CADDYSHACK

When I was just a wee lad of nine, the country club golf pro came to our elementary school to offer the fifth and sixth graders a job caddying for the bankers, doctors, and other aristocratic golfers. I was in the fourth grade, but my fifth-grade sister told me about the employment opportunity.

I went to the golf course bright and early Saturday morning to become a “looper.” We didn't have a real caddy "shack," just a bench, which I sat on until all the bigger boys had been assigned bags to carry. Then, I sat there by myself until someone decided to pony up the two dollars for a half-price, half-pint, fourth-grade caddy.

I felt like a real tycoon with that two dollars in my pocket, but the money burned a hole there and it was soon spent on bubble gum and comic books. The following Saturday found me deepening the imprint my cheeks had left in the caddy bench until another benefactor took me on for 18 holes of "hit the ball and drag the fourth grader."

And so it went for the rest of that spring, sitting on the bench on Saturdays (and on Sundays after church). I added Wednesdays to my work schedule during the summer because the local doctors played golf on Wednesday afternoons.

My financial situation did not improve much; I still spent most of what I earned on cheap drink and miniature golf. I don’t know why my dad allowed me to blow my money but I think he was proud that I was earning a living at nine years of age, just as he had done in the 1930s.

I grew over the next few years, as did my caddy fee. Three dollars plus a fifty cent tip was standard. A big tipper paid caddies four dollars. Sometimes there was a soda and candy bar after nine holes and on occasion a "caddyburger" after the round (from the kitchen’s back door).

Monday was Caddy Day and we were allowed to play golf on the course and swim in the pool because the club was closed for maintenance; however, we lost our swimming privileges after an "incident" at the pool. (Watch "Caddyshack" the movie and you'll get the general idea of what happened.)

I continued to caddy and to play golf on Mondays for the next few years and then graduated from caddy to assistant greenkeeper {see Carl (or Karl) Spackler}. I later transferred to the pro shop as an assistant golf professional and, after serving my apprenticeship, I was elected to membership in the PGA of America.

As a PGA member I have introduced many people to the game of golf and made many golfers' on-course experiences more enjoyable. I have worked in a fantastic environment with wonderful people (notwithstanding ALL of the character types in "Caddyshack"). So, thanks Sis for the job referral; it has been a great career.