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Michael Whitaker

  • Karma: +0/-0
A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« on: June 18, 2006, 07:45:29 PM »
Two of my good friends, Doug Spets and Joe Fairey, are spending the summer in St Andrews as caddies. This is quite an adventure and I am very jealous of both of them... Doug is staying for 3 1/2 months; Joe will be there for three weeks, back home for three, then back to Scotland for another three weeks.

A little background on these two... Doug is the news director for a radio station in Columbia, SC; Joe owns a Cadillac/Chevrolet dealership in Orangeburg, SC. For fun, both of them have caddied part-time at Augusta National for the past two or three years.

Doug has started a blog to document their experiences. I thought some of you might enjoy following their adventure, so here is the link: http://caddy129.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!
"Solving the paradox of proportionality is the heart of golf architecture."  - Tom Doak (11/20/05)

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2006, 07:48:04 PM »
Thanks for the link Michael.
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Michael Whitaker

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2006, 08:33:19 AM »
Doug & Joe have had a great summer and Doug's blog has been fun to read, so I thought I would bump this thread.
"Solving the paradox of proportionality is the heart of golf architecture."  - Tom Doak (11/20/05)

Michael Whitaker

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2006, 04:34:20 PM »
My favorite is the story about "Rubles."
"Solving the paradox of proportionality is the heart of golf architecture."  - Tom Doak (11/20/05)

Tiger_Bernhardt

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2006, 02:24:41 PM »
Mike I am sorry I missed them at TOC. I looked for them.

Anthony Butler

  • Karma: +0/-0
Hacking around the Old Course
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2006, 08:42:53 PM »
It's not quite John Updike on "The Trouble with Caddies" but these stories have their moments.

One thing not mentioned is the danger you face caddying at the Old Course with all those shared fairways and bad golfers. Hook or pull one off a tee here and look out on the adjacent fairway!

My last round at the Old Course  was played in the Scottish version of a monsoon, and featured a tee shot off 17 pulled so badly pulled left that it flew quail high into the right side of the 2nd fairway about 285yds away from the Road Hole green.

When I got to the ball an extremely formidable yet pissed off German woman (think Martina Navratilova but 6ft tall) was standing on the fairway with her caddy about 20 yds away indicating where my ball had finished... When I asked if the ball had come close to his player, the caddy indicated about crotch high...  After I apologized, he gestured towards his player and said; "ne'er mind laddie, you'd need more than a   'a gowf ball to turn tha' one into a lassie..."


« Last Edit: July 31, 2006, 02:26:20 PM by Anthony Butler »
Next!

Andrew Mitchell

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2006, 10:59:51 AM »
Thanks for the link Mike, an interesting read. I've added the blog to my favourites to follow up on Doug's adventure in the coming weeks.
2014 to date: not actually played anywhere yet!
Still to come: Hollins Hall; Ripon City; Shipley; Perranporth; St Enodoc

Brad Tufts

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2006, 11:03:03 AM »
Funny to mention Mr. Updike's comments, as I witnessed the fact that none of the regular caddies at Myopia will talk to him, as they feel betrayed.  ;)  Of course none of that matters, as he still carries his own bag while walking at about age 70.
So I jump ship in Hong Kong....

Andy Scanlon

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2006, 11:56:40 AM »
Thanks for the notice, Michael.  Interesting read.  Hope your friends have a great time!
All architects will be a lot more comfortable when the powers that be in golf finally solve the ball problem. If the distance to be gotten with the ball continues to increase, it will be necessary to go to 7,500 and even 8000 yard courses.  
- William Flynn, golf architect, 1927

Michael Whitaker

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Hacking around the Old Course
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2006, 02:11:39 PM »
It's not quite John Updike on "The Trouble with Caddies" but these stories have their moments.

Jeeze... blog critics, too? What's next, the ranking of the Top 100 Golf Blogs?  ;)

"Solving the paradox of proportionality is the heart of golf architecture."  - Tom Doak (11/20/05)

Martin Del Vecchio

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2006, 02:20:02 PM »
Here's an American teenager's experience caddying at St. Andrews.  Sports Illustrated published it as part of their 2005 British Open preview.  I had to log in as a subscriber to read it, so not everyone will be able to see it.

http://premium.si.cnn.com/pr/subs/siexclusive/2005/pr/subs/siexclusive/07/06/gp.caddie0712/index.html
« Last Edit: July 31, 2006, 02:21:11 PM by Martin Del Vecchio »

Anthony Butler

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Hacking around the Old Course
« Reply #11 on: July 31, 2006, 07:16:50 PM »
It's not quite John Updike on "The Trouble with Caddies" but these stories have their moments.

Jeeze... blog critics, too? What's next, the ranking of the Top 100 Golf Blogs?  ;)


Interesting idea... In that case, I guess Geoff Shackleford would be like the Pine Valley of golf blogs.

Do yourself a favor though, John Updike-Golf Dreams is one of the 20th century's Top 100 writers at the top of his game-on a subject near and dear to everyone's heart...
Next!

Matthew Delahunty

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #12 on: August 01, 2006, 09:25:05 AM »
Those caddies at TOC don't like us Aussies. They think we're cheap. I remember when I played there. I didn't use a caddy but when the caddies for the two of the other guys I played with found out I was Australian (and not a New Zealander which they thought I was) I got the "Oh, you're an Australian. We don't like them here." Immediately, I guessed that it was due to the tipping thing. I spent the last 5 holes trying to explain why Australians don't tip, as it's not part of the social culture in our country. For that matter, using caddies isn't either (nor is the high price of golf). I suggested it probably wouldn't be a problem if there was more pre-booking notice of the expectations on golfers as to what is the accepted practice. But I think it fell on deaf ears then (and looks like nothing much has changed since). Anyway, after one caddie spent the 5 holes telling me how customers should tip well for good service, he spent a good deal of time apologising to his golfer/client for losing his US Open towel somewhere on the course. He was lucky the client was a good bloke and tipped him anyway.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2006, 09:38:19 AM by Matthew Delahunty »

Tony Ristola

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:A St. Andrews Caddie Adventure
« Reply #13 on: August 01, 2006, 09:33:56 AM »
My favorite caddy story comes from an Irish pro who took over some continental Europeans about 15 years ago. I believe the story was from the Old Course. A caddy for a woman in a group playing back towards town tells her, "you want to aim at the church". She topped the shot, and he repeated, "you want to take it at the church." After a few more tops and a few more reminders of where she should be playing to, he says... Ah, the f***'in church ain't moved.

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