Golf and Dogs: U.K. Unleashes Ideal Pairing
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2020-03-13
By ALISTAIR TAIT, Morning Read
At Woburn Golf Club northwest of London, the author and his faithful black Labrador retriever Izzy play a style of mixed-couples golf that would be unrecognizable in much of North America
LITTLE BRICKHILL, England – There will be a strong canine presence among the spectators at the Sunningdale Foursomes. Sunningdale Golf Club and dogs always have been synonymous.
It’s not alone. Many golf clubs in the British Isles welcome man’s best friend.
I’ve been taking my dog, Izzy, to Woburn Golf Club, northwest of London, for the past 11 years. Many members do likewise. It’s not uncommon at some clubs to see an eight-ball: four members and four dogs.
Izzy, an 11½-year-old black Labrador retriever, has watched the Sunningdale Foursomes on several occasions. I didn’t realize just how dog friendly Sunningdale was until the first year I took her. I decided to buy a sausage sandwich at the halfway hut. I asked if I could get just a sausage for Izzy. The server asked me whether I wanted a dog sandwich. I naturally said yes, and she produced a small wax-paper package with diced sausage slices for Izzy.
Izzy gets the same service at Woburn. Staff working the halfway huts usually have a sausage sliced up for her when we arrive.
My North American friends are surprised when I tell them that I take Izzy to the golf course on a regular basis. Keith Pelley, the chief executive of the European Tour, grew up in suburban Toronto and was stunned at the canine contrasts between continents.