Friday, July 20, 2007 Garcia: Caddies By Imee Garcia Golf
Man: Bend over, Ma'am.
Woman: Okay.
Man: Move Closer..closer..yes.
Woman: Is this okay?
Man: Yes Ma'am. Now, spread your legs a little wider.
Woman: Okay.
Man: Head down, Ma'am.
Woman: Okay.
Man: Gentle strokes Ma'am and please relax.
Woman: Is this okay?
Man: Yes, Ma'am. Very okay.
Woman: Fast or slow?
Man: Slow, at first, then fast Ma'am.
Woman: Okay
Man: Hold it tight, but not too tight.
Woman: Okay.
Man: Concentrate Ma'am.
(The woman putts, and her ball goes inside the hole.)
Woman: Birdie!!!! Yippeee!
Some people are so dependent on their caddy. When it comes to reading the greens, the caddy tells them to move forward, or backward, move left or right, bend over, butt out, and reminds them not to look up.
The caddy also lines the putt for them, tells them the pressure of the putt, the speed of the greens, the break of the greens, and the direction of the blades of grass.
On the fairways, the caddy cleans the club after each shot. The caddy checks how far the ball is to the hole. The caddy tells you the direction of the wind. The caddy searches for your ball. The caddy also tells you if there are water hazards in front, or if there are several sand traps around the green.
The caddy is supposed to be the partner of the player. It's a team effort. We know that many of the caddies around do not know much about anything except to carry the golf bag and a few rules here and there. I just wish that they be given training from time to time about the rules and what is expected of them.
There was one time, a caddy of mine held the flagstick when I putted. It was a long putt and we were anxiously waiting to see if the ball goes in. When the ball was almost inside the hole, the caddy didn't know what to do, her mind was somewhere else! She pulled the flagstick out and in the process, hit my ball and stopped my ball from going inside the hole. How frustrating is that?! Then I was told that the caddy and her husband had a fight the night before, that was why her mind was not at work that day.
Just recently, I played golf and after five holes, my caddy started coughing. She wasn't feeling well that day but she still wanted to work. And after nine holes, she just couldn’t play any longer. Although I feel for the woman, I know she needs the money, but, she should not have been allowed to caddy that day. The caddy master should screen the caddies before allowing them to work.
I don't want to press on this issue because I know that times are hard, and everyone needs to have some income. The caddies need the money for their family. But, I am hoping, that if they can, they must also make an effort to do what is expected of them. The money that they earn comes from the golfer that they are caddying for. And if the service is not satisfactory, of course, it doesn't feel right.
Sufficient training, knowledge, focus, efficiency, attention… we need to see these. And please, just because a girl is pretty doesn’t automatically qualify her to be a caddy. So please, I ask all the caddy masters, that if you can, please give the caddies some training every now and then.
In fairness to the others, there are many good caddies around. The experienced ones should help teach the new ones how to work well. I believe it is a MUST that they be given training and they must be FIT and HEALTHY if they want to work as a caddy.
