"They are very quiet animals, docile and friendly," said Brian Lautenschlager, the general manager and golf professional at Sherwood Forest, a par-3 course in Brevard, N.C. "They just put a smile on your face and relax everyone on the golf course."
The llamas are trained by the greenskeeper Mark English and fitted with a special harness to carry golf clubs. They live on a nearby farm and are available at the course on Tuesdays and some weekend days. But they have proved to be an attraction. Drivers pull over on the sides of roads next to the course to take pictures.
Lautenschlager hires high school students to attend to the llamas and to perform some of the normal duties of a caddie.
"They are very suited to the golf course because their feet are shaped in a way that does not do any damage to the grass," Lautenschlager said. "And like a cat, they are trained to visit a litter box, so they don't create any mess on the golf course."
It's $40 for 18 holes with a llama caddie, but the greens fees are less than $20.
The llamas are already being booked for special events, including a charity outing billed as a Llama-Rama. Lautenschlager has plans for renting the llamas to other golf courses.
A llama caddie won't help with club selection or read a green for you, but they appear to be adept at another caddie responsibility: keeping the golfer sane.
"I've seen people who maybe aren't playing all that well just stop playing and walk the llama for a while," Lautenschlager said.
by: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/sports/golf/03golfllama.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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