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Steve Wilson

  • Karma: +0/-0
Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« on: June 21, 2024, 04:24:26 PM »
Some of us here have done a lot of time as caddies.  I've only done it once, in 2019, at Golspie.  There was a group of eight Americans on a high dollar trip to Scotland.  They had helicoptered from Askernish to the vicinity of Dornoch with the intention of playing 36 at RDGC.  RDGC didn't have room on the tee sheet and they were steered to Golspie.  This being short notice, Golspie was hard up for caddies and they asked if I would help out.  I consented the night before without realizing quite how bad the weather was going to be.  Aside from the fact it was about 5 degrees or less, raining, occasionally sleeting, I had the lone jerk in the group, and the painful part is he picked me because I was the lone fellow American caddying and he assumed he could understand me.  I know his name and where he worked because I was able to look it up on LinkedIn after the round, but he shall remain anonymous.. 


Among his discretions: On the second hitting into a rainstorm being driven by approximately 25 mile an hour winds, he pulled his tee shot left of left into knee high rough.  "Did you see it," he asks frantically.


"Not after it cleared the gorse."


 "You're going to have to watch them closer."


Two holes later he misses a six foot putt to tie the hole, takes a vicious swipe at the ground and misses hitting turf by what looked like millimeters.  As I was concentrating on keeping his equipment dry as possible I didn't notice he had thrown the putter into rough 40-50 feet right of the green.


This missing club wasn't called to my attention until he asked for the putter on the 5th green.  "I laid it down by the green," he tells me.  He's going to go and get it, but I tell him I'll go so they don't fall behind the first group or delay the group behind us. 


I trudge back, as the following group if they have seen a putter.  No, they say, so I continue to trudge backwards until I get to the 4th green, circumnavigate probably twice before widening my arm until I luckily catch a glimpse of shiny metal well away from the green in rough. 


By the time I catch up to the group they are climbing the slope to the 7th.  Also by this time he seems to realize our relationship has probably seen its best of times and he doesn't have anything to say beyond thanks. 


Later on, I'm trying to help him read a tricky putt that goes the other way from what a cursory glance shows, but he's impatient and hits it on the wrong side of the hole and of course sees it stray even further off line. 


On the 11th, Tinker's Camp, he hits a push slice well to right into the heather and tall grass separating the 9th and the 11th.  I suggest he might want to hit a provisional, but he's certain we will find it as "It wasn't that bad."


After an exhaustive look by all of us caddies and players, he concludes that the group coming down the 9th, all of whom have hit their drives in the fairway, have stolen his ball.  He goes on about this until the member of his group, some of whom work for him, grant him relief and allow him to drop a ball rather than go back to the tee.


From about 175 yards out he hits his best shot of the day and lands it on the green less than 20 feet from the hole.  When he gets there he inquires/declares "I'm lying two, right?!"  They deny him this status and the remark I recall is "That's a bit aggressive, B_____."  Since then, I've thought of dodgy behavior or outright cheating as "a bit aggressive."


There are more failures to accept advice from me and the other caddies until we finish the round, soaked, sodden, drenched, and just this side of a chill.  The agreed upon fee had been 80 GBP and to his credit he gave me 100 GBP.  "Is that right, okay."  I take the money, thank him, and resist the temptation to say "It's a good down payment."


Now those of us who have done this for a living have to have had horror stories relegating to a walk in the park, but here's your chance to pony up and dish the dirt.


One more by the way, this is architecturally related in that I discuss tricky putts.




 
Some days you play golf, some days you find things.

I'm not really registered, but I couldn't find a symbol for certifiable.

"Every good drive by a high handicapper will be punished..."  Garland Bailey at the BUDA in sharing with me what the better player should always remember.

Mike_Clayton

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2024, 05:41:24 PM »
Sounds even tougher than caddying for some of the more difficult guys on tour.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2024, 07:30:18 AM by Mike_Clayton »

Sven Nilsen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2024, 09:16:19 AM »
This is the go to for every caddie that has to deal with a club tosser -  https://www.golfdigest.com/story/fred-couples-joe-lacava-missing-7-iron-best-player-caddie-story-ever-told/amp



"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

Thomas Dai

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2024, 05:51:31 PM »
Don’t get mad, take the money and then get even.
Atb

Mark McKeever

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2024, 02:24:48 PM »
" I once caddied for this guy known as Bond "   ;D
Best MGA showers - Bayonne

"Dude, he's a total d***"

archie_struthers

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2024, 12:56:45 PM »
 8) :P


So I'm looping at Woodcrest CC (Flynn 1929)  circa 1970.  My buddy Kevin and I both have two bags (Burton leathers no doubt) and it's hot. As I I walk to the tee of the fourth hole I see a green piece of paper in front of me on the grass. Casually look behind me and pick the $10 bill off the ground and stuff it in my pocket. Thinking this is going to be a good day after all!


So the round continues without any further excitement and we are about to be paid when one of my players says c'mon Archie we need to talk. He the says I saw you pick up that money on the 4th tee, how much was it ? I pull it out of my pocket and show him the bill, all crumpled and sweaty ( ;D ;D )  He then asks why I didn't report it to the caddymaster or pro ?  At a loss for words just kind of shrug and say nothing.  He then whips out a five and hands it to me, saying I'm lucky he doesn't report me. Of course the $5 was seven dollars short of our normal pay for a double.


Now caddying there was a trial by fire ... but we loved it!

Mark Chaplin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2024, 02:19:58 AM »
Bad rounds usually revolve around gentle or less gentle rule bending. I was on the Castle course once with a group of Koreans who we suspected were gambling heavily. Every time my golfer went into the thick rough I’d get the wedge out but he liked to do a 20 second dance and would ask for a 5 wood as the area around his ball was shall we say “free of obstructions”.
His demise came on the 18th when his ball ended up in thick round on the edge on the centre line bunker, 70 yards short of the green. We found the ball as the 6 caddies and partners arrived on scene and awaited his shot. This gallery precluded “dance time” and he proceeded to chop the ball out a couple of paces, when he said in broken English “I don’t know what went wrong there” I have no idea if he understood my simple reply “you couldn’t cheat”.
Cave Nil Vino

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2024, 01:41:58 PM »

Erik J. Barzeski

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2024, 04:19:12 PM »
Perhaps a future alternative?  Llama caddies!  ;)

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/sherwood-forest-golf-club-rents-out-llamas-to-carry-your-clubs
Talamore got rid of their llama caddies a few years back. You can visit them after the twelfth hole, though. Glad another club has them.
Erik J. Barzeski @iacas
Author, Lowest Score Wins, Instructor/Coach, and Lifetime Student of the Game.

I generally ignore Rob, Tim, Garland, and Chris.

Chris Hughes

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #9 on: June 27, 2024, 10:56:07 PM »
My college girlfriend came from a family of excellent golfers, of which she was the best (college scholarship, US Am, US Open, etc).
Her parents were wonderful folks and her Dad was a good player, solid 3 handicap.  Their club had a very active men's game in which he participated every weekend.   

One week when we were home for summer he suggested I come out and caddie that weekend, and I was eager to do so because I suspected they paid well.
I show up and we're double bagging, I have her Dad and his partner.  Now this is in the early-80's...bags were of the big faux-leather (or real?) Burton variety -- quite heavy and with a very narrow strap.  We all meet on the range and I notice a couple of other regular club caddies kind of laughing, didn't take long to figure out why. 

Both bags were quite heavy but the partner bag was absurdly heavy.  At the time I am in peak physical shape and can run, all, day, long, no problem...
...well turns out partner-guy liked to keep about 100 shag balls in the bag :(
After 3 holes my thought was "absolutely no way I make 18 holes".
I had one towel which I folded & alternated on each shoulder for some relief from the straps, and every 3-holes I would think to myself "just 3 more holes"...
Well I made it, barely.  I literally cannot remember any other physical challenge in my life that approached that day.
Don't recall the exact amount they paid me but for a college kid it was significant, never crossed my mind to go back again!!  ;D

« Last Edit: June 27, 2024, 10:57:56 PM by Chris Hughes »
"Is it the Chicken Salad or the golf course that attracts and retains members ?"

Jeff Schley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #10 on: June 29, 2024, 05:28:54 AM »
OMG Chris I can imagine. Had to have been like carrying weights around.


"To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice your gifts."
- Steve Prefontaine

Rick Sides

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2024, 10:04:07 AM »
I can tell you after many years caddying at various places in the northeast that the worst experiences are people that don’t tip. I still carry 2 bags in my late forties and I have had days in the northeast of 100 degrees with 90% humidity where you read putts, give good yardages, and have good conversations with players and they don’t tip on these extreme temp days ! That’s the worst !

Chris Hughes

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2024, 10:43:42 AM »
OMG Chris I can imagine. Had to have been like carrying weights around.


That's the one...  ;D
"Is it the Chicken Salad or the golf course that attracts and retains members ?"

Chris Hughes

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2024, 11:38:39 PM »
I can tell you after many years caddying at various places in the northeast that the worst experiences are people that don’t tip. I still carry 2 bags in my late forties and I have had days in the northeast of 100 degrees with 90% humidity where you read putts, give good yardages, and have good conversations with players and they don’t tip on these extreme temp days ! That’s the worst !

Is this pretty much limited to really hot days?
"Is it the Chicken Salad or the golf course that attracts and retains members ?"

Rick Sides

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Bad Experiences as a Caddy
« Reply #14 on: July 08, 2024, 07:17:13 AM »
Any time you don’t get a tip stinks, but when you’re lugging about 60 pounds with the 2 bags combined up and down hills in the heat and don’t get tipped it’s aweful !

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