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Should A Caddie Get A Jacket Too?

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caddieWith golf participation being roughly between 25 – 30 million players in the U.S., it’s probably pretty fair to state that a very low percentage of this number have or use a caddy. Pretty much pros on tour. We can argue private clubs too but they are technically considered “independent contractors” (not to get overly p.c.).

Moving forward with the tour caddie…These select few people that make it to this level do so because they take their trade seriously. Their advice and research could be the difference of where a pro ends up on the money list. Not to mention it’ll help pad their pockets as well.

What kind of recognition do these guys get besides their pay and a little notoriety if the golfer is very famous? I think there should be something for the caddie as well. They are pretty much a golfer’s advisor/friend/coach/therapist while on the course.

Maybe a jacket is a little bit of a stretch but jeez, give the guy something. A vest, sash, beret, pin…something. Apparently, there is a caddie hall of fame but if I’m not mistaken Bill Murray has been inducted for his role in Caddyshack. Great movie and all but, come on! How about a little time to shine for the folks on the bag.

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

What About Caddies?

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(Photo by Greg D’Andrea)

Back at the start of the winter, I was putting with my 3-year-old son on the practice mat behind our living room couch. I wasn’t giving him serious lessons or anything (not that I’m qualified to do so anyway) – I was just trying to focus him on the basic putting stroke. And I certainly didn’t mention anything about caddies. Yet at one point when it was his turn to hit, he grabbed his toddler-sized putter and said to me: “The club boy brought me another club.”

Club boy? Who’s the club boy? “The boy that gives us our clubs” was his answer. This surprised me since he knows nothing about golf caddies (he’s never even watched the pro tour on TV). And while he was probably just saying silly things that 3-year-olds say,  I wondered if there could be more to this.

Here we have someone at the very beginning of his introduction to the game of golf…yet already he seems to consider that part of this game should include someone that hands you clubs. This leads me to the following question: Are caddies meant to be part of this game?

If the pro tours are any example, the answer is yes. Everyone has a caddie on tour. And the USGA rules allow for a caddie too – and in fact define “caddie” as “one who assists the player.” In addition, caddies have been part of golf for quite a while: One source even says “Mary, Queen of Scots, came up with the term ‘caddie’ in the late 16th century.”

So if it’s true that caddies are meant to be part of golf, then it stands to reason we’re handicapping ourselves when we don’t use one – right? It’s just another reason to site the popular GolfStinks PAF rule.

Of course, we average golfers don’t have access to caddies because most courses realized years ago that it would be cheaper to provide us with motorized golf carts instead. As fun as it is to drink and drive in those golf go-karts, they hardly replace the original. Sure – having a GPS in the cart will tell you how far you have to the pin, but where is the advice on how the putt breaks? Or the club recommendation? And perhaps most importantly, the moral support?

I say golf courses should consider bringing back an option to have a real caddie. I bet there are plenty of teens and retirees that would work for just tips – I’d be willing to pay more per round to have a caddie at my side – even if it was just once in a while.

Am I way off base here? Am I simplifying it too much? Why should the pros have all the fun?

Film Review: Scotland’s Caddies

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scotland_caddies_dvd_cover“It must be a great feeling when you’ve set your heart on coming to play golf in Scotland on one of these fantastic courses. You get on the first tee, you hit your drive, you hand that driver to your caddy and he’s off with your bag and you’re just walking up the fairway.” – From the documentary, Scotland’s Caddies

I’ve never been one to fantasize about playing golf in the birthplace of the game. No matter how many times I would read about the hollowed grounds of St. Andrews or the majesty of a links course carved out of a rugged coastline in the North Sea, I never really had the urge to play in Scotland.

Until, that is, I watched Scotland’s Caddies. This documentary (produced in 2010) has literally inspired me to plan a trip to the cradle of golf (at least at some point in my lifetime).

I now join the ranks of countless other golfers whose dreams are to play where Old Tom Morris chased around a ball stuffed with goose feathers. I dream of this not because I long to see the Scottish countryside, but because in Scotland, it seems, golf is still played the way it was intended to be played two-hundred years ago.

The film (which is just over an hour) follows the director’s (Ron Colby) journey across Scotland as he visits some of the country’s best-know links. But the focus is not on his golf game, but rather the caddies he encounters.

It seems caddies are a breed all their own – from their interesting origins to the present day loopers – all there to help you get the most out of your round. Listening to these guys talk about what it means to caddy – especially in Scotland – can inspire any golfer to start surfing Priceline.com for airfare and accommodations.

They’ve carried bags for presidents, celebrities and tour pros – and they have great stories to boot. They’ve also carried for hacks and average golfers of all nationalities – and can tell you who will tip the best based on the country they are from!

Scotland’s Caddies is a fascinating window into an otherwise unappreciated occupation. The film not only touches on the history of caddies, but provides their modern-day counterparts with a voice (albeit one with a heavy Scottish accent) to tell their story. This film is well-worth the hour on the couch.

As a special bonus, the good folks over at Scotland’s Caddies have shipped us a free copy of the DVD to giveaway to one lucky Golf Stinks reader! We’ll be choosing a winner at random from our Facebook page one week from today. So make sure you like our page and good luck!

Does a Bear Crap in the Woods…

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I don’t know, does a tiger fart on the course? You know…with all this hoopla and chatter about Tiger, his caddy Steve Williams, or a spectator letting one rip at the Buick Open made me realize; no matter how old you are or what predicament you may be in, a blast from the back door will damn near always make a grown man laugh (or smile at least). And the more serious the situation, the bigger of a laugh it will get.


Think about it, there’s two basic ways it could happen: 1) There’s the audible thunder-from-down-under that immediately gets heard and recognized, and 2) The ever so noxious bouquet of decaying Limburger cheese that with the silence of a ninja, covertly invades the nasal cavities of the unsuspecting victims around you. Either way, they loosen tension, lighten the mood and allow for humor and shenanigans. Hey, I think I’m on to something here…ship 1,000 tons of canned beans to the Middle East and end the turmoil already. It’ll be a fart fest for months. Come on, let’s give it up for a good ol’ Bronx cheer!

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