Mark’s Kaddy Korner

David Feherty with Wounded Warriors at Improvised Explosive Golf Outing

Feherty's Improvised Explosive Day for Wounded Warriors

He makes us laugh; he helps them ease back into society after losing arms and legs for our country. He takes no prisoners and makes each one feel like a friend. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for them and probably vice versa. In San Antonio last fall I watched him in action at an Improvised Explosive Day golf outing. He abused each and every one of them, they left with smiles on their faces plus loads of thanks for the Champions Tour players involved that day. We should be thanking them; David and Rick Kell definitely are.

AT & T Championship – Champions Tour – San Antonio, TX

Albert Warren Tillinghast created Oak Hills CC in the early 20’s, back then it was perched on a hill about ten miles north of San Antonio. The city has grown up around it but his masterpiece is still one of the finest courses the Champions Tour visits. The traffic is horrific but once behind Oak Hills’ walls and shady oaks lining the tight fairways the golf is exquisite. The PGA Tour played the Texas Open on this short, shot-makers course until 1994 when it out grew the track and sponsors enticed the tour to move to LaCantera, a resort course most caddies despised.

Kaddy Korner – Administaff Classic – The Woodlands, TX

The day and half Houston drive was relaxing and uneventful; those new tires are nice now it’s time to get the air conditioner fixed. I was looking forward to the week at The Woodlands. Bob was playing good, I was going to shack up with Todd’s (Watson’s caddy) brother Paul, watch a bunch of baseball, and play our way in to the Schwab Cup tournament. Bob only needed about $80-90,000 for the top thirty money winners event and I liked our chances.

This article was just published in Australian Golf Digest as Show up, Shut up, and Keep up – A Veteran Caddy’s take on Tour Life. The article definitely looks better in the magazine, they added some great pictures and made my writing look good. 

Aussie Players and Caddies on the PGA Tour

In 1988, my first year on the PGA Tour, there was a handful of Australian golfers on the tour. Norman was dominating, “Elkie” was an up and comer, Wayne Grady was steady, Ian Baker-Finch could find fairways back then, and David Graham showed up occasionally. They were all great players, Greg had Steve Williams on the bag, the rest of the crew used American loopers.

I was supposed to work for Willie Wood at the Nationwide Tour’s event in Chattanooga, Tenn., but he withdrew so he could watch his son’s last golf tournament of the year. Standing on the Black Creek CC practice tee late Wednesday morning unemployed, my chances for a job were waning, and I was hoping to line up something for the next week. My phone rang; I didn’t recognize the number, but for some reason I decided to answer.

“Hello, Mark, this is Tom Watson. Can you work for me next week in Houston? Ox can’t make it.”