Chapter Two - First success (Turtle Bay)

Chapter Two - First success (Turtle Bay)

Over the next few months Angela and I kept in touch and talked about the 2009 season. As the economy continued to tank and sponsorships became more difficult to find, we had a discussion about what it would take to stay out on tour. Unlike the PGA, the players on the LPGA play for much smaller purses and more and more of the events are finding themselves without sponsors and thus unable to continue. This is not an easy way to make a living, but for any of us that have the passion for the game we understand what keeps these young ladies going. So my wife and I offered Angela a bit of financial support to help her continue her quest. In exchange Angela agreed to be the LPGA tour professional spokesperson for Beyond the Rainbow Foundation .

As the 2009 season drew near we invited Angela to come to Maui the week before the SBS Turtle Bay event on Oahu. She could practice at Kapalua and get use to the time change. She also accepted my offer to go over with her to Oahu and carry for her for the week.

On Sunday before the event we went over to Turtle Bay and she played a practice round. On Monday morning we teed it up in the qualifier and she played really well. Caddying on Turtle Bay’s Palmer course was a new experience. Unlike the Bay Course at Kapalua Resort which I know very well, this was a course I had only played once. So now I needed to rely on the yardage book which created lots more to do and think about. At the end of the day Angela had shot one under and was the second qualifier for the week. Fantastic, I get to keep working.

A word about the yardage books. For most of the tour events the professionals and caddies are provided a detailed yardage book ($20 per book). These are yardage books that have a significant amount of information that we can all benefit from in our everyday rounds. The yardages are marked to the front of the greens and then you use the pin sheets to determine the distances to the pins. The greens are detailed with the false fronts, ridges and low/high spots as well as on some of the longer holes there are layup distances. Lots of information that you then supplement with how you want to play the hole which includes where you want to land your approach shots based on hole positions, fairways that kick left or right and hazards that come into play at specific distances.

Tuesday morning was a practice day including lots of time on the practice green and then nine holes. The time at the practice green is the time you get to relax as a caddie. Sit back and just watch the players as they work on the green. For many of the professional caddies they talk with each other as you would expect and being the first full field event of the year there were lots of greatings between players , tour officials and caddies. I enjoyed having the time to take it in and was glad to be able to say hello to the few players that I had gotten to know the previous October during the Aloha Team Classic - 2008 .


On Wednesday we drove down to Schoefield Barracks and Angela played in a Pro/Am to benefit returning soldiers from Iraq put together by a couple of the LPGA players (Amy Reed and Kate Golden). It was a fun day and not tough since they were all on carts. It is fun to watch Angela interacting with the amateur participants who represented businesses as well as the military. Each were made to feel special as she paid attention to them and as a team they played well. Everyone had a great morning.

The afternoon took us back to Turtle bay where there was time spent on the short game. The Pro/Am was in process on the course so no time for a practice round. Late in the afternoon, after the pro/am, I was able to get out to walk the back nine to become more familiar with the course. I enjoyed being on the course as the day came to an end and had a chance to check out some of the greens. Having walked many PGA events as a spectator I have always enjoyed walking the course backwards. You get to see the course from a different perspective as you think about the best way to approach each hole.

Thursday morning started with a warm-up on the range and practice green. Then it was off to play. By now we have a comfortable routine. We both calculate the distances and then we compare the numbers. As Angela says two heads are better than one. During the practice rounds as well as during the actual the tournament rounds I am tracking each shot with the club struck, the distance to the front of the green and the results if at the green. It is also important to note the wind especially this week at Turtle Bay. I also keep track of any comments that Angela makes about the shot and the results for future reference. And if I hear “Note to Self” then I know she really wants to hear that the next time we play that particular hole.

By the way the information tracking is only one aspect of the job. Let’s not forget that you have to keep up. When the player gets to their ball the clubs and caddie need to be there with the information and clean clubs ready to go. Then when you get to the green the caddy needs to clean the ball after the player has marked it, assist with any reads if the player asks and don’t forget the flag stick. For me this was initially the tricky part. The goal is for the flag to be in the hands of the caddie of the player that takes the last putt. This means the caddies have to work together and you will see the flag move from caddie to caddie. And did I forget to mention that if it is raining (or starts to rain like it did on the 4th green) then you need to cover the clubs as they cannot get wet, get the players rain gear as desired and assist with the umbrella. Never a dull moment.

Thursday’s round was interesting. Windy and wet during the morning made for a tough round. Angela played well and found herself in good shape after round one (1 under). Felt pretty good about the day from my standpoint. Not too many mistakes though I am continuing to learn every time I am out on the course. Not only what I need to do, but what Angela prefers. It is really important for the caddie to understand their player’s preferences. In Angela’s case that means never pointing out the hazards. She wants to remain focused on where to hit the ball, not where not to hit. (good lesson for us amateurs to think about) Positive thoughts only.

One of my mistakes included forgetting this simple rule. Unfortunately during the qualifier on Monday while playing the 9th (mid length par 5) the tee shot was pushed a little right towards the water hazard. Prior to leaving the tee I started to reach into the bag for another ball and she quickly told me not to do that. No bad vibes allowed as she planned on walking up and finding the ball that I thought might be in the water. Unfortunately it was wet, but she hit a great recovery shot, super chip and sank the putt to still make par. Positive thoughts!

There are a few simple rules that I decided to follow on my own. No extra balls in my pockets so there is no way I can make the mistake of giving her a different ball after cleaning it on the green. That would be a bad move. Likewise I turn off (completely) my cell phone and empty my pockets of anything that can make any noise (no coins). Also I am very careful about never walking close to her ball for concern about touching her ball which as her caddie would cost her a stroke. I am also very, very careful when looking for a ball in tall grass or a hazard for the same reason. Interestingly if you touch another players ball no foul, but ours would be costly.

And let’s not forget that while on the tee, in the fairway and around the green you must always be aware of the other players. Don’t want to stand in their line or cause any distraction for them. For the most part I have found the other players and their caddies we have played with to be very enjoyable. They understand the effort being made and appreciate that I have not done this a lot. The caddies in particular have really helped a great deal and watching the good ones work has been the easiest way to learn the best way to do things.

Friday we played our second round of the tournament in the afternoon. Well as we walked down the 10th fairway (our first hole of the day) the sky opened up. Have you ever seen horizontal rain? The winds were running a steady 35 to 40 mph with higher gusts and the rain would just start hitting you from the side. This continued for the entire round. Rain for 10 or 15 minutes and then stop for 20. Then start up again. Rain gear on and off, umbrella held horizontally to try to keep dry and don’t forget to keep the clubs dry. Some of the worse weather I have ever seen on the course, but at least it was not cold.

Unfortunately the scores went up along with the wind speed. As the caddie there is not much you can do other than keeping up and provide as much support as possible. It is hard to know what to say or not to say under these tough conditions. There is no question this is an area where having a full time caddie helps the player as they will know each other better.

Well we did not make the cut, but considering the conditions I was really proud of Angela’s play. But even more important is her great attitude. No complaints about getting the worse of the weather, but just excited to have the opportunity to play. We stayed around for the final round on Saturday to walk with Anna Grezbien (another player who had played in the Aloha Team Classic last October) who had made the cut and then the three of us headed back to Maui.

The next evening we all participated in a cocktail reception held by Beyond the Rainbow Foundation to introduce the grant recipients from the Aloha Team Classic . Angela was also introduced as the LPGA tour professional spokesperson for the Foundation during the evening and she shared her thoughts with the attendees about the work that the Foundation is doing “Helping Maui’s youth realize the promise of their future!”. (A short video about the evening. )

The next day the three of us played the Plantation Course and a great week comes to an end as Angela heads home and I go back to playing my own ball.







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To follow the experience as it continues be sure to follow this blog as future chapters will be posted soon. You will be able to read about the what it was like working with Angela during the US Open qualifier, working a Futures event, more about what the caddie is expected to do and much more.