Taking a dog to work is part of the daily routine for some golf course superintendents, who maintain playing surfaces seven long days a week during the season.
And some of these pups are much more than simply a groundskeeper’s companion. And no doubt the golf course canines absolutely love their jobs.
I recently played at Saratoga Golf and Polo where a beautiful 7-year-old Australian Shepherd named Luna was sprinting in the distance, most likely chasing large birds off the course.
I also played a course desperately in need of a golf course dog for geese control. Near the water holes, my soft spikes were a bit slippery from droppings, a hazard piled on to an already challenging spot. Taking a lateral drop is treacherous enough.
Dogs assisting course superintendents dates back to Scotland. Dogs are regularly encountered on the links of the United Kingdom and some golf courses even allow golfers to take well-trained dogs on the course during a casual round. The most dog friendly clubs in the land are found in the extreme north of Scotland or the extreme south of the south coast, according to the doggolf.info website.
Stretching to 45 acres, The Old Course at St. Andrews on Sundays becomes one of the biggest dog parks in the world, as featured in Golf Digest last year.
I want to share pictures and know the stories about golf course dogs in the Capital Region.
Send me an email describing the name of the dog, the name of the owner (usually the golf course superintendent), the breed and age of the dog and, if there’s a tale to tell, a very short writeup (100 words or less) about the dog. Submitting photos is a must; please send photographer credits. I will publish the dog photographs in a golf column later this season.
I would also entertain reading and publishing stories and photos of dogs who once roamed the fairways and have memorial…
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