Having started caddying as schoolboy during holidays, Jacob has been in the industry for 25 years. Over this time, he has risen through the ranks and served as a professional caddie on the South African professional tour. He even caddied on the European circuit, notably at the 2010 British Open; for Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart on the famous St. Andrew’s golf course in Scotland.
From local to international, he has experienced all dimensions of the job. When asked about the difference in working conditions, he explains that caddies are respected as fellow professionals and catered for on the pro circuit. They are seen as resources of experience rather than just grunts, and their facilities are often immaculate and comfortable. However, at a local level, caddies are confined to squalor, often lacking even the nutritional food that is needed for such a demanding job. ‘You cannot live in there,’ says Jacob, who describes most caddy quarters as ‘pigsties’.
However, professional caddies face their problems too. The introduction of golf carts was detrimental to caddies at all levels. ‘Golf cars took out jobs. Today you will only see 4 or 5 caddies on a busy course who have jobs for the day; back in the 80s and 90s there would be 30. This allows exploitation of those who remain. Before the pandemic, experienced caddies were already being pushed out and left without work, so you can imagine what COVID-19 did.
Then there is the mental side of being a caddie. Jacob says that the psychological effort is just as laborious as carrying clubs through the heat or rain. ‘You have to know what to say to the players when things go wrong or right on the course.’ The job is more than just carrying a bag; you’re the motivator, the morale booster, the course expert, and the carrier. As the role of the club caddy evolves, Jacob says it is time to stop treating them like sub-humans and ensure that they’re seen as an integral part of the clubhouse.
