THE VALUE OR OTHERWISE OF A CADDIE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 69, 22 March 1941, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE VALUE OR OTHERWISE OF A CADDIE

Of all the creatures who frequent the fairways, rough and bunkers of our golf courses, the most human must surely be the caddie. For a mere pittance he will shoulder an enormous leather bag overloaded with steel clubs and golfing paraphernalia, and stagger round the course resembling a human pantechnicon. If he be but a mere carrier of clubs he will endure these indignities with a mute air of resignation, conveying the impression that he cares not two pins how his employer is faring, and is thinking: "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" On the other hand, should he be a caddie worthy of the name, the result then becomes a personal affair. Defeat is regarded as a sign of failure on his part, and advice, often tinged with caustic comment, is frequently tendered to the toiling golfer; but, whatever the final issue, throughout such a game there is a definite bond of sympathy uniting both master and caddie.

I CAN recall. ;i> fan nm>( jroliVrs, oocasii'tfj when the very earnestness of my eandie wns more of ;i hindrance lliiili a help; when the silence jrreetinjj ;i 11 indifferent shot wa- utterly demoral-i-i 11 . -ta!<'< Louiis T. Stanlev in his

"(iollin;; Memoi'ie*-." published in "The Field." At the same time, few things ran he mure eneoiirajrin;; than the "1 lot

w.is a grand shottie" uttered by a weather-beaten son of the soil after some particularly useful ctl'ort.

In many way* it is to be regretted that this old masterful type of caddie is fust disappearing. No longer are there picturesque characters like "liig Crawford,"' whose rugged frame dominated any match in which he "'carried"; nor the like of "Willie" Omni, native of the Highlands whoso Knglish was haltering and who would tramp homo from Edinburgh to hits familiar mountains at the close of every season.

Their kind is admirably preserved in the painting of "Fiery" by Gemme'l Hutchieson which hangs in the Koyal Burgess «»o]liner Society clubhouse. This dour old Scot regarded Musselburgh as his golfing heath. For over 50 years he plodded round its fairways, disdaining such things as golf bags, preferring to carrv the clubs under his arm. and bore the reputation of never speaking during a round unless addressed, when the answer would, like as not, be as brief as it was terse. The last of this type was Andrew Kirkaldy, whose praises I have sung before, for since his death the voice of this old school has l>een stilled.

Caddies of to-day are all too often just menial servants who carry the chilis, excellent imitations of robots, but pale ami colourless compared with their predecessors. Mutely efficient, no doubt, but woefully devoid of positive virtues. Everything. of couse. depends upon one's views as to the true functions of a caddie. Is he essential ? It must be conceded that thousands of golfers dispense with their services completely, maintaining that caddies are invariablv an unmiti-

crated nuisance. ns well at-, an uunece-isary i vpenro. That iis one view. There is that other la I'L'e section which loudly extols the caddie and regards him a# an integral part of the pame

Personally, I am convinced that the caddie who is an intelligent follower of tlie game can be of undoubted assistance to any player, especially when fresh ground is being broken. Granted. tiieie is always the danger of the caddie who is strange to your play being overoptimistic in his choice of clubs; but, even so. a few holes will reveal the fact and temper his hopes. Just how much reliance many well-known golfers place upon their caddie's decisions can be seen in any championship. For that reason I dislike having boys or girU as caddies. The latter 1 have often had in France, but have never found them satisfactory, and invariably stupid.

Ciuldvinp ig prininrily a ta.-k for men if it is to l>e taekktl jirnjiprly an<l intelligently. Tlie preat pity is that the jvisition of a ea<ldie to-<iay is inferior to what it wars some -years apo. Then there was always the jiosMbility ot ri.-iti£r to the. of preenkeeper or olii'nniakor, his status being similar to the (irofessiona 1. Nowadays siiflj t'(iitips happen. prefer assistants who have- served their apprent ieeship in the shop, with the roi-nlt that, the caddie lias been relegated to tho lowly task of earryitig olnbs with little or no prospeet of advancement.

This raises another point which f often feel should lie prnporiv and fairly investigated by many clubs—the question of payment. So many golfers expect their caddie* to give expert advice, unstinted attention to their numerous wants, and a ready sympathy for their many mistakes, and then, at the end of a long rouud. grudgingly hand over some insignificant, remuneration. It is not always realised how inadequately the average caddie is paid, and whenever 1 see some golfer hesitating to give the just reward for cervices rendered I am

reminded of Sir Walter Simeon's com- , uients: "'The caddies will only drink the more if overpaid,' you say. indeed! unci to what good purpose do vou apply the money you grudge to the poor? is then* something nobler in your gout and dyspepsia than in my eaddie's red nose?] Oh no! I do not despise your gout ([' feel a twitch myself), but your J incapacity for taking pleasure in giving it (cheaply) to others is wlmt I condemn. | An Kpicurean with the viee<= of a Stoic,, atul none of his virtues! I shall grossly | overpay my caddie in future." i

It is interesting to look through pa.-t | records and see how the early caddie* • fared in this direction. It is dillicult I to make a fair comparison because' values were then so different, but the I first reference I came across was a pas-j sago in the minufes of the Koyal and . Ancient (iolf Club, <iatcd .lime 27th, j 1771, which stated: "The captain and' company agree and appoint that in time I coming the caddies who carry the clubs' or run before the players, or are other- i wise employed by the gentlemen golfers.' are to get fourpencc sterling for gniugi the length of the hole called The Mole I of Cross, and if they go further than' that hole they are to get sixpence, and ( no more. Any of the gentlemen traits ; •pressing this rule are to pav two pint bottles of claret at the liivt meeting I hey attend." ' .

An even earlier record is to be found ! in the household a-i-uunts of the yre.it Marquess of Mont ro.-e. which showthat a payment was made in 1 "to the | boy who carried my Lord's clubbcs to the' Field."' while Sip johu l-oiilcc, of Havel-| stoun, on April l't, 1ti712, paid four 1 shillings "to the bov who carried my j clubs"—seemingly a substantial) increase.! but as it was in Scots money the amount would only be about fourpencc. ' A minute of the spring meeting of the' T rest wick tiolt ( lub in IK(>.» also contains a report made by a commit tee upon the disrespect ful behaviour of caddies.' rlie recommendation being put forward that future lapses should be refkorte.l to the Keeper of the I.ink- and the culprit i)o either suspended or an abatement be nude of lit- pay. A later note, however.' to the effect tlmt t lie scale of pavnieiit ' to caddies of fourpencc a round be! -triotly observed showed there was little' enough margin to make such a reduction.! Before leaving the records of the past! it is appropriate to trace the origin of, the word •'caddie." The ~|iellinjr varies.' lint it would seem that the earlier form " as derived from the French j cadet or "little chief." and was prob- j aldy introdu -e,l int., Scotland by the " "cadets" or younger <oris of the French; nobility in tho period of Mary, lancet) I of Scots. The "I>ondon Gazette" of 170J ! records:—"l Captain. 1 Captain licuten | ant. 1 Cadec. and 20 soldier*, killed." The word then was applied to any man | or lad who happened to be seeking casual i employ ment as messengers, porters, or I any odd-job man. before'finally it became specialised and indicated the "carrier of golf dubs."