The Old, the golfer and the dog.

A couple of years ago we had a good bunch of golfers over from North Carolina, USA, and as so often happens when the guys stay in town and are playing the courses of the St. Andrews links a rapport builds up between the caddies and their respective golfer.

On the third day of the tour and playing the Old for the second time the golfers had reached the 6^th, Heathery, a 374 yard par 4 that requires a blind tee shot over intimidating gorse bushes to the safety of the fairway. Doug, alias Stitch, a big powerful man who could hit the golf ball a country mile fairly crushed his drive and though it flew left of the intended target we caddies knew that the sanctuary of the 13^th fairway, which runs parallel to the 6^th, would give him a comfortable approach into the green.

The pathway from the 6th tee to the fairway ahead.

The remaining golfers had all hit successful drives over the gorse bushes and as we discussed our respective approaches, from the centre of the 6^th fairway, to the green, Stitch and his caddy continued their walk to his golf ball lying in light rough just off the 13^th fairway, as we had suspected, and roughly110 yards from the flag.

The following events were akin to an old Keystone Cops movie as from nowhere a very excited Golden Labrador came bounding out of the gorse bushes, grabbed the golf ball in a slobbering mouth and leaped off towards the 13^th tee. Stitch and his caddy, momentarily stunned, took off in pursuit, with golf clubs rattling in the bag. An elderly gentleman, looking rather weary, then appeared from behind the bushes waving and shouting lame commands to his impetuous Pooch who, obviously, paid no heed to these calls for obedience.

A wonderful scene ensued that will long remain in the memory of dog, golfer, caddy with clubs, and dog owner running around in circles on the Old Course before the Pooch was finally apprehended, dropped the sodden golf ball and was reunited with his lead.

After we had all managed to regain an upright stance from being bent over double in laughter the great debate began: is the golf ball to be played from where it now lay…80 yards closer to the green or should it be returned to where the dog picked it up?

Happy days on the Old Course.