Caddy for Life, Caddiemaster, and How the Golf Cart Has Destroyed Tradition

I recently finished a fantastic book called Caddy for Life, by John Feinstein. I’m not ashamed to say, that there were moments that I bawled like a baby, but I am ashamed, however, that it took me this long to read it. It is hands-down one of the greatest books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and I’m sure that I will read it many more times. 
 
It lead me to an interesting thought. Can one still earn a decent amount of money caddying at a country club, golf club or resort course? At first I thought, of course not. The golf cart has ruined the caddy, and obese America would much rather zip around to their ball in a comfy cart, even if it did mean they had to hit the occasional blind shot.
 
I did a bit of research on the topic and all that was coming up was how Ben Crenshaw used Carl Jackson all those years at the Masters.
 
As I persisted, on the fourth or fifth page of my Google search, I came across a company called Caddiemaster. The website wasn’t great, and I was disappointed to find that there wasn’t a list of the courses that they served.
 
Still being hung up on the money issue, I went to Glassdoor.com and found salary info from one individual whose monthly salary was between $2,569 and $2,794. Now, that isn’t a great deal of money, and some of the golf courses, Augusta for instance, are only open for five months a year. But there are some, like Doral Golf Resort and Spa, that have multiple courses and are open all year long. I feel like there is some definite earning potential at those courses.
 
So, I entered the name Caddiemaster in the search engine box, and was elated when I found this Job Application. On it is a list of all of the possible courses at which you could apply to be a caddy.
 
To my absolute amazement, the first club on the list was Augusta National. Wait a second. Augusta National? The most prestigious and selective club, bar none (except possibly the National Golf Links of America), has hired an outside company to manage their caddy program?
 
That's because they know what they are doing, and they train their caddies with the clubs' needs in mind. You aren’t going to go out to Whistling Straits (another wonderful course on the list, and site of the 2010 PGA Championship) and get some crappy caddy, because if that was happening, I don’t think that they would be getting all of these prestigious golf clubs as clients.
 
The only great course in America that it seems they don’t have under their belt is Bandon Dunes, but I will touch on their caddy program in my next post.
 
So what did I do? Like any golf historian would, I applied. (Not heard anything yet, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed, Ha Ha!)
 
So, if the elite clubs of the country can offer caddy services, why can’t the everyday course?
 
Here is the answer that I have come to. Your typical muni track is not worried about the traditions of the game. They are worried about turning a profit, and in this day and age, recreational golfers are too lazy and more worried about fixing their slice and outside-in putting stroke. If their local 20-buck course offered caddies instead of carts, it would go under in a month.
 
This leads me back to the book, Caddy for Life.
 
In it, Tom Watson clearly states that Bruce Edwards was one of the most important tools he had in his arsenal (that and possibly the greatest short game of all time).
 
That’s the way golf was meant to be. If Old Tom would have wanted to be lazy and ride around the Old Course on a horse, he could have done that. But that's not the way that he and the founding fathers of golf wanted it to be played. Golf is about experiencing nature, and shaping your shot according to the earth’s terrain. It is not about wearing out the grass on the fairway.
 
When you carry your bag or play with a caddy, you have the opportunity to enjoy the scenery and lay of the land while you are walking to your abysmal 225-yard tee shot. When you have a cart, all you can think about is getting to that ball and redeeming yourself for that terrible shot.
 
Can you honestly tell me that golf at Pebble Beach would be as enjoyable if you took a golf cart?
 
No. The thing that makes Pebble and Spyglass grand is having the caddy that treats you just like a professional, and that know every shot and every break on every green.
 
Will this article do anything to change the way average Americans look at the game of golf? The answer to that is ABSOLUTELY NOT.
 
But for the select few out there who are huge admirers of the game, take a look at the application.
 
If you hate your current job and have a good knowledge of the rules of the game, what could be better.
 
Nothing.