NAMES, or specifically, nicknames, fascinate me.

Their origins are mystifying, an innocuous incident in school is sometimes all it takes for it to be carved in stone, an asterisk now affixed to your name.

We do it all the time, bestowing new names onto friends, colleagues, past teachers. Sometimes for the simplest reasons.

For example, at the recent Lexus Cup here, while following the golfers on their rounds, I overheard a woman say to her husband, "Where's the Pink Panther? She's not in this flight. It must be the previous group, that's the Pink Panther's flight lah."

For those who haven't scored an A in golf trivia, the Pink Panther refers to American golfer Paula Creamer, whose penchant for all things pink has earned her this wonderfully apt nickname.

This got me thinking.

What is it about golfers and their nicknames? And not just nicknames, but animal ones at that. There's Eldrick "Tiger" Woods, "Golden Bear" Jack Nicklaus, "Great White Shark" Greg Norman, Retief "the Goose" Goosen and finally, Ben "the Hawk" Hogan.

All intimidating animals, (I've been bitten by a goose, so they count as well). All successful golfers. Being pursued by Tiger or the Golden Bear might provoke nervous glances from golfers at the front, but the Pink Panther? I can't help but picture the moustached Inspector Jacques Clouseau hiding behind the trees, waiting for any criminal slip ups.

While Woods almost certainly would have won his 14 Majors regardless of his nickname, it probably wouldn't have generated that same electric atmosphere on the golf course. Eldrick in the lead? Sorry, that headline just doesn't have the required bite.

So remember, when thinking of a golfing nickname for your son or daughter, try and steer clear of animated cartoon characters. No Porky Pigs, no Bugs Bunny please.

Maybe the Tasmanian Devil though.