Caddie Explained

In golf or disc golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who assists a golfer on the course. Typical duties for a caddie include carrying a player's bag and clubs or discs, performing any course maintenance that is the player's responsibility (e.g. repairing divots and raking bunkers) and offering the player advice and moral support. Other nicknames for the position is a looper or jock.^[1]

Etymology

The Scots word caddie or Scots: cawdy was derived in the 17th century from the French word cadet and originally meant a student military officer. It later came to refer to someone who did odd jobs.^{[2] [3]} By the 19th century, it had come to mean someone who carried clubs for a golfer, or in its shortened form, cad, a man of disreputable behaviour.^[4]

History

The first recorded use of a caddie was in Edinburgh in 1681 by the future James VII of Scotland when taking part in the first international golf contest.^[5]

Earnings

Caddies tend to be low paid, and usually get only a small share of prize money. At a professional level, they work as contractors to individual players but without guaranteed hours. In 2020, caddies on the PGA European Tour became eligible to earn bonuses through sponsors' logos on their gear.^[6]

In popular culture

Caddies have been depicted in television, films, and books, including:

• The Caddy, a 1953 musical comedy film starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
• McAuslan in the Rough, a 1974 short story by George MacDonald Fraser in which a disreputable Scottish soldier caddies for his regimental sergeant major
• Caddyshack, a 1980 comedy film featuring Bill Murray
• Brown's Requiem, a 1981 crime novel by James Ellroy, who worked as a caddie while writing his first books
• The Legend of Bagger Vance, a 2000 film based on the 1995 book by Steven Pressfield, The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life, features Vance as an angelic caddie.
• The Greatest Game Ever Played, a 2005 film about 1913 US open where Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) wins with his caddie Eddie Lowery (Josh Flitter).
• , a 2018 documentary narrated by Bill Murray^{[7] [8]}

See also

• Caddie Hall of Fame

External links

• European Tour Caddies Association
• "Caddies making a comeback", The Seattle Times
• "Notes from the Caddieshack" - a McSweeney's Internet Tendency column about being a caddie in the Chicago suburbs

Notes and References

1. Web site: Undercover Caddie: A longtime resort looper's friendly advice for all golfers . 2024-08-14 . Golf Digest . en.
2. caddie, noun . . 25 February 2019 . Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
3. Caddie . 2019 . . . 25 February 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190225103120/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/caddie . 25 February 2019 . live .
4. News: The Strange Route from 'Cadet' to 'Cad' . . 25 February 2019.
5. Web site: Golfer's Land. 13 March 2015 . Atlas Obscura.
6. Web site: Why a Golf Caddie Group Set Up a Sponsorship Program for Its Members. 2020-01-15. Associations Now. en-US. 2020-01-15.
7. Web site: Bill Murray narrates new film that explores the lives of caddies . Beall . Joel . 23 January 2019 . Golf Digest . Condé Nast Publications . 25 February 2019.
8. Web site: Loopers: The Caddie's Long Walk . Howell . Andy . 15 February 2019 . Film Threat . 25 February 2019.