to retrieve the ball.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Happy International Dog Day! This is literally the dog day of August. And a fine occasion to share a bit more dog golfing heritage with an excerpt from a fine article “Are Dogs Allowed On Golf Courses: A Complete Guide”

History of Dogs on Golf Courses

Dogs have been used on golf courses for centuries. In the early days of golf, dogs were often used to help retrieve balls that had been hit into the rough. As golf courses became more manicured and formal, dogs were increasingly prohibited from entering. However, in recent years, there has been a growing trend towards allowing dogs on golf courses.

One of the earliest references to dogs being used on golf courses comes from the 15th century. In his book “The Boke of St. Albans,” Dame Juliana Berners describes how dogs were used to retrieve balls that had been hit into the rough. Berners also notes that dogs were used to help keep rabbits and other pests away from golf courses.

In the 17th century, dogs continued to be used on golf courses. In his book “The Whole Art of Golf,” Robert Brown describes how dogs were used to help golfers find their balls and to retrieve balls that had been hit into the water. Brown also notes that dogs were used to help keep golfers warm during cold weather.

In the 18th century, dogs continued to be used on golf courses. However, as golf courses became more manicured and formal, dogs were increasingly prohibited from entering. This was due to a number of factors, including the fact that dogs could damage the grass on golf courses and that they could be a distraction to other golfers.

In the 19th century, the trend towards prohibiting dogs from entering golf courses continued. However, there were a few exceptions. For example, dogs were allowed on golf courses in Scotland, where they were used to help retrieve balls that had been hit into the heather.

In the 20th century, the trend towards prohibiting dogs from entering golf courses continued. However, in recent years, there has been a growing trend towards allowing dogs on golf courses. This trend is due to a number of factors, including the fact that dogs are increasingly seen as being family members, and that many people want to be able to bring their dogs with them when they go golfing.

Our recent visit to the cow and cattle strewn course of Iona made us wonder just what other creatures besides dogs shared the fairways with golfers around the world. Not just serendipity encounters (like these – Golf Gone Wild: 13 Crazy Animal Encounters You Have to See – Exploring Animals), but more residents (like these – Top 7 golf courses for INCREDIBLE wildlife encounters around the world).

I’ve already reviewed the following UK examples:

· NEW FOREST – Horses

· IONA – Sheep

· RICHMOND – Deer

Bit of research uncovered the following additions to the menagerie:

• SKUKUZA, Kruger Park, South Africa – No fences so lions, elephants, baboons, hippos, crocodiles, and antelope roam the fairways and you must sign a waiver before playng.
• ANGLESEA, Victoria, Australia – Home to over 300 eastern grey kangaroos.
• HANDARA, Bali, Indonesia – Long-tailed macaques who are not shy about searching golf bags for snacks.
• TPC SAWGRASS, Florida, USA – Gator land which is popularly featured on many Instagram posts
• ELEPHANT HILLS, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe – In addition to its eponymous elephant residents, you will also encounter warthogs, impala, baboons, and guinea fowl.
• FAIRMONT BANFF SPRINGS, Alberta, Canada – Elk (don’t expect quiet from them during your putting or driving during the rutting season).
• MAUNA LANI, Hawaii, USA – Protected green sea turtles (honu) bask on lava rocks near the 15^th hole.
• FAIRMONT CHATEAU WHISTLER, British Columbia, Canada – Black bears and grizzlies are known to pass though in the summer especially near wooded areas.