Payment of Golf Caddies
AREPRESENTATIVE of the Spectator had the pleasure of consulting Mr. J. H. Taylor recently on the possibility of paying a regular wage to golf caddies. No one in Great Britain is better qualified than Mr. Taylor to express an opinion on the subject, for he was carrying clubs round the Westward Ho ! course fifty-two years ago, and has worked his way step by step to his present international fame.
Mr. Taylor expressed sympathy with the idea of helping the caddies, for the caddie, in his opinion, is more than an assistant to the player : he is an integral part of the game of golf. Nevertheless, he does not see how a practicable scheme of regular payment could be worked out which would meet with the approval either of the clubs or of the caddies themselves.
" The difficulty is not only that no club committee could afford a regular payment of twenty-five shillings a week to a staff of thirty or forty men—or whatever number was required during the average week—but that the caddies themselves would object to it. The caddie, taking him by and large, is something of an Islunaelite. He would object to coming to report to the caddie master at 9 o'clock every morning, and staying until 7 every evening in case anyone required his services. Many caddies take odd jobs, such as selling papers in the morning, or delivering parcels in the evening. Others like to go away to caddie for professionals at the big meetings. They would certainly object to being tied down to a cut and dried scheme which would not allow them to indulge in other activities. It is not in their nature to accept such regulation ; the majority of them are not men of regular habits, and would not be happy in a regular job. Various schemes have been tried for them, such as opening workshops near the course to teach, them trades during their spare time. All have failed owing to the caddies' lack of interest. A few of them, of course, graduate as professionals and do very well for themselves. I generally have one or two boys in training. But in the nature of things such lads must be the exception rather than the rule. The greater number of them must continue as they began, earning no more at 50 than they did at 20. Yet they go on.
They remain caddies because they like the life; in spite of all its hardship and uncertainty. For them it is not possible to do much. Some of the richer clubs have a benefit fund, which helps to keep the wolf from the door during a slack time such as we have just been through Ruing the recent frost. Beyond that, I see only one thing that will help the caddie, and that is that his status and importance should be more clearly recognized by every player.
" It is the greatest mistake in the world to consider that without a caddie the game of golf can be played as it was meant to be played. In an important match I do not look up for some time after a stroke, but let the caddie tell me where the ball has gone. The temptation to look up too soon is one that must be resisted by old and young players alike. Then to drag round a heavy bag of clubs is a physical handicap to the player, making him slow on the course, averse to replacing divots, and liable to damage the greens with his club-heads when he drops the bag. And instead of concentrating on his stroke, your caddie-less player will have his mind fixed on not losing his ball. He will spoil his golf, waste time and half-crowns as the result of that, and spend more money and get less enjoyment than he would if he had a caddie.
" For beginners especially it is madness to go out unescorted. Caddies know the course, they have seen the best players on it, and every kind of player, including many in the same stage as this particular novice. After a few, holes, if the caddie is any good, he will be able to give you some excellent advice—simply expressed, perhaps, but none the less valuable. The caddie, in short, is just as important to the members as the other servants of the club, indoor and out of door. It is a great pity that he cannot be paid a regular wage, but I do not myself see how it is possible. I wish it were. The demand is too fluctuating and the temperament of the caddie himself is such that he would not care to accept a regular wage. The best we can do (and in my opinion that is a great deal) is that we should not look on the caddie as a necessary evil, but as an indispensable helper in the great game of golf."
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