A Llama With Your Golf?
Legend, the lead llama caddy waits for his golfers to complete their round at the Sherwood Forest Golf Club in Cedar Mountain, NC.
The mountains of Western North Carolina are a beautiful and wonderful place known for fall colors, waterfalls and cool weather. Now a local businessman is trying to make it the center of Llama Golf or more accurately, llama’s who take the place of golf carts. Call it the ultimate in green technology! Mark English who owns a farm in beautiful Brevard, North Carolina has launched llamacaddy.com serving two local golf courses several days a week with human caddies who use llamas to carry the golf bags of the sporting set. The llamas serve multiple rolls from carrying the golf bags on specially designed holders, to soothing golfers during rounds as the llamas are friendly, docile and fluffy making them irresistible to the frustrated duffer.
A caddy/llama handler leds his pair of llamas along the greens at Sherwood Forest Golf Club in Cedar Mountain, NC. The llamas are docile and friendly and well trained.
I joined Mark and his team of llamas and caddies for the day on Saturday starting at his beautiful farm in the mountains outside Brevard (Home of the world famous Brevard Music Center). I watched on a foggy morning as they rounded up the timid llamas, loaded them into their trailer and made the 5 mile journey to nearby Cedar Mountain where the llamas are a regular at the Sherwood Forest Golf Club . The llamas are then unloaded, groomed & fed then have carriers carefully placed on their backs to enable them to carry the golf bags. Llamas are pack animals and naturals at carrying loads which far exceed the few pounds of a golf bag and pay no attention to the process enjoying the attention and calmly taking in the crowds who gather to watch.
Llama caddies patiently wait as a golfer putts at the Sherwood Forest Golf Club in Cedar Mountain, NC.
Out on the golf course the llamas are naturals. The soft pads on their feet (they are related to camels) enable them to walk without marking even the most carefully groomed grass and are great at nibbling the untidy areas into neatly cut greens. The llamas are very social animals and don’t like being separated from their pack which means they they have to travel in twos otherwise they bray their loneliness for their fellow llamas. The pairs work out well and the llamas are responsive and cooperative. Golfers are usually found petting their llama while waiting for their turn and kids are suddenly attracted to golf as the idea of spending the morning with a llama is irresistible to children.
Choosing a club from your llama during a round of golf with llama caddy at the Sherwood Forest Golf Club in Cedar Mountain, NC.
Llama caddy is amazing and the animals are really special. I thank Mark and his family and fellow llama handlers for letting me spend the day documenting their fun and fascinating business. I wish them all the success as they expand to other golf courses in their area. If you want to see more images you can check out the slideshow on my website at: www.ellisphotos.com or at Getty Images
