Caddies for first-timers in Scotland

[Kris Shreiner]

Melvyn,

Thank you for those. I've seen them. St. Andrew's caddie program has slipped as well, if you want the truth. I know quite a few of the veterans and they confirm it. Now the top-shelf lads are still very solid, but the depth of quality is nothing like it was, even just ten years ago. I'll not recount the numerous horror stories I've heard, though several are total, side-splitting howlers. Just know that even at the cradle...there's room for improvement.

"The quality of your caddie staff should reflect the caliber of your membership or golfing clientele."

You'll never see that one stated ANYWHERE, but it is dead on as to what ANY quality golf operation, with the ground deserving of a superior caddie program, should strive for. Reflect on that and Mr. Doak's take in my response window. Old Tom would concur; after all, his life was living proof of Mr. Doak's quote! There are many others as well.

Cheers,
Kris

[Simon Holt]

I played 36 holes at Mach Dunes yesterday.  That is one place a caddy would be worth their weight in gold!

The numerous blind shots, wild greens and long walks between green and tee mean that a caddy would have been invaluable.  I am sorry, I have a keen sense of adventure but it was no fun 'working it out myself' when all we did was hunt for balls all day.  The greens were fun but by that point the guys were so frustrated with hunting for balls that few cared.

I played with my dad and 6 of his pals to celebrate his 50th.  Some of them looked they were going to keel over at the end of the round.  The starter told us that 5 hours was the average!!!  I didn't believe him but I can see why now.  Everyone enjoyed the second round more which is quite often the case with any course with multiple blind shots.

The only caddies out there were 2 old guys IN BUGGIES driving through the rough and the fairways (sure, thats good for the SSSI!!) it was all a bit of a shambles.

Its a stunning day here on the peninsula so I am looking forward to my first go at Machrihanish!  I would recommend that everyone take the drive out here.  The Dunes is a really interesting concept and the original looks great.  I just wish I had time to go and play Dunaverty too.

[Kris Shreiner]

Simon,

You're getting soft in your advancing years! Glad you're having good weather. You'll enjoy Machrihanish, except for the very weak finish there. I'm sorry you couldn't get proper caddies for Mach Dunes; at least you had a bit more of a clue on the second spin.

As I shared with you when I was in discussions with MD before they opened, a proper caddie staff, of QUALITY ,would have made ALL the difference in that project being received much differently. Sadly, when you have folks at the helm that don't really know the business, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at a project..."A shambles" is what results. Give my belated Birthday best to pop!

Cheers,
Kris