Most of us prefer to have the weekend off. Not caddies. They love working weekends and the more the better. In their business, working weekends is a good thing as players don’t keep their Tour cards without making cuts, consequently, caddies don’t last long either.

There’s no certainty with their job, except for the constant grind of travel, but after recently speaking to a number of caddies of high profile Australian tour professionals, it’s a life they love and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I said to myself at the beginning, ‘I’ll only do this for five years’, now it’s been eleven,” remarked James Williams, Nick O’Hern’s caddie.

Williams, an Englishman, took over the job in unusual circumstances when O’Hern’s wife, Alanna, decided to give it away and he’s been able to forge a close relationship with O’Hern since, which he says is vital to remaining employed.

“I had big shoes to fill when Alanna decided to have a change. But to my luck he (O’Hern) kept me on and it’s been fine ever since.”

“Nick is such a great thinker out there, which makes my job a little easier and being there when he’s in the zone, is not only rewarding for him, but me also. We work off each other and that’s a reason for our success as a pair.”

When O’Hern sank the winning putt during the play-off with Peter Lonard at last year’s Australian PGA Championship at Coolum, the look on both O’Hern’s and Williams’ faces was clearly one of relief. O’Hern had experienced his fair share of runners-up finishes, after being so close to winning, so many times.

For Williams the win was equally important, it confirmed they were working well together and that he’d learnt a lot about his employer and how to respond correctly when the time was right.

“Caddying is really about basics, like on Sundays you know the pins will be in the harder positions and you know what shot not to hit. I kept it basic, said ‘middle of the green Nick’, and it worked.”

Talking to Williams you sense the immense loyalty and pride a caddie has in their player, reflecting a unique relationship not commonly found in most employer/employee engagements.

“The PGA was a long time coming for Nick. The way it happened and how it unfolded was unique. It was a real release for us and showed as a team it was there. That was one of the most rewarding moments for me,” were Williams’ comments.

Stuart Dryden, who caddies for Richard Green, is in his twenty-first year on tour. Dryden has also won his share of tournaments, but for him there’s more to being a caddie. Dryden, like Williams, simply loves doing what he does.

“I’ve been on the road so long that it grabs you,” remarked Dryden. “When I first got into being a caddie it was never with the intention to make a career out of it. You did it for the love of it, as there was no money in it then.”

Dryden first started in 1985, carrying the bag for Rohan Rafferty an Irish player who experienced considerable early success on the European Tour.

Times have since changed and a Tour caddie can make as much as fifteen percent of a player’s winning cheque and ten percent of made cuts. The pay scale does obviously vary from player to player and caddies like Jim MacKay (Phil Mickelson) and Steve Williams (Tiger Woods) make more than others.

The pay potentially can be lucrative, because caddies are every bit as professional as Tour players.

“If you see something wrong, you need to say something,” remarked Josh Cassell, an American who’s worked with John Senden for over five years and before that, Paul Gow.

“There are times when you go ahead and step up and say it. For most part you know the player who you’ve been working with and you can kind of feel them out and know when too much information is too much. It’s a tough profession and the margin for error, be that with yardages or saying the wrong thing, is zero.”

Not putting you foot in it at the wrong time simply comes from experience. Discretion for a caddie is and becomes a vital attribute, not to mention having a thorough knowledge of the game.

A vast number of caddies are single figure players, some have given the professional ranks a go, only to realise they weren’t good enough to cut a living from playing.

They all appear to agree, whilst relationship building is important, the capacity to understand the game from real life experiences is what also gives you the edge.

“I think it’s a little of both,” remarked Cassell.

“You obviously have to understand your player and what’s going on, but an understanding of the game is vital and that can usually only come about from playing and being there yourself and having the right attitude and approach to respond in situations.”

Stuart Dryden agrees with Cassell about being able to place yourself in the player’s shoes so as to give the best advice, both on and off the course.

“I knew I was never going to be good enough to be a professional golfer, so caddying was the next best thing to that,” remarked Dryden.

“Yet my role with Richard [Green] has shed another light on the job. It’s immensely satisfying working with a player, getting involved with them and watching the results that follow from each others efforts.”

“Most players do not have hard dispositions. The challenge of winning them over and working with them, to have them play their best, is tremendously rewarding.”

Dryden is from the old school. He likes traditional layouts, one of his favourites being Carnoustie, where Richard Green shot his memorable last round of 64 at this year’s Open Championship.

Dryden was there and knew Green had accomplished something special that week in Scotland. It’s those unique events, which keeps him going week in week out.

A hardened professional who’s travelled around the world, he’s well read about the game and its meaning. Dryden’s approach to his work sums up the majority of his colleagues feelings, that whilst you can make good money being a Tour caddie, you have to really love the game and have a desire to be there with your player through it all.

“I love it and a guy who is out there to make money, they’re out there for the wrong reasons.”

Discuss this article in our forums

Join iseekgolf.com - It's Free

Become a member of Australasia's number one golf website today!