Topic : Golfing

Two golfers stepped up to the first tee on the St. Andrews course at Ardsley, New York, one of America’s oldest courses. The elder one was a kindly man who played a thoughtful, deliberate game. The younger man was full of pride and impatience. On the first hole he sliced, lost his ball in the tall grass, shot another one, and had a score of eight instead of four or five. On the second tee he began to lecture the caddie: “Keep your eye peeled. I’m not here to do your job for you!” Thereafter, every bad shot was the caddie’s fault! At the end of the first nine holes, the young man was so enraged that he discharged the caddie and carried his own bag. “That caddie doesn’t like me,” he said to his companion, “ and I’m **** sure I don’t like him. He made me nervous. Thank God he’s gone!”

After several holes had been played without a word, the older player broke the silence: “Several years ago a little kid from Yonkers came up here and was taken on as a caddie. He was a wonderfully sweet-natured boy; quick-witted, willing, and had a nose for golf. Everybody liked him. His name was William; he had a club foot. But that didn’t affect his quality as a caddie. It was a pleasure to go out with him. A certain famous doctor, a member of the club, became interested in William and took him South on a long trip. When William returned, he went back to caddying. The doctor, however, had to give up golf shortly after that because of his health. He died a few months later. One morning I was playing a round with William carrying my bag. Spring was running riot all over Westchester County and the fields and hedges were alive with blossoms. William gathered flowers until he had quite a bouquet. ‘Who’s the girl, William?’ I asked. ‘I haven’t any girl, sir,’ he said sheepishly. ‘They’re for my friend, the doctor—twice a week I take flowers to his grave.’ “You see,” the man went on, “the doctor took him down South that winter and operated on his foot. He made the boy whole again. And William never forgot the doctor’s act of kindness.”

“Now that’s a caddie worth having,” the younger man said. “What ever happened to this William?”

“He carried your bag today for the first nine holes.”

Bits and Pieces, October, 1990