It's More than a legend

Many golfers are sure they’ve seen him. Still others have watched in cheerful disbelief as their tee shot popped out of the woods after a hook or slice. The stories have been passed down, slowly growing through the generations. You may have heard them. Where did this seemingly absurd legend originate?

 

Ask the old folks from Troon and Musselburgh. They’ll tell you the legend was born in Scotland in the late 1790s. Grant Reidheid was playing a round by the sea with his neighbor T.W. MacGregor. There were no trees on the course, and yet the ball came skipping out of the knee-high golden rough time after time. They were perplexed, until… as the story goes, “Grant witnessed a curled tail rising out of the 16th wooly grass.” It wasn’t a twisted reed or a sail from a passing vessel. It wasn’t an oddly shaped pheasant or the course supervisor’s dog. It was undoubtedly a monkey tail.

 

But isn’t the legend of the Fairway Monkey just a myth? Oh, it’s no myth. It just took 200 years of rumors to confirm.

 

In the late 1990’s on a scorching summer day, a group of friends were playing a course in Atlanta. One of them hit into the woods off every tee box. We’ll just call him Kirke since that was his name. But each time without sound and without fail, the ball bounced right back out safely into the fairway. His friends knew what was happening. It was the fairway monkey. He was following the group tossing Kirke’s ball back out. But why? Was it the banana he ate in the cart before strolling up to the first tee box? We’ll never know. And did they actually see him that day? Not exactly. But they didn’t have to. You don’t have to see to believe.

 

Wait, why are they coming forward with this story now after all these years? They simply couldn’t keep it to themselves any longer.

 

So, what does this mean for you? In your next round, be aware. As you ride or stroll from the tee box to the green, peer deeply into the trees. You might just catch a glimpse. And if you want his help with those frequently errant tee shots of yours, eat a banana, or better yet, wear something with a monkey on it to honor him and encourage his help.

 

That’s where we come in.