My tips have been consistent and poor this week. And I am beginning to think there may be an inverse relationship between them and the amount of effort given to the job. I mean Derek came off yesterday with a big smile as he’d received a hundred and ten quid having barely talked to his player the whole way round. Whereas I am doing my utmost to be cheery and positive and sociable. And this is falling flat as I’ve been getting the minimum sixty more often than not.
Yesterday was probably my worst and most stressful round to date. There was one guy I just didn’t like the look of. Kind of a fiery eyed highly coloured complexion chap who doesn’t do eye contact.
They were playing a texas scramble and I was the only caddie allocated to the group. So the idea is that the best drive is chosen each hole and they all play from that point. Thereafter they all play out their own ball.
There is another four in front playing and I guess there is a lot of money on this. Certainly there is an atmoshere of seriousness and these guys don’t look like they’re out to enjoy the scenery.
So I immediately begin to get slightly anxious. I’m in the firing line here. This is confirmed after they have all hit there third shots into the first green. I’ve got four guys at different positions on one of the most tricky greens on the course and they’re all asking me, in quick succession, to read their lines!! Shit. I am new to this and I’m a crap putter. I can’t read these greens yet and they think I’m Tiger Woods or something. This is not fair. I mean the fiery eyed guy has about a forty footer which looks like it has a double break, is downhill, and if he doesn’t get the right side of the first mound he could end up in a bunker! This could turn into a nightmare. I’m probably going to get paid sixty bucks and I’m going to have five hours of interrogation from four pretty unsavoury looking Americans.
Fortunately fiery eyes didn’t make a hash of the first and I miraculously gave the old chap a good read on the third whereby he somehow sank a ninety footer. My credibility was luckily enhanced and I somehow blagged it round the other holes. However I was a nervous wreck coming off the eighteenth and I tell you I earned my sixty bucks.