A drink prevalent in golf clubhouses in a way which it is not elsewhere is kummel. This caraway flavoured liquor is known as the ‘putting mixture’ for its perceived ability to calm nerves. As such, it can be served before a round of golf rather than at the 19th hole. The drink is believed to have Dutch origins although its name is Germanic – kummel means caraway in German – but it has become popular in Scotland. It is said that the highest consumption of kummel in Scotland is at the clubhouses at Prestwick, Muirfield and the R&A.
Another drink common in golf clubhouses but less so in the wider society is Gunners. This is a cocktail made of ginger beer and ginger ale to which can be added lime cordial and lemon juice and a drop or two of Angostura Bitters. It is considered to be a non alcohol cocktail even though Angostura Bitters is 44.7% alcohol by volume.
Another non-alcoholic cocktail with golfing connotations is the Arnold Palmer drink, named after the seven-time Major winner as it was his choice for refreshment on a hot day. This mocktail is made with iced tea and lemonade. His preferred mixture was one part lemonade to three parts iced tea, but another recipe – and indeed the one which Arnold Palmer’s own website quotes – has the quantities as half and half.
An alcoholic version of the drink has vodka in it, often from replacing the iced tea with sweet tea vodka. This version is sometimes known as a John Daly after that particular golfer.
But no drink is more associated with golf than claret, if only for the jug it is decanted into. The prize for winning the oldest Major is the Claret Jug. Many clubs and societies have adopted this style of trophy for their own competitions. I even have one in my own trophy cabinet, won in our annual knockout competition. I choose my words carefully, for I lost that final – the winner also gets a claret jug, a bigger one.
But, as few people read inscriptions on prizes, it takes pride of place in my trophy cabinet, where its size relative to the winning trophy is immaterial. But what if I were to reach the final again - would not winning a larger claret jug diminish my existing trophy? Would not another runners up trophy look better? Is it ethical to throw a final for the sake of one’s home decor?
Such considerations have remained purely theoretical as, since making that final, I have yet to even reach the round of 16. But I have moved off topic – clubhouse menu: claret should be on the wine list, whether it is served from a jug or not.
Comfort food
In terms of food, where is more appropriate to eat a club sandwich than at a golf club? This sandwich has three or more slices of toast or bread with filings in between them and got its name as it was first created – or so it is claimed – at a clubhouse.
However, the clubhouse that claims the honour was the Saratoga Springs one and this was not one for golfers but gamblers. It was founded in 1870 by John Morrissey, a boxer and politician, and he opened his club with three rules: cash only, and no locals nor women allowed. The club sandwich was first served here in 1894, so legend has it.
For those away on a golfing trip, you want at least one local ale on tap to reinforce the feeling that you are somewhere different. Or maybe another drink associated with the locality...
What two things do you most associate with Scotland? Oh, tartan and bagpipes? Have another go. Yes, that’s right: golf and whisky. Some clubs have a large bottle of whisky on the menu specifically to be bought by someone making a hole-in-one.
Tradition is that someone making a hole-in-one buys drinks for everyone, but this can get expensive if its happens on a day when the clubhouse is busy, so an alternative proffered at some clubs is that the maker of a hole-in-one buys a large bottle of whisky to stand on the bar for anyone to help themselves to a drink from.
Whisky can also be a warmer on a cold day. It’s all very well these refreshing drinks, but not all golf is played on blisteringly hot days, especially in some parts of the world. I played in a competition on a Boxing Day when the only thing more frozen than me was the ground. The course should not really have been open, drives were ego-boostingly long as the ball just kept bouncing; but so did chips onto the green.
So bump-and-runs from distance were the order of the day on the course; in the clubhouse, it was soup. Never have I been gladder to get myself round a bowl of soup as I began the process of thawing out. Soup and sandwiches is a good simple trad winter favourite at many places.
