PRIVATE CADDIE BAN

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 April 1937, Page 10

PRIVATE CADDIE BAN

REJECTED BY ST. ANDREWS.

LONDON, March 12

The proposed ban on the employment of private caddies by golfers in championships and major tournaments mid the payment to the caddies of any big fee the player feels inclined to offer, has. been rejected, by the Royal and Ancient Club of St. Andrews.

. Because of the unfairness, and the manv abulses of the present system, the Professional Golfers’ Association put forward a suggestion that caddies should be allocated by lot, the fee, inclusive of tips, to be fixed at 10/per day. In deciding that such a scheme is impracticable, St. Andrews states that, (lie allocation of caddies is the business of the club on whose course the championship is being played. Therefore the existing practice of every man for himself will remain.

The proposal was greeted with a storm of protest by golfers on the ground that it constituted unwarrantable interference with the freedom of the player. There are many amateurs and professionals who employ the same caddies, taking them to ail parts of tho country, and even to the Continent. On one occasion Walter Hagen brought his own caddie to England from America —a. luxury costing" £2OO. Both Padgham, the open champion, and uenry Cotton have declared that “if deprived of our personal caddies, we wiil either stay away from tournaments or take a light bag and carry the clubs ourselves.”

' Cmdr. Roe. the secretary of the i Professional Golfers’ Association, said iyesterday that the matter had not 'ended j "Wo shall consider other means." | lie said, "to prevent golfers being vicHimised by unscrupulous caddies who idemand exorbitant fees and refuse to jcariy for players not likely to surjvive the. qualifying stages of a cham- ! pionship.” Some caddies demand £1 i per day and a tip. I For the £2,000 tournament at Woodcote Park, Coulsdon, next week, and for the finals at Little Aston, Birmingham, the Association has fixed the caddie fee at 7/6 for one round, and 10./- for two rounds. "No golfer should lie asked io pay more." said Cmdr. Roe.