The Players entrance
I arrived Wednesday morning at the Players and had barely taken 10 steps off the media shuttle when a matter of blogoriffic proportions (yes, I just invented that word--use it if you dare) was thrust in front of me. A tour caddie, who must remain nameless because of possible retaliation, ripped into the working conditions the PGA Tour (which has historically displayed mostly a total disregard for caddies) has supplied here at the TPC.
The caddie's complaints were many. They've been bumped into a small, garage-sized room, and there are exactly two bathrooms--for more than 150 caddies. The food is apparently abysmal, too. Yesterday, the caddie said, there was a bin of what was supposed to be hash browns but in fact more closely resembled mush. The caddies have also been bumped out of their old parking lot, wedged between the entrance road and the first fairway, and into another lot across the road that isn't as close.
"The tour has always had nothing but contempt for us caddies," he told me. "But two bathrooms for 150 guys? That's ridiculous."
To add insult to injury, they are laboring in the shadow of a kajillion-dollar clubhouse that was brand new last year but includes no caddie hangout. And, they are fresh off the Wachovia Championship, where caddies get valet parking, first-class food and their own large tented villa and lounge. "And the tour wonders why guys like playing Wachovia?" the caddie asked. "Anytime the tour is in charge of an event, we always get screwed."
Welcome to Ponte Vedra Beach, fellas.
Posted by: MMC | May 8, 2008 11:52:11 AM
The point here is relevancy. Everybody else on a Tour event is treated grandly - from the players through the officials to the myriad corporate tents. Extravagance is everywhere!!
The caddies seems to miss out on the extravagance - and for the Tour to diss caddies is a black eye - they should know better
Posted by: TGS | May 8, 2008 11:12:16 AM
Here's the deal. I share a bathroom with OVER 150 people where I work! I'm not outside, looping for a professional golfer, on a more than pristine golf course and getting freebies at almost every tour stop! If that's one of the few things caddies can come up to complain about I have a hard time feeling too sorry for them.
Posted by: mjn | May 8, 2008 10:09:12 AM
Lighten up guys.
Of course caddying a winners bag is a great job.
The question is are they treated fairly.
Sounds like absolutely not.
Kind of pathetic that they made no accomodations for them in that 90,000 sft clubhouse.
Cheers
Posted by: Ian Perriman | May 8, 2008 2:03:24 AM
If what is stated being true, the caddies really have something to beef about; I really don't know whether players look after their caddies as in organising accom and so forth, but what has been described is astonishing; Caddies are also people too!! could there be a strike by Caddies?
Posted by: DJ | May 7, 2008 10:29:38 PM
Yeah, I guess that would suck. But let's see here: Your guy wins the $1.17 million first place check and you get 10% of that ($117,000). Yeah, I guess our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have it way easier then you, dude.
Pull your head out.
Posted by: CAH | May 7, 2008 1:53:41 PM
Regardless of the caddies complaints, I'd love to have a PGA players bag. Stop whining and be thankful for what you have.
Posted by: Cory Mackwood | May 7, 2008 11:37:11 AM
The Player is the caddie's employer and I would think they would work as a unit to make sure their bag men are well taken care of. Beef with them, they need to stand up for you.