Behind the bar at golf’s preeminent 19th hole, the well-trained eye may fix on a glass urn high on a shelf amongst the bottles of single malt whisky. Inside the urn are the ashes of Sleepy Dye; a legendary character who some might say is spending eternity in the closest thing to heaven on earth: The Dunvegan. The story of how Sleepy came to reside at “The Dunny” is one of the game’s epic tales. So too are the stories of the golfers he’s managed to touch in the years since, enriching the legend of Sleepy Dye, The Dunvegan, and The Home of Golf.
Sleepy Dye was an attorney from Tallahassee who lost his battle with cancer in the late 1990’s. At the time of his passing, Sleepy had a trip planned to St. Andrews with his two sons. The pair decided the best way to honor their father was to take the trip as planned, along with a small urn of Sleepy’s ashes. When his sons went to spread the ashes on the Swilcan Bridge, however, a portion remained stuck in the urn. Later that evening, having heard the story from those toasting Sleepy, the owners of The Dunvegan – Jack & Sheena Willoughby – agreed to keep the remaining ashes behind the bar, giving Sleepy a permanent seat in a place that was near and dear to his heart.
Over the years, Sleepy has taken on something of a mythical status at The Dunvegan. So much so, that Rich Lerner profiled the story on The Golf Channel during the coverage of the 2010 Open Championship. Golfers from far and wide have raised a glass to Sleepy, including many of our traveling Members of the Forces who, in one form or another, have been touched by the story of Sleepy Dye.
Earlier this year, the Expedition led by George Grimsley of Tallahassee’s Golden Eagle Country Club, paid a visit to The Dunvegan. Many in the party knew Sleepy and his sons personally, and he joined them on a corner of the table while the group reminisced on their time in St. Andrews and toasted their old friend.
Perhaps no other story captures the mystique of Sleepy Dye better than the one shared by Brent Crymes of Athens Country Club…
“When Mike Blaesing and I took our 6 sons combined to the Dunvegan on our own epic golf trip 2 years ago, Sheila took the ashes off the lofty perch over the bar and allowed us to drink with Sleepy outside on the patio.
Sleepy brought us great luck as he does with all respectful players and caddies- Mike and his son were able to get a time to play the Old Course by showing up early the next day, and my 3 sons and I played an epic match on a day the caddies said was the best in several years at the Old Course. Incidentally, the picture we provided you that you published in the annual yearbook had the 8 of us looking our best, content and happy, Sleepy in a prominent place in front of us on the table and, ironically, our caddies for the next day at the Old Course in the background of the photo. Since Sheila was overwhelmed in the kitchen she allowed us to order pizzas and the Dominos delivery man had pulled to the curb in the background of the photo when the waitress snapped the picture- Sleepy Magic !”
In St. Andrews, things have a funny way of… happening. Impossible putts mysteriously drop, career-best rounds are carded, and last-minute cancellations make way for fathers and sons without an Old Course tee time. Some might say these happy occurrences are just sheer coincidence, but golfers, who are typically superstitious by nature, know better. So the next time you’re in The Home of Golf, stop in The Dunvegan, raise a glass, and when your own St. Andrews moment happens, tip your cap to Sleepy Dye.
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