Living the Dream: A Six Months Caddying Sabbatical

[archie_struthers]

 


Secession sounds good !  If you love the game , what would be much better than St Andrews, weather notwithstanding .


Don't know that it's as easy to get employment as it used to be .

[Brad Tufts]

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

I had this experience in 2011 when playing TOC...our caddie was from Woburn, MA about 15 miles from where we live, and a student at the University.  While initially annoyed at losing the opportunity of talking St. A's with a local looper, we were shit-talking with this kid before our second shots on #1, talking Red Sox/Patriots, getting to know what led him to the school, etc.


Usually it takes a few holes to figure out what kinda guy you have that day, but this was like playing with one of my cousins.  Had a great time regardless!

[JJShanley]

I briefly considered caddy in at a course in the wider Michiana region, but I'd probably end up with an immigration lawyer.  "Thanks for the read on 15, but I need to call DHS."

[Paul Jones]

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

You could split your time b/w Secession and Chechessee Creek - there is a lot of good golf in the area.

[Paul Jones]

My first choice would be Nanea - really good golf and you can't beat the weather or views in Hawaii.

[Simon Holt]

This will seem like a hometown answer but in Scotland, North Berwick wins over St Andrews or Dornoch every time given your criteria.


You could easily pick up 10-15 loops a month at North Berwick without putting any local noses out of joint. You know your tee times for the whole month in advance, easy walk, cool holes to study and great views.   Caddy 2 rounds at Muirfield most Tuesdays and Thursdays.  No waiting around, quick rounds, championship course and the clientele that brings.


St Andrews is an awesome town but as a caddy, less so.  180 other guys waiting to get out....lots of waiting and pretty territorial.


The other upside of North Berwick v Dornoch or St Andrews is for your wife- better beach, train just 30 minutes into Edinburgh, less of a hardcore golf town, lots of other non-golf activities.


Edinburgh now has the most Michelin star restaurants in the UK, outside of London.  And many more that I class as better without the piece of paper.

[JJShanley]

Simon: my father occasionally allows him to day dream about buying a house in North Berwick.  If I moved back to the Edinburgh area and worked in town, I'd consider buying there.

[Charles Lund]

I used to hate it when I would ask a question and someone would give me answer to a different question, without telling me they had reformulated the question.

I've traveled quite a bit and when I first went to New Zealand, I met 20 somethings on holiday work visas which sounded like and interesting adventure for me, in my early 60s at the time.  I quickly found out I did not meet age criteria.  In some countries like Australia where there are electronic visa applications, the limits of what you can and cannot do are spelled out.  I've done repeated trips to Ireland and Australia and have spent over 18 months in the last eight years or so overseas, mostly on golf trips, with three of 27 not involving some to a great deal of golf.

With that in mind, let me ask if you had considered a golf sabbatical trip and not considered caddying part of the experience?  I say that because there are quite a few areas of Ireland, Scotland, and Australia  where golf is quite reasonably priced and long term rentals can be found.  The coasts of all the countries are incredibly beautiful and the people are friendly and engaging.  By considering two different hemispheres, you could take three months in the northern hemisphere and three in the southern hemisphere with a break in between. 

If you selected a destination like County Donegal, Sligo, or Mayo in Ireland or Inverness/Dornoch/Cruden Bay in Scotland or the Mornington Peninsula in Australia, there are an abundance of very good courses that won't cost a tremendous amount of money.  The downside of golf in New Zealand is the spatial separation of the quality courses and the expense associated with playing the  best courses.

Charles Lund

[Hunter Rigsby]

The hardest part with caddying jobs outside of your country of citizenship is the visa.  In my experience caddying in Ireland, you're technically an independent contractor and therefore the club won't help you get a work visa. The key is finding a club/caddymaster who doesn't really care about the visa. 


I know it's the same at St. Andrews but they do require the work visa to loop there.  As a guess, I'd say that this will be an issue that most courses would overlook in successive seasons if you do a good job. 

[Mark Chaplin]

Hunter with £20,000 fines per illegal worker I cannot imagine there is a UK golf club willing to take the risk that a caddie isn't classed as an employee.

[Michael Whitaker]

Mark - I've never seen a caddy at Deal. Is there really some work there?

[Ian Mackenzie]

Fantastic thoughts, gentlemen.  I hoped you've enjoyed the thread as well. 

I'm thinking the Mrs. and I will visit Dornoch next year for a scouting trip.  It's the clear front-runner.

Many thanks,

Mike

In my experience, Dornoch does not have a ton of caddies.
PM me for info.

[Hunter Rigsby]

Hunter with £20,000 fines per illegal worker I cannot imagine there is a UK golf club willing to take the risk that a caddie isn't classed as an employee.

I can promise you that the courses I've looked into do not consider caddies to be employees of the club.  I can't comment (and wouldn't if I could) on whether or not any of them choose to walk that line from a legal standpoint. 

[Simon Holt]

I'm guessing you can count the clubs in the UK that class the caddies as official employees on one hand.  Virtually all of them are "independent contractors" but at the same time, a foreign national would obviously have to have the right to work......officially.


Cash is king!

[Sean Walsh]

Caddies at St Andrews are "independent contractors" (or at least were in 2007) and not employees. I can't remember if anyone checked my visa when I first signed on there in 2007. For the record it was in order (at over $900 it would have wanted to be).

Over my 6 months in St Andrews I found that I actually enjoyed caddying more than playing myself. Sadly I haven't caddied since but the wish to do so before my knees fail me is still there. I very much liked Mr Kmetz's attitude to caddying and dearly hope that anyone I caddied for had a better day due to my presence. For me that was the goal, unless they were one particular golfer I recall whose bag weighed a ton and was cheating the way around the course. I'm not sure whether I broke some ethical code or not but his playing partners were made aware of his loose relationship with the rules.

There was certainly a section of the caddy shack that saw golfers as a mark and good only for the purpose of squeezing every pound they could from them. This set of caddies were very much in the minority but I cringed at the way they would almost make fun of their own golfer whilst putting their hand out for a steep fee & tip.

[Jon Wiggett]

I'm guessing you can count the clubs in the UK that class the caddies as official employees on one hand.  Virtually all of them are "independent contractors" but at the same time, a foreign national would obviously have to have the right to work......officially.


Cash is king!

Simon,


the club would still be liable for checking that the 'independent contractor' has ALL the necessary paperwork. However, if the caddie is only or mainly working at one club then he would have to be employed by the club. The authorities are pretty hot on this in most of the UK these days.


Jon

[Simon Holt]

Wow.  This is the first I have ever heard of this.  I find it hard to understand when surely the club don't pay the caddie a salary?


I can't think of one club in Scotland or Ireland where this happens but thats not to say it doesn't.

[Jon Wiggett]

Wow.  This is the first I have ever heard of this.  I find it hard to understand when surely the club don't pay the caddie a salary?


I can't think of one club in Scotland or Ireland where this happens but thats not to say it doesn't.

Simon,


just to clarify, if the caddie is paid by the player direct then the club is probably not liable to employ them but would still have a responsibility to ensure that the caddie has all the necessary paperwork. But if the club take the money from the player and then pass this on to the caddie that is basis for employment if I understand it correctly. Of course I might be wrong


Jon

[Bill_McBride]

Simon: my father occasionally allows him to day dream about buying a house in North Berwick.  If I moved back to the Edinburgh area and worked in town, I'd consider buying there.

I took the train from North Berwick into the central station in Edinburgh and recall it wasn't more than a 30 minute trip.  That be a worthwhile commute!

[Niall C]

Fantastic thoughts, gentlemen.  I hoped you've enjoyed the thread as well. 

I'm thinking the Mrs. and I will visit Dornoch next year for a scouting trip.  It's the clear front-runner.

Many thanks,

Mike

In my experience, Dornoch does not have a ton of caddies.
PM me for info.

I played golf a couple of weeks ago with a part time Dornoch caddy (ie. student) who suggested that the number of Dornoch caddies had decreased in the last couple of years because rounds were getting so long they weren't able to get two rounds a day in. This at a time when the demand this year at Dornoch is up 30% (according to this student/caddy).


Niall