Golfers swap caddies for goats in Oregon

Portland (Oregon), July 17: The figure of the caddy, whose help is crucial for the success of any professional golf player, takes a whole new meaning in Oregon's Silvies Ranch, which is betting on a different take on the traditional golfer's assistant.

McVeigh's Gauntlet, the ranch's newly opened seven-hole rustic golf course, offers its patrons a four-legged companion to carry their clubs around, reports Efe.

Fitted with custom-made backpacks that can carry up to six golf clubs and a dozen golf balls, as well as six cans of refreshments and an assortment of snacks, goats carry out  tasks a human caddy would probably refuse to do.

The initiative was inspired by the roots of the sport, which, according to Seamus Golf — the designers of the bag — originated as shepherds honed their skill among the sheep and goats they grazed.

The pioneers of the sport used their goats to help carry the heavy clubs through difficult terrains.

"The original idea was to train goats to carry supplies for hikers in the ranch and the idea resulted in goat caddies," Silvies Valley ranch owner Scott Campbell told Efe.

For the prototype, the designers used a dog as a model, but when they transferred the item to a goat's lighter frame, they were forced to re-arrange the configuration to accommodate the animal's fidgety nature.

All in all, the ranch has the goats' approval, joked Campbell.

"We spoke to some of the goats and they said, 'I'll do it for a few peanuts'," he said.