Jack Whitaker had a good article on caddies I found in searching for one in particular: William Gunn, or “Caddie Willie.” He was one of the interesting characters in this game, who wore all the clothes he owned. He left Edinburgh one winter to return to his Highlands home as he did each year, and was never heard from again.
In high school, I worked many different jobs at Shady Oak Country Club in Fort Worth. On weekends, I got up early and went to the caddie shack, and hauled bags for the rich and famous. Although I never caddied for Ben Hogan, he was a member there, and I did get the chance to see him play from time to time.
I really wasn’t a very good caddie. I was big and strong, and that pretty much described my caddying assets. I remember a very patient man I loved to caddie for, Sid Uberman, who taught me many of the small things about being a good bag handler. Things like where to stand, when to move, how to tend a flag. Mr. Uberman used a 1-iron and carried no woods. But he outdrove everyone he ever played with.
On many days we waited to get called up for a loop. The sign-in list provided selection priority, first in-first out. But some golfers requested certain caddies regularly. I don’t know that any ever considered requesting my services specifically, but I did carry for one or two on a regular basis. As with any job where you deal with the public, there were good customers and bad ones. But we never had the freedom (or nerve) to deal with them like some of the oldtimers.
The Scottish caddies are not without barbed tongue. One American journalist was playing the Old Course one day and hit his drive into a divot. He moved the ball out of the divot before hitting his second shot. His caddie immediately dropped the golf bag, said, “You’ll nae do that here,” and walked back to the clubhouse. And they are very aware of the monetary side of the grand old game. To one member of the R & A who had not tipped quite enough, the caddie said, “Are you sure you can the spare it sir, I’ll no’ miss it.”
I remember getting the call for one man all too frequently. I could have used that last line with him. He loved to bring guests, and have one caddie carry both bags–it was cheaper that way. Of course, the two players always played opposite sides of any fairway, and I would spend the morning walking a good ten miles with two bags (large, tour-style, of course) slung over my shoulders. I think the rate was three bucks for one bag, or five for two. Plus tip. When he had a quarter to spare.
In Panama, the Horoko Golf Course had caddies, and I hired one each time I played. These guys went everywhere barefoot. If you hit a ball into the jungle, they ran in to find it. My feet would have been shredded. It was just another task to them. And they weren’t shy about mentioning the size of the tip!
Caddies are gone. Less than ten percent of the courses in the US now have caddies. That’s too bad. It was a great way for a kid to get out and make a few bucks on his own. But the IRS wanted to intrude because the Feds weren’t getting their cut of that pay, and courses can make more money renting carts. Often, the course pro’s income is derived from cart revenue.
If you’ve never used a caddie, try it when you get the chance. It may cost a few bucks more than riding a cart, but the walk and help you get will be worth it.