Caddying

Caddying. “An attendant who carries club for a player”  It all started in 1681. The first caddies at St Andrews or so they says. It all started for me in 1980. My introduction to the game of golf began as a caddie. In the many years that have followed, I have often looked back to that start at Avon Oaks Country Club in Avon Ohio. 

 

I have travel to 49 of the 50 states. Played golf at over 650 golf courses and even had a hole in one. All because of my dad telling me as a 12 year old, I had to work to give him money for schools clothes. He dropped me off at Avon Oaks Country Club and I was in the caddie business. I did so well on my first loop that I got stiffed. The second loop went a little better.  I got 6 bucks.  5 dollars for being a c rated caddy and 1 dollar tip.

 

Things got progressively better. I worked my way through High School and was soon carrying doubles as they like to say. In the 80’s getting $50 for carrying double for 18 holes was pretty standard fare. I learned to walk off yardages from 200, 150 and 100 yard markers. No range finders in those days. Sprinkler head were marked which help calculate  yardages as well. Avon Oaks had only 3 sets of tees to play from, as did most clubs at that point in time. Blue for the low handicaps, White for everybody else and red tees for the woman.