Mark’s Kaddy Korner

Hey all,

There weren’t any jobs on the island so I caught the 9:30 ferry Monday morning and headed for Scranton, PA. None of my calls were returned but hopefully there would be a job waiting for me. After 800 miles I arrived at the Rodeway Inn in Moosic, PA and made plans for an early parking lot crusade the next morning. My buddy Rodney made the room reservation, and I was kind of stuck without a place to stay, but after a few days I realized this just might be the worst hotel I’ve stayed in quite awhile. Oh well, life on the road has its ups and downs.

The Elmhurst Country Club parking lot was crawling with unemployed caddies, towels slung over their shoulders, checking the commit list, and talking on their phones. I surveyed the possibilities, figured it was going to be a tough search, but I was prepared. While I was making a few calls, Winston, a caddy who can’t be trusted, came running toward me waving his phone and yelling, “You want to work for Willie?” I wasn’t sure what to expect but took the phone anyway.

On the other end was Willie Wood, and Winston had just dumped him for another player so Willie was stuck without a caddy. Willie and I go back twenty years; he was comfortable with me, so we made arrangements to meet around noon. He gave me a few choice words for Winston which I happily relayed and I went off to finish last week’s Kaddy Korner in the caddy tent. Later on I found out Winston never intended to work for Willie; he was his back up bag in case he got fired. Winston had also lined up another caddy, Harvey, to work for him. Those guys exchanged quite a few heated words in the parking lot. I got caught in the middle but things worked out for everyone.

Times have been tough in Northeast Pennsylvania and the NEPA tournament set up was pretty lean. Caddies had to pay for their food, the players ate most of their meals from the concession stand, and the crowds were sparse. The weather was crappy, low sixties with rain every day except Sunday, and the wet conditions made the 1929 hilly course play long. We hit a lot of long irons into greens but outplayed a lot of the younger bombers who had trouble hitting the tight fairways and small, steeply sloped greens. We made the cut easily and were only four shots out of the lead after Friday.

Despite the economic difficulties the people were great. I was expecting a crew of folks with a gruff exterior but everyone was warm and hospitable. The boys at the Penalty Box always had an open stool for us, and they were quite interested in the tournament. Golf is huge in the area, with a lot of great courses close by, and this was the big event for the year. I’d driven through the area many times but never stopped. I’ll definitely stop again just not at the Rodeway Inn.

Like I said the course played long. There were two converted par fives we couldn’t reach and absolutely no roll in the fairways. With the wet conditions we played lift, clean, and cheat so the scores were low. The third round leader, rotund Guy Boros, was playing without a yardage book using only the sprinkler heads, a pin sheet, and his eyes to determine shot distances. I guess maybe we don’t need all the new technology.

Willie was a pure joy, I just wish the Nationwide purses were larger; I’d gladly work for him the rest of the year. He’s been around since the early 80’s and is one of the most respected guys on tour. He lost his first wife, Holly, to cancer when she was in her late twenty’s and raised his boys alone for quite a few years. His trials off the course help keep things in perspective. We told jokes, traded stories about different players and caddies, and reminisced between shots. Our only trying moment was Sunday morning when my van overheated and I was a bit late.

I limped into a nearby gas station. Luckily, a local cop was buying coffee and he gladly gave me a ride to the course. Willie was already on the practice tee but wasn’t upset at all. In fact, he was more concerned about me than anything else. Like I said a real class act, and we went on to shoot a couple under finishing in the middle of the pack.

We had lunch after the round and Willie introduced me to Vance Veascey, fifteenth on the Nationwide money list and heading for the PGA Tour next year. Their good friends and Willie was trying to set me up with the job; we’ll see what happens. I guess he bounces around from caddy to caddy and is a bit difficult to work for but I’d love the opportunity.

The van fired right up and I kept a close eye on the thermostat for awhile, but the old girl was purring right along. My thermostat boiled over a bit when I got a call from my brother. I was munching cold pizza, cruising through the Pocono’s when he told me M. J. Hur just won the Portland LPGA event. I guess I should have been more accommodating with Dad, maybe I’d have been there collecting my ten percent of the winner’s check, you never know in this business.

Take care.

Mark