Bag gig isn't a bad gig
Caddying has become more lucrative and complex over the years.
By BOB HARIG
Published March 6, 2007
PALM HARBOR - The fortunate ones make six-figure incomes, stay in nice hotels and sometimes travel in private jets. They spend their days on the golf course, their nights on the town and get plenty of time off.
If might be the life of some of the golfers in town for this week's PODS Championship, which isn't surprising given the money available on the PGA Tour.
But it also applies to some caddies, the guys who carry and clean the clubs yet also serve as part-time coaches, sports psychologists, friends, valets, green readers, club choosers and anything else required.
And their existence is a much different one from the days when they piled in beat-up cars, stayed four to a hotel room, often drank too much and slept too little, barely made ends meet and were treated as second-class citizens.
Gone are the days when a pro shop sign might say: "Public Welcome; Caddies Not Allowed." Or when they could not park on the tournament grounds.
"It's unbelievable," said Bob Low, 58, who lives in Tampa and has been caddying on the PGA Tour for 18 years, the past 11 for Joe Durant. "The guys nowadays have more college degrees - not that it makes anybody different than anyone else, but it truly is a different breed. A lot of that stems from the money. You can afford to fly everywhere now.
"It's a much different profession, and it draws guys who might not have been drawn to it in the past. We've got a good working relationship with the tour now. It was tenuous back in the day.
"The changes I've seen in 18 years. ... I go back to persimmon woods. Most of these guys have never seen a persimmon wood, except for maybe in a museum somewhere. I think of my grandfather (a club pro who came from Scotland). If he came back today, saw the equipment, saw the ball, saw what these guys are making in tournaments ... "
Or saw what the caddies are making.
It can be lucrative
Caddies are not employees of the PGA Tour. They work for the player, and each arrangement is different.
"My experience has been that it's mostly a commission job," said Brian Smith, 41, who recently parted ways with Brad Faxon after two years. Before that, Smith worked for Palm Harbor's John Huston. "You're going to go as your player goes."
A standard deal calls for the caddie to receive a weekly amount to cover expenses, say $1,000 to $1,500, plus 5 percent of the player's earnings. A bunch of missed cuts, and therefore no paychecks, means the caddie is barely getting by. However, if his player makes $100,000, as someone will for finishing in the top 10 this week, the caddie stands to make at least $5,000.
In some cases, the deal calls for a 7 or 8 percent cut if a player finishes in the top 10 and 10 percent if he wins.
Imagine how well Steve Williams must be doing. He has been caddying for Tiger Woods since 1999. Last year, Woods made $9.9-million on the PGA Tour. Even at a straight 5 percent with no bonuses (Woods did win eight times) that would be nearly $500,000 for Williams.
John Buchna chuckles when asked to consider how much things have changed. Buchna, 52, has been caddying for veteran Joey Sindelar for 24 years, the longest-running player-caddie relationship on the tour.
"If you could get a guy who made $100,000, you'd feel like you made a million bucks," he said of the old days.
Job requirements
There used to be a saying in caddying: "Show Up, Keep Up, Shut Up." In other words, you were expected to be on time, carry the bag while not falling behind and keep to yourself.
That has changed, too. While caddies still get yardages and chart the course as they did in the past, they are often viewed as partners. And with the money being paid, expectations have risen.
"It's more of a business now from what it was 25 years ago," Buchna said. "These guys coming out of college are ready to go because they've been playing since they were so high to the ground. They are more prepared."
"Sometimes being a friend was more important than anything else," said Lin Strickler, 57, who lives in Clearwater and has caddied on the tour since 1972. "Sometimes you traveled with him and it wasn't so much about the money. It was about seeing the country and living."
Strickler has done plenty of that. He became a caddie after serving a stint in Vietnam. He went on tour with a pro from Clearwater named Jimmy Barber and has had a who's who list of bags ever since: Curtis Strange, Fred Couples, Nick Price, Bruce Leitzke and Craig Stadler, to name a few. His longest stint was with Ben Crenshaw.
At the Champions Tour event in Tampa three weeks ago, Strickler worked for Hubert Green. He is looking for work this week, which has proved to be more difficult.
Because of the money involved, caddie gigs often fall to friends, family, business associates, personal trainers and the like.
"It's very hard to get a job now," Buchna said.
Changing reputations
Caddies of the past were viewed differently. They had reputations for partying too much, causing trouble. They were constantly on the road, trying to make ends meet. And they did not always present themselves in the most favorable light.
And yet some of the greatest names in the game's history have been linked to their caddies. Jack Nicklaus and Angelo Argea. Arnold Palmer and his caddie at the British Open, Tip Anderson. Tom Watson and Bruce Edwards. Crenshaw to this day uses Carl Jackson at Augusta National. Going all the way back to the 1913 U.S. Open, Francis Ouimet's famous playoff victory also was notable because he had little Eddie Lowery, just 10 years old, caddying.
"You're on the road every week; back in those days 30 and 40 weeks, every single week." Low said. "Some guys didn't even really have a home. That is not easy. Guys just had to find a way to deal with it. You had to be footloose and fancy free. Can you imagine trying to keep a family? If you missed the cut on Friday night, it wasn't like you could find a Southwest flight home. I hate to keep coming back to the money, but there's no question that has changed everything.
"What you did before was you made a living. Then in the offseason you scrambled, found work somewhere at a club that had a caddie program. Nowadays, guys take time off. They are building nice houses, living in good communities, being good neighbors, raising families. The players are riding around in private jets, and we get a chance to hop on those every now and then. It's night and day. My hat is off to all those guys from the early years. Some of them went through tough times and didn't get to experience the rewards we do today. It's a different world."
Fast Facts:
PODS Championship
When: Thursday-Sunday
Where: Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor.
Course: Copperhead, par 71, 7,340 yards.
. Fast facts
PODS championship
What: A 72-hole PGA Tour event, the second on the Florida Swing and the 11th of the year.
When/where: Thursday-Sunday; Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor.
Course: Copperhead, par 71, 7,340 yards.
Schedule: Today - practice rounds. Wednesday - Progress Energy Pro-Am with shotgun starts at 7:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, tournament rounds, with tee times beginning at approximately 7:30 a.m.
Weather: Today, sunny and 72; Wednesday, party cloudy and 77; Thursday, partly cloudy and 78; Friday, sunny and 79; Saturday, sunny and 81; Sunday, scattered thunderstorms and 80.
TV: 3-6 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Golf Channel (with 8:30-11:30 p.m. replay) and 3-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Ch. 8.
Tickets: Today-Wednesday, $20 in advance; Thursday-Friday, $30 in advance ($55 at the gate); Saturday-Sunday, $35 in advance ($60 at the gate). Weekly clubhouse badge, $85. Tickets can be purchased at area Sweetbay stores, online at podschampionship.com or by calling (727) 942-5566.