Living the Dream: A Six Months Caddying Sabbatical

[Mike Hendren]

Let's assume a fellow wanted to embark on a six months caddying sabbatical in celebration of his 60th birthday.  Work with me here.  A chance to get in shape, study a great course, live in a quaint location - preferably with a nearby beach for the Mrs., get as many rounds in a possible without alienating the existing caddy corp and recharge for the desk job stretch run.   Where would you choose - worldwide, and why?

Bogey

[PCCraig]

Seminole
The Country Club - Brookline
St. Andrews
Bandon
National Golf Links / Shinnecock
Cypress Point

[Greg Taylor]

There's better courses but St Andrews in the summer has to be the best town for my money. For quality of life, it would be harder to beat.

My recollection of Bandon is that there's the local village but not much else...

[Rees Milikin]

Not sure if they will have caddies (I assume they will), but the new Doak Course Tara-Iti about an hour northeast of Auckland would be my choice.

[Steve Lapper]

Royal Melbourne....Melbourne, Australia

[Peter Pallotta]

Bogey - I sincerely hope that someone gets to live the dream. If it were me, I wouldn't put too high a premium on the golf course; I'd want my 'sabbatical' to be spent somewhere that I'd long to spend 6 months at...in my case, England, and in my case somewhere near the Costwolds, spending my leisure time looking at castles and taking walking tours through lovely little towns. Oxfordshire would be my ideal -- though I think only Huntercombe and Frilford Heath are 'there'.

Peter

[Tim_Weiman]

Let's assume a fellow wanted to embark on a six months caddying sabbatical in celebration of his 60th birthday.  Work with me here.  A chance to get in shape, study a great course, live in a quaint location - preferably with a nearby beach for the Mrs., get as many rounds in a possible without alienating the existing caddy corp and recharge for the desk job stretch run.   Where would you choose - worldwide, and why?

Bogey

Great question. Quite a few years back I met a guy who worked for one of the big accounting firms. Apparently they were going through some downsizing. So, proactively the guy went to management and said "how about I work and only get paid 9 months?".

His logic was the firm would save money by avoiding pay people during slow periods, but could also retain the skill set they needed.
For his part, he needed the accounting job, but also liked the idea of caddying during summers.

The guy lived up in Greenwich, CT and caddied at Stanwich Club.

Kind of cool.

[Adam Lawrence]

Bogey - I sincerely hope that someone gets to live the dream. If it were me, I wouldn't put too high a premium on the golf course; I'd want my 'sabbatical' to be spent somewhere that I'd long to spend 6 months at...in my case, England, and in my case somewhere near the Costwolds, spending my leisure time looking at castles and taking walking tours through lovely little towns. Oxfordshire would be my ideal -- though I think only Huntercombe and Frilford Heath are 'there'.

Peter

You won't find any caddies at Huntercombe or Frilford I'm afraid. Nor almost anywhere in England for that matter. Sunningdale and Wentworth are the only places that have any sort of caddie corps.

[Patrick Hodgdon]

Let's assume a fellow wanted to embark on a six months caddying sabbatical in celebration of his 60th birthday.  Work with me here.  A chance to get in shape, study a great course, live in a quaint location - preferably with a nearby beach for the Mrs., get as many rounds in a possible without alienating the existing caddy corp and recharge for the desk job stretch run.   Where would you choose - worldwide, and why?

Bogey

One thing to be sure to factor in if you do this is caddying playing privileges. Not sure how some of the more prestigious and topped ranked courses do it but I would throw Calusa Pines into the mix as they had 1-2 groups of caddies play at 3:00pm and as of 5 years ago when I was there you could normally get out 2 if not 3 times a week when you weren't looping. Not to mention great beaches and tons of great restaurants to take the Mrs. to with all that looper cash burning a hole in your pocket.

Also if you can swing being a "single bag special" you might find a spot easier in an established caddy corp.

[David_Tepper]

Hard to beat Cypress Point, assuming you can afford to live within 20 miles of the place.

[Keith OHalloran]

I think I would go for either Bandon, or somewhere in Ireland. Almost every caddy, I have had in Ireland added a lot to the day, they were funny, made fun of you and had a great time. If it were me, I would not want to caddy at a private club where members and their guests expected a buttoned down "yes sir" type of experience.
I figure if you are not going to go overseas, you could probably get away with that at Bandon.

[Terry Lavin]

How about Cabot?

[Dan Kelly]

Bogey man --

You've got me daydreaming! I love the idea.

Personally, I would keep moving.

One month in six different places.

Write six letters, explaining yourself to six club managers. Make six arrangements, with six different courses/resorts.

I don't know that they have any adult caddies at either place, but here in Minnesota, White Bear Yacht Club (quaint old-money getaway spot for St. Paulites) and Northland CC (Duluth; gritty-charming city by the Big Lake) would both fit most of your requirements, at least in the warm months.

Dan


 

[Jon Wiggett]

For me it would be hard to see beyond St. Andrews. Great courses with a diverse cliental and very good social side.

[Kevin_Reilly]

One month in six different places.

He'd be a better caddy staying at one course, though.

How difficult would it be for Bogey to get a visa to caddy for 6 months in the UK, Australia or elsewhere?

[J_ Crisham]

CPC , Pebble , Riv , or LACC- all places where the architecture is spectacular

[Mark Chaplin]

Never seen a caddy at Royal Melbourne.

Royal St Georges also has caddies, live in Deal and caddy at RSG and RCP.

[Dan Kelly]

One month in six different places.

He'd be a better caddy staying at one course, though.

Well, sure -- but he'd be a WAY better caddie if he caddied there the rest of his life!

It's a lark we're talking about, isn't it -- not an attempt to groom an expert caddie?

(As for caddieing at the Old Course, the New Course, etc.: This winter, walking on the treadmill, I've been reading "An American Caddie in St. Andrews: Growing Up, Girls, and Looping on the Old Course," by Oliver Horovitz. Pretty well written, and more entertaining than your run-of-the-mill golf book. And sounds more true than most -- if not completely true.)

[Tom_Doak]

Royal Melbourne....Melbourne, Australia

I think you would get lonely, since I have never seen a caddie at Royal Melbourne.

I was going to tell Michael to do three months in New Zealand and three in Bandon.  A month at Durban Country Club would be a real eye-opener, too.

[Mark Pritchett]

Secession-Fun membership, easy walk, near the ocean, quaint town, good food, shopping, etc.

[Thomas Dai]

I'd be curious to know if there'd be any visa, social security, tax etc issues involved in someone from a non-EEC country doing this in the UK.

Also, if you're say an overseas visitor on a once in a lifetime visit to play TOC and expecting/hoping your caddy to be some Scottish bloke with a strong nearly non-understandable accent who'll call you "Laddie" or "Lassie" and tell you tall tales and stories all day long but instead get some bloke carrying your bag who's from the same country/state as you are what your reaction would be.

Atb

[Cliff Hamm]

I'll offer Newport.  Excellent beaches and restaurants.  Providence is about a half an hour and Boston 1.5 hours, not to mention Cape Cod an hour or so.  Not nearly as isolated as some of the other sites.  Not as exotic but would be an excellent choice.  As for quaint they have mansions...

[Mark Pritchett]

When would said sabbatical take place?  Obviously the seasons would matter for some suggestions. 

[Dan Kelly]

As for quaint they have mansions...

I thought those were "cottages." LOL.

[Tim_Weiman]

Secession-Fun membership, easy walk, near the ocean, quaint town, good food, shopping, etc.

Mark,

The best caddy I ever had was at Royal Troon. The best in the US was at Secession. Not saying I loved the course, but there is something enjoyable about the place. Good choice.