The Best of the Best
I spent a few days at the Genesis Scottish Open and got to speak to some world-class caddies. Here's what I heard.
For most of the year, The Renaissance Club is a vast expanse of dunes and knee-high grass, with the occasional golfer passing through.
There’s a week each July, though, where the property is in an altered state. There are massive scoreboards plastered throughout the course, expansive “public bars” lining the sixth and fourteenth holes, and large “VisitScotland.com” signs dotting the landscape.
All of these items are necessary for the Genesis Scottish Open, one of the premier events on both the PGA and DP World Tours. Eight of the world’s top 10 golfers are participating and thousands of spectators are expected on the grounds during the next couple of days in Scotland’s “Golf Country.”
The fact that the tournament is played at The Renaissance Club is a little ironic, as the property has the infrastructure but not necessarily the prestige of many other courses in the area, like Muirfield, Gullane, and North Berwick. A few players have even snuck off to play North Berwick after their practice at Renaissance is complete.
But that’s beside the point. There’s a golf tournament to be won, and I’ve been focused on the caddies as I stroll the grounds and enjoy the media center’s free Diet Coke and lemon drizzle cake.
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
From the crack of dawn on the Monday of tournament week, caddies were out scouting the course, with or without their players. Like the caddies on the Epson Tour and anywhere else, they check yardages, get a feel for the breaks on the greens, and pick up any snippet of information they can that could give them an advantage during the competitive rounds.
While unseen (or unappreciated) by many, this pre-tournament prep work is often a caddie’s greatest defense against the countless scenarios that each golf course can throw at a player.
Ted Scott, on the bag for world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler, says that the preparation aspect of the job fits his appreciation for problem solving. “Golf is a riddle, every day, every shot,” Scott said, “...it’s also your player. You’re trying to figure out how to help him think properly or get through a difficult thought process.”
This player-caddie dynamic is fascinating to watch during a practice round
For duos that have been working together for a long time, like Justin Thomas and Bones Mackay, I noticed a more inherent connection. Mackay knew where to stand and what shots that Thomas was hitting around the greens. Mackay’s anticipatory reflexes were stunning as he threw balls exactly where Thomas was going next.
For the partnerships that were relatively new, like that of Will Gordon and Jeff Paul, there was much more logistical coordination required. The duo communicated more and Gordon did his putting and chipping work while Paul played a less-involved role than someone like Bones.
I’ve noticed a shift between Alyaa and I as my brief time on her bag has increased. I’m much better at figuring out where she wants to chip and putt around the greens, and in general can anticipate what she wants much more effectively. That’s not to say I’m an excellent caddie, but even brief experience helps with the little things.
A well-oiled player/caddie dynamic often occurs because the two are friends
As Ryan French of MondayQInfo.com pointed out earlier this week, being a player’s friend is now one of the only ways to get on a professional golfer’s bag.
Joe LaCava, who recently took a job with Patrick Cantlay after having carried Tiger Woods’ bag for over a decade, told me that one of the biggest shifts he’s seen in the profession has been that caddies are increasingly seen as friends and an integral part of the player’s “team.”
Friendships are how two of the loopers I talked to, Joe Skovron and Ian Finnis, got their first jobs years ago.
Skovron, currently caddying for Tom Kim, tried to make it as a player until Brendan Steele asked him to caddie occasionally and before he knew it, Skovron “accidentally ended up on Rickie Fowler’s bag” and cemented his new career.
Finnis, Tommy Fleetwood’s longtime looper, knew Fleetwood from their days playing golf together while growing up in England. Finnis puts it simply, “Basically I caddie because Tommy was a good amateur, we played a lot of golf together, he just asked me to caddie one day, I actually enjoyed it and carried on caddying for him.”
Despite this emphasis on the team aspect of a player/caddie duo, Mackay told me that he finds it important to not spend too much time with the player outside of working hours.
“I think it’s all about keeping it fresh,” Mackay said, “the reality is that you spend an inordinate amount of time with your player…you want it to be a situation where your player shows up at a tournament and you’re the face they’re looking for in the parking lot.”
Caddying will always have more lows than highs
Each week on the PGA Tour, 156 people put a caddie bib on, but only one gets to experience what LaCava described as the greatest feeling in the profession: watching the fans “go crazy nuts” for your player as they walk ahead of you up to the 18th green, knowing that a win is guaranteed.
For the other 99.36% carrying a bag that week, it’s an opportunity missed for them and their player. The disappointment of losing exacerbates the other challenges, like the travel, which was the consensus hardest part of the profession that I heard about in my conversations this week.
Like any other career, you can’t be on top of the mountain forever, and once you’re there you’re never on top for long.
Finnis has some simple advice for the doldrums of caddying that can be applied to life in general: “you’ve just got to do it; you’ve just got to be mentally tough. The best people and the best caddies I see out there are mentally tough people who don’t doubt themselves.”
Scott’s perspective on mental toughnes is a bit different, one that involves a unique metaphor: farming. Scott says that just like farming, in seven years of professional golf, four or five might go very well and a couple might be terrible. The bad years aren’t great, but “remind you of reality and what can happen so then when you have a good year you can be grateful for it…it really helps you stay grounded and remember the good times.”
Regardless of the challenges, there’s still a supreme love for the game
My favorite question to ask each caddie was always my last one: “what makes golf special to you?”
I got a variety of answers, but saw each caddie’s eyes light up as I asked the question and their vast experiences in golf flashed through their minds. There’s a reason many of them have been doing it for so long, there’s a deep love and appreciation for the game that everyone that plays golf can relate to.
These guys are all pretty good at their jobs, so I’ll let their answers stand on their own (albeit in condensed form).
Joe LaCava: “For me, it’s all about the competition. Yeah, I’m not hitting a shot, but I do feel like I’m a part of the team. When he has success, you feel great about yourself.”
Bones Mackay: “Relationships and where it takes you. You meet people that you would never otherwise meet and you go places you would never otherwise go, it’s crazy who you can meet through golf. Golf takes you places.”
Ian Finnis: “It’s like a test, isn’t it? I like the mental test of it all. I’m actually struggling with my game at the moment, I’ve just decided it’s not going to beat me. It’s the most unforgiving game in the world. Perfect golf shots don’t always end up perfect, and terrible golf shots can end up perfect, and that doesn’t make sense doesn’t it? It’s the most unforgiving sport ever.”
Joe Skovron: “My family was involved, my dad’s a golf pro, it was always kind of our thing. I think the individuality of the sport, the parallels to life, the ups and downs. You’re not always rewarded for hard work, but other times you are. Things aren’t gonna always go your way and you’ve got to deal with it.”
Ted Scott: “It’s a game that is ever-changing. Every day is different. I love the game because it’s so challenging. This game has got so much difficulty in it every day, even for the best in the world it’s such a hard game. It’s so challenging that I just enjoy coming back everyday and trying to beat it, even though you know you can’t beat it.”
Golf: Challenging. Infuriating. Absurd.
Somehow still amazing.
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.
Thank you to Bethany Phillis for serving as my creative project mentor and to Caroline Maness for designing Looper’s Line’s logo. Special thanks to Carol, Jim, Jen, Oliver, and Emma for their gracious hospitality this week. Additional thanks to Charlie Harris with the DP World Tour for his incredible kindness and assistance in the media center.