“Do you know how heavy your bag is?” asked Milton on the practice tee at Sage Valley Golf Club last week.
“I didn’t think it was that heavy,” I responded.
“Well, you’re not the one that has to carry it around for eight miles.”
Milton had me there. I quickly got to work pulling out three bottles of sunscreen, four water bottles, and 19 golf balls. All told, I probably released about 13 pounds from my bag.
It was an inauspicious start to our partnership, especially after I saw him snickering with Darrell, another caddie in our group, about the excess weight in the bag. My poor range shots didn’t help things, as I hit consistent chunks and slices after not having hit a single golf ball since a January round near Chapel Hill with my friend Andrew.
I made sure to inform Milton of my lack of recent golf multiple times, and he didn’t seem amused as he envisioned a day of endless searching for my wayward shots. It was shaping up to be a depressing day.
The fun (really) begins
Our group, consisting of me, my Dad, and our friend Dr. Hawkins, along with our caddies Milton, Darrell, and Robert, found our way to the first tee just in time for our 8:50 am start.
The opening tee shot at Sage Valley is an imposing one, it’s significantly downhill with trees and bunkers on both sides of the fairway. As I stepped up to hit, Milton calmly pointed to the bunker on the right side of the landing area and said something along the lines of “aim right there, and swing your swing.” Surprisingly, I did exactly that. My ball sliced (and I mean really sliced) through the air and landed in the middle of the fairway.
As we walked up to the green for my birdie attempt, Milton informed me, “for every putt, I’m going to stand exactly where I want you to hit it, that’s your line and your speed.” I hit the putt way too hard, but Milton’s line was dead on.
Over the next couple of holes, he kept getting things right. Not only that, but Milton was inspiring confidence in my game. Even though I was not necessarily playing great, he confidently stated “swing your swing” before every shot I hit. His lines gave me a chance to make each putt on Sage Valley’s brisk and undulating greens, not withstanding my own malfeasance.
Despite my poor play, I was having a great time, and so was everyone else
One of the crucial reasons we were having such a great time? Milton.
Anytime I hit a good shot, even if he was a couple hundred yards up the fairway, I’d hear a loud yell and see some celebratory hand gestures from him. These reactions were magnified when I would beat my Dad on a hole, as our stated goal for the day was to demolish him.
Milton also started giving me subtle tips as the round went further along. He got more ambitious with the shots he wanted me to hit, and he would tell me exactly how to hit them. Milton gave me things to practice and some creative ways to shave some strokes off of my game.
Milton was very quick with snarky comments about his fellow caddies and the golf games of our group. He especially got onto Robert, a relatively new caddie, for being a simple “bag carrier” or “young bull” that didn’t really know much about the game.
Robert was on Dr. Hawkins’ bag, and anytime Dr. Hawkins hit a good putt, Milton would declare, “that’s with no help from the bag carrier.”
On the eighth hole, I was about 10 feet off of the green for my birdie attempt. Milton handed me a putter, and when I reacted with a confused look he simply uttered, “I’ve seen you chip.”
This light-heartedness kept everyone smiling as we plodded our way through one of the most beautiful courses in the United States. Milton’s efforts made the actual golf secondary to the spectacular experience I had fellowshipping with the rest of the group.
Milton’s reach extends far beyond our eight mile walk
On the practice tee, Dr. Hawkins let our caddies know about my summer plans. As the day went on, I began to notice how Milton was consistently guiding me in the essentials of caddying.
I was told, “never, ever let your player rake a bunker.” It’s a rule I promptly broke with Alyaa for the first bunker shot she took with me on her bag. However, Alyaa and I reached an understanding, so Milton’s thought still counts.
Milton instructed me, “it doesn’t matter if it’s clean, wipe down your player’s club after every single shot.” That’s advice I can confirm I’ve taken to heart, as I furiously clean Alyaa’s clubs after every swing to ensure that nothing is ever in any grooves.
He let me in on a secret he had learned in his 48 (yes, 48!) years of caddying: a caddy must match the energy of their player. If my player wants a chatty caddy, I should talk their ear off. If they don’t want to speak, I should keep my mouth shut.
In my few days with Alyaa, I’ve learned that she generally wants a light-hearted and loose conversation between shots. That means I match her energy as we discuss our favorite books, research paper topics, and the intricacies of different languages.
To use Milton’s words, “that way, they can’t blame you if they mess up.”
Between the course, the clubs, the ball, and the swing, golf is a holistic experience. But what ties everything together, while at the same time making everything else irrelevant, is the people.
I didn’t play my best, but I don’t care because I got to spend quality time with my Dad and Dr. Hawkins. Receiving the full Milton experience was the icing on the cake, and our hug on the 18th green was an unexpected, yet exceptional touch.
His work during our day showed me just how much of a positive impact that a good caddie can have on a round of golf. They can make your entire experience, even if you’re struggling to hit a full wedge more than 10 yards.
There was something special about Milton’s method, and his method (minus dishing out golf tips) is how I’m trying to approach my work with Alyaa this summer.
While not hitting a shot with us, Milton is an embodiment of the heart of golf: people doing what they love, in a game they love, and by doing so making everyone love the game that much more.
As Milton deftly put it as we walked up the third fairway, “they don’t pay me just because I look good.”
Questions, comments, ideas, and feedback can be directed to jpatterson@unc.edu. You can find me on Twitter @JakeWPatt or my Instagram @Loopers_Line. If you really want to get to know me, check out my LinkedIn.
Special thanks to Bethany Phillis for serving as my creative project mentor. Additional thanks to Caroline Maness for designing Looper’s Line’s logo.