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Neil Regan

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Lahinch Goats, 1971
« on: February 27, 2016, 12:57:48 PM »



Lahinch Golf Club has found this old 3 minute feature from RTE about the goats of Lahinch.


Lahinch goats, RTE, 1971





A totally charming piece, with some fascinating glimpses of the course. ( Notice the grass ?)


From the interview with 40 year member Joe Ryan, and Robert McCavery, Assistant Pro.


"Now, this isn't just tradition, it's actually a matter of fact ? "
"Well, it tis fact."
"Now why should goats be weather vanes, I mean ... ?"
"Now that I couldn't tell you."
"Do you have any theories on it?"
"None, whatsoever."
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Jaeger Kovich

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2016, 06:29:42 PM »
hahaha awesome!
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Sean_A

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2016, 07:16:18 PM »
I like the response to the question of why the club doesn't buy a new barometer...Well when you come in here, and you’re ready to hit off from the first tee, it’s not the barometer you’re looking at, tis the goats.

How Irish is that  8)

Neil


Make you way to Kington if that sort of fairway/mixed in with rough floats yer boat. Its a shame the GB&I courses discovered conditioning.


Ciao
« Last Edit: February 27, 2016, 07:31:38 PM by Sean_A »
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Peter Pallotta

Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2016, 07:25:25 PM »
That's wonderful, Neil - thanks.

Ah, a requiem for the days when a man could say: "When you're playing Lahinch and you get to the first tee, it's not the barometer you look at it's the goats".

And is it any wonder that so many wonderful old GB&I courses have stood the test of time. Talk about a certain golfing "culture": the barometer broke at Lahinch, and no one tried to "fix it" for over 60 years!

Peter
Edit: Sean, just saw your post: yes, a marvellous line, isn't it, especially coming from such a serious and bespectacled face.
« Last Edit: February 27, 2016, 07:27:09 PM by Peter Pallotta »
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John Cowden

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2016, 12:54:15 AM »
Great stuff. 
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Mark_Rowlinson

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2016, 10:35:02 AM »
Gorgeous!
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Thomas Dai

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #6 on: February 28, 2016, 05:19:17 PM »
Not just individual goats or a single goat tethered to a cable in the video but goats tethered together in pairs.


Damn efficient grass and scrub munchers are goats and not costly either, plus, they have the ability to go where golf balls can go but powered mowers can't. In some locations there must surely be more opportunities to use them more on golf courses?


Atb
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Colin Macqueen

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #7 on: February 29, 2016, 01:13:42 AM »
Gentlemen,
A delightful and timeless piece of reporting!  And I so enjoyed the "serious and bespectacled face" describing a deterioration in the weather as "..once the weather conditions start to disimprove.."!!!

And the caddy is wearing a tie methinks...classic!

Cheers Colin
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Rick Shefchik

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #8 on: February 29, 2016, 01:07:49 PM »
Also interesting to note that the current verbal tic of starting most sentences with "I mean..." is not a new development. Joe Ryan was doing it 45 years ago. Maybe it's an Irish thing.
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Jim_Kennedy

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #9 on: February 29, 2016, 08:59:04 PM »
Neil,
I had to find out more about the goats after watching your video, and saw where they were all put down during the Hoof and Mouth scare. 

Are they back? If so, are they 'new' goats, or some from the old stock?
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Neil Regan

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2016, 01:09:50 AM »
Quote from: Jim_Kennedy on February 29, 2016, 08:59:04 PM
Neil,
I had to find out more about the goats after watching your video, and saw where they were all put down during the Hoof and Mouth scare. 

Are they back? If so, are they 'new' goats, or some from the old stock?



The goats were back the next year, IIRC.
In fact, they were promoted.
They now serve as course marshals and occasionally read putts on the greens.
Here is video from the 2014 South of Ireland



The goats of Lahinch Golf Club 2014 South of Ireland Golf Championship. Video by Dan Linehan. Irish Examiner.










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Mark Smolens

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Re: Lahinch Goats, 1971
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2016, 01:00:12 PM »
Went to a wedding in Mullingar in the summer of '83 and spent the week driving around playing golf with a couple of frat brothers. On our day at Lahinch we were on the first tee when the wind started howling, the skies darkened and it looked like we were going to need our raingear. As we stopped and dragged the pants out of our bags and started pulling them on over the then-spiked shoes (yet another reason to like soft spikes!), the members in the bar were all looking out the windows, laughing and pointing at the silly 'Mericans. Crusty old guy comes out laughing and says "Lads, ye'll not need all that, look at the goats," who were quietly sitting on top of a nearby hill munching away. Sure enough, as soon as we were fully suited, the wind switched, the skies cleared, and it was a beautiful summer's day...
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