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Cattle grazing rights are moo-t point |
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August 31, 2003; Source: AnyoneForTee.com Steaming row erupts as cows get free drop on greens! By our special correspondents Pat Field and Martin Moo-die |
 UK. A quite literally steaming row has broken out between members of a UK golf club and a farmer, whose cows are accused of leaving large pats (dung) on the greens.The 19-strong herd has also been accused of obstructing play, stampeding lady players, churning up greens and ripping out and chewing marker flags. One member of Penn Golf Club near Wolverhampton in the UK midlands has even filmed the cows destroying the 13th green. Another claimed that she and her partners had been walking between the 6th and 8th holes when all 19 cows charged at them, forcing the frightened golfers to fend them off with their golf trolleys in a scene reminiscent of a Spanish bullfight.  But farmer Frank Joynson, whose Pear Tree Farm adjoins the course, claims his herd has the right to graze anywhere. The course, opened in 1908, is built on common land and Joynson said he would contest the club’s plans to erect fences on what he insists is part of his farm. He said the club had "scalped" the grass when they had an obligation to provide good grazing."Rights have been attached to this house since time immemorial and a golf club cannot override that," he said. He also mocked the members’ complaints about dung on the green. "If golfers are allowed a free drop, then so are my cows," he told an AnyoneForTee reporter who was standing upwind at the time. "All these complaints are just b*llsh*t, or the next closest thing to it."  But Club member Richard Morey who filmed the bovine invasion of the 13th green hit back: "It’s vandalism, pure and simple," he said.Another outraged player told Anyone For Tee: "It's terrible... our members tee off in Pringle sweaters and end up covered in British jerseys. I suppose the next thing will be dungarees."  He added: "I was on the edge of the green for two at the 13th when this great big cow left its calling cards on the green. It was disgusting. No wonder I three-patted. And my golf stank for the rest of the round."A lady member complained of an unplayable lie after landing a 7-iron recovery in the middle of a fresh steaming pat. "Out of the rough and into the cr*p, it’s the story of my game,"she said stoically.  Comment: AnyoneForTee has studied the rules of golf closely to try to find a solution. While they specify (Rule 23 and 23-1) that animal dung is a loose impediment, which may be moved without penalty, they offer no advice on the best way to lift a large and fresh cow pat.Regarding live animals on the fairways, the rules are largely silent, though they do allow the shooting of birdies and eagles. |
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