How We Lost the Caddy
One of the most intriguing aspects of Disney’s golf movie, The Greatest Game Ever Played, is the relationship between Ouimet and his caddy. The companionship shown there, between the golfer and his caddy, is something that we don’t experience anymore. The closest thing you might get to having a caddy on the average golf course is if you happen to be partnered with a particularly affable golf companion who watches your shots for you.
That means there’s no one there to watch your shots for you. The world of golf is a lonelier game without caddies. So what happened to them?
The Origin of Caddies
The idea of having a caddy is such an old concept many of us never even think to consider where the word actually came from. Well, it comes from a French word. Basically, Mary the Queen of Scots was a big fan of golf. She grew up in France and played it often. And, of course, being royalty, she needed servants to assist her and guard her as she played. So she was lent cadets from a nearby military school. Cadet in French sounds like “Caddy” in English (sort of). This is where the origin of the caddy was born.
Mary Queen of Scots may have taken the tradition of having servants assist her while she played back with her to the UK. Today, very few courses continue on with the tradition. However, that was not always the case. Not so long ago, caddies were an indispensable part of the golf experience. Yet various perhaps inevitable historical occurrences led to the end of caddies.
A Growing Game
It seems possible that one historical occurrence that helped put an end to the common use of caddies was the minimum wage. Caddies are largely paid based on tips from golfers. Of course, that also means golfers with more means are able to pay more to caddies. In less wealthy areas, or in places where golfers won’t tip as much for caddies, these young caddies might not have as much to gain from hanging around all day.
As golf has grown and expanded, it’s no longer just country club elites who want to play. Courses run the gamut from dirt cheap to posh and luxury, with plenty of courses in-between. Middle of the road golfers (which is most of us) don’t have the means or the want to dish out exorbitant tips to caddies, and clubs don’t have the means to pay minimum wage, either.
The Golf Cart
Of course, the most obvious cause for the eclipse of caddies was the birth of the golf cart. Originally something that golfers refused to use as it was seen as something only useful to people with physical limitations (sort of like those scooter carts in grocer stores) good old American marketing quickly launched the golf cart into center stage of the golf experience, and it’s impact is still felt today. The golf cart does all the work of the caddy, but does so without needing to be payed a living wage. Instead of shelling out money for a caddie, golfers can pay a little extra and have their cart carry their bags. Oh, and it saves them from having to walk the course – enabling many many individuals who would never in their right minds spend four hours walking the ability to still engage in the sport.
To compound this, golf carts are a source of revenue for clubs and courses, not an expense (the way the caddie is).
