Llama caddies? Llama caddies! No need to mention anything else. Let’s just get right into it.
Sherwood Forest Golf Club in Brevard, North Carolina, has been pushing this, ahem, new type of caddie for some time now, but according to Axios, “tourism and recreational activities involving llamas have been on an upswing,” and these camelid loopers are as popular as it gets. There are around 30-ish llamas at the course that have been trained to carry your bags. It’s just as adorable as you might expect.
The caddies don’t need any cash either. They’re fine with some water and “a handful of tasty greens.”
Historically, llamas have been used to carry heavy things and can typically lug anything between 70 to 120 pounds. They’re from the Andes Mountain regions of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile and are known as “easy walkers,” so as to not destroy the grass they tread on, according to the Rutgers 4-H Animal Science Resource Blog.
Llamas as caddies have been around since the early 1990s when Talamore Golf Resort in Southern Pines used the idea to generate publicity at the newly opened Rees Jones-designed course. It was a hit and is now being replicated by Mark English, a golfer and owner of a nearby llama farm, who threw the idea out to Sherwood club pro Brian Lautenschlager.
Golfers are assigned their own llama, along with an expert to escort each foursome. Sorry to all of the human caddies out there, but this might be the future of golf. It may be time to head back to college for all the loopers out there to pick up an animal science degree. The game is constantly moving. You don’t want to fall behind.
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