Having taken a loop with a top North East looper this summer, I’ve learned a lot writes retired tour caddy Sean Russell
As a former tour caddy, a percentage-only deal is something I would never normally agree to. However, they say exceptions prove rules and so there I was on the first tee as Gosforth’s men’s team entertained Newcastle United in the Newcastle & District Golf League one late-July evening.
Tour caddies always look after each other and I had agreed to pick up the bag of Michael Burrow – caddy for Robert MacIntyre – for the pressure cooker match, though I’m sure it didn’t compare to the FedExCup Playoffs or Ryder Cup which Michael and Bob were preparing for in the weeks following.
In truth, we only teamed up for a laugh and a catch up, but weirdly once we got on the tee both of us went into tour caddy mode. It was all exactly the same as it would be in a tour event – yardage, wind, what’s it playing, where do we want this to land… and repeat.
Leaving aside that this is exactly what every amateur golfer should be saying to themselves ahead of every shot, being in that process allowed me to spend the rest of the night picking Michael’s brain for stuff that would be useful for caddying and playing in the future.
It was genuinely fascinating as pro golf has changed so much since I retired from full-time tour life in 2020. Today, data drives performance and dictates the gameplan for the week. Michael effectively gets a package every week telling him and Bob how they should play the course. It says which side of the fairways yield the most birdies, which holes to play safe on, historically which flags are red (don’t even think about going for them) and which are green (take aim), and a whole lot more.
While none of this is particularly applicable to the way you or I play golf, what was applicable was what Michael said about forgetting the conventional wisdom about short game being where you should focus – as the biggest gains are to be made off the tee. In the professional ranks, that’s where the biggest improvement in strokes gained can be made. For us, it means improve your tee shots and you’ll be in the trees or chipping out of the rough less often so your scores will come down.
Similarly, if you’re looking at your shot into the green and the pin is anywhere other than in the middle, just ignore the hole in favour of going for the middle of the green – that way you’ll not end up in bunkers or at the opposite end of the green as often and your scores will come down.
All that said, we didn’t follow that guidance on that particular Thursday night, but the result was never in doubt and I even got my percentage afterwards!
