CROSSLAKE -- At 10 years old Brandy might be the main attraction at the Whitefish Golf Course.
Visitors and members of the 18-hole course swarm to Whitefish to get a chance to meet him.
No, Brandy isn't a golf guru who can help with a swing. In fact, he's never picked up a club. Brandy is a golden retriever who accompanies Jim Thompson to work every day.
Thompson is a starter, ranger and jack of all trades at Whitefish where he's worked for seven seasons.
"I started out as your basic starter and ranger and Brandy was quickly invited into the fold," said Thompson. "He has more personal friends at this club then I'll ever have.
"Prior to becoming an employee here, any golf that I played he was in attendance. In his younger days he took pleasure in running along behind the cart and chasing anything that had four legs. Now that he's a senior citizen he likes to just stay in the passenger seat."
At 72, Thompson loves being at the course. When he's not working he's usually playing. Thompson's claim to fame is being lucky enough to accumulate six holes in one in his lifetime.
Yet, despite all of his accomplishments, it's his playing partner who gets the attention.
"All the club members are on a first-name basis with Brandy," said Thompson. "They all know when his birthday is.
"Two years ago I was on the ranger cart on his birthday, it was a beautiful Labor Day weekend, and I'm motoring down the third fairway. In the middle of the fairway there was a walking foursome and they are waving at me to come to them.
"They circled the cart and vocally gave him a beautiful rendition of, 'Happy Birthday,' and presented a bag of gourmet bones."
Brandy is a great public relations draw, but his caretaker is vitally important to the smooth operations at Whitefish. He's got his trade down to a science.
"People come here, they park their car, they rush in the pro shop, they rush to the first tee box to tee off on time and there is sometimes a little panic.
"At this point, it's your chance to make them feel at home and feel good. It's important to get them started out on the right foot so they can enjoy the course."
Along with being a starter, Thompson also fills in as a tour guide. Tourists ask him where the best place to eat, stay or visit is. Thompson is quick to accommodate with a few of his favorite places.
"You're kind of a walking atlas for the best places to visit," he said.
Thompson has golfed for many years so he knows what kind of problems can pop up on a course.
"The real important job of the starter is to get people going in the right fashion so there isn't a jam up on the course," he said.
Whitefish has tee times every eight minutes. If it's a busy day, Thompson knows things are going to be backed up on the first tee.
"The first thing you want to do is tell them that you're running late, you're happy they're here and see if they want to go to the practice green or driving range or get something to eat and when their turn comes up you'll let them know and they can start," Thompson said.
"Make them feel like you're really one and one with them. They would much rather hear about that 15-minute delay instead of saying nothing."
Thompson also can tell a bad golfer right away with their practice swing but he adapts.
"If you watch people tee off and they're just dubbing shots here and there and you watch them fumble down the fairway, well then you know that you have a problem," he said.
"You not only have a problem, but the ranger is going to have a problem. If nothing is done then the pro shop is going to have a problem.
"When you see that, and you can spot that pretty quick, I would quickly slow up the intervals. I would make sure that the next tee time doesn't go until they were on the green or just getting off the green because I know they need space. Then I'm going to call the ranger and alert him to the problem."
Yet, no matter how well Thompson does his job, it's his partner Brandy that's going to get the attention.
"People who visit maybe once a year will inevitably ask, 'Where is Brandy,'" Thompson said.
