Sometimes, golf becomes something far more memorable than 18 holes and a handshake—not because of the design or the difficulty, but because of who (or what) shows up mid-round. We’re talking visitors with feathers or fur, and decidedly not your typical gator or egret.
For your amusement, amazement, and, occasionally, for hire, here are a few places where you might find yourself playing alongside the unlikeliest of friends.
Talamore Golf Resort—Southern Pines, N.C.
When Talamore Golf Resort opened in Southern Pines, N.C., in 1991, it faced a bit of a problem: How do you stand out in one of the nation’s most saturated golf markets? A Rees Jones design might impress the purists, but the owners wanted to turn heads. Their solution? Llamas.
Inspired by tales of donkeys carrying clubs in Mexico, Talamore brought in two original caddies, Billy and Dollie Llama (pun fully intended). They ambled up fairways, quietly following every caddie’s cardinal rule: show up, keep up, and shut up.
The gamble paid off spectacularly. In a pre-social-media world, more than 5,000 articles chronicled the phenomenon, generating roughly $3 million in free publicity. Suddenly, Talamore wasn’t just a regional course, but a global curiosity. And the first in the world to employ llamas as caddies.
By the end of the ’90s, the llamas were retired from active duties. But they remain central to Talamore lore to this day and still graze near the 13th and 14th holes. Arnie the llama is particularly selfie-ready, named after Arnold Palmer, of course, who designed Talamore’s sister course, Mid South Club. He’s joined by his mother, little brother (aptly named Rees), and a few other furry friends.
Silvies Valley Ranch—Seneca, Ore.
Golfers are generally prepared for interruptions. Poor weather. Slow play. A random single with particularly bad etiquette.
The occasional bleating goat? Less so.
There aren’t many places where a goat carrying your clubs (and your beer) feels even remotely possible. But at Silvies Valley Ranch in Seneca, Ore., that’s just another Tuesday.
This high-desert resort made headlines by introducing real, working goat caddies outfitted with custom panniers and trained to walk alongside players on two of the property’s courses. These loopers don’t read greens or offer swing tips–or baaaaad advice (sorry, had to)–but that’s entirely the point.
They carry the bags, wander the fairways, and remain blissfully indifferent to scorecards and swing thoughts. In doing so, they perfectly embody Silvies Valley’s ethos: laid back, playful, and deeply rooted in ranch life.
They also happen to be pretty dang adorable.
Ohoopee Match Club—Cobbtown, Ga.
You may know Ohoopee Match Club by its iconic onion logo. Look closer, though, and you’ll notice the onion’s “roots” aren’t roots at all—they’re writhing snakes. A small detail, but a telling one. Out here, things are a little untamed.
The course reflects that same attitude. There are half-par holes, sandy expanses instead of manicured rough, greens within greens—wild golf indeed. Seen in that context, the animals here make sense. But they serve a different purpose than hired help.
Inspired by the region’s sandy, open terrain, founder Michael Walrath was struck by how much the property resembled the African savanna. Walking the routing in its early days, he decided it would be both fitting, and entirely in keeping with Ohoopee’s idiosyncratic spirit, to introduce animals to the landscape.
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His first idea was giraffes—an inspired thought that unraveled rather quickly. They require sky-high fencing, would have made quick work of the property’s trees, and come with a host of logistical headaches. Zebras and wildebeest proved far more practical, so Walrath pivoted.
A Texas distributor supplied the club’s first herd, and the menagerie has grown to include eland, oryx, and blackbuck antelope. Today, they graze casually along the edges of the property—a sight that feels entirely natural at Ohoopee, though difficult to explain anywhere else in Cobbtown, Ga.
Legend Golf & Safari Resort—Sterkrivier, South Africa
For something a bit more authentically wild, there’s Legend Golf & Safari Resort in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, where the landscape doesn’t just look like the savanna… it is the savanna.
Set within the 22,000-hectare Entabeni Big Five Conservancy, the resort occupies land managed first and foremost for conservation. Wildlife roams freely here, meaning the animals you encounter on the course are truly wild and self-sufficient, not confined or curated for golfers’ viewing.
The 18-hole Signature Course threads through open grasslands, where plains game like antelope, impala, zebra, and wildebeest are regularly spotted wandering near (and sometimes across) the fairways.
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The surrounding conservancy is also home to Africa’s iconic Big Five—lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards, and rhinos—but these species remain outside the golf course itself. So, you can focus on saving par without fearing for your life.
The best way to take it all in? The resort’s “Extreme 19th.” Accessible only by helicopter, it’s the longest and highest par three in the world, featuring a roughly 430-yard drop from tee to green, which is shaped like the continent of Africa—a dramatic perch from which to survey the bush and its inhabitants all at once.
In their own strange and wonderful ways, these courses remind us that golf is often less about the score and more about the company that comes along for the walk.
So, the next time someone tells you golf is boring, just nod and smile. They’ve probably never shared a fairway with a llama, a small herd of antelope, or a beer-carrying goat—and frankly, they’re missing out.
Much more fun are the cows and sheep roaming free at Brora. But watch out for the electrified wires around the greens to keep them from putting.
Agree on the Brora, amazing spot