Going back to matching her ability on the course with the abilities required of a caddie, does Abby find herself offering swing thoughts to her golfer, as well as alignment tips, given that she is a pretty capable golfer herself? It must be difficult not to? “Sometimes, I will,” she says thoughtfully. “I can often gauge the kind of player I have and if they can appreciate the comment, then I will offer some ideas. However, sometimes you can get customers who don’t want a swing thought half-way round that’ll screw up their swing, whereas others I have given them tips and they’ll be like “Oh my God, that’s amazing.” How long does it take for Abby, in caddie mode, to get the measure of her golfer? “I’ve normally got it nailed by the third hole,” she says confidently. “I can tell you that I had Kenny’s bag nailed by the second hole (which says something for Kenny’s game, of course, and this can be seen in the film on the website which accompanies this article). So I can gauge it pretty quick. But, for a good caddie, there is nothing worse than having a very high handicap golfer and all you’re doing is handing them a hybrid all the way round the course. Are they getting the best experience from their caddie? Perhaps not. It’s actually worse when you’ve got golfers who use iron covers too, because it’s just one more thing to lose out on the course!” I laugh, but with a hint of trepidation as to what’s coming. “There’s nothing more embarrassing than when you’ve lost someone’s head-cover and you’re running back over the holes you’ve been playing to try and find it!”
The Gullane Girl | Read the full story in The Links Diary No.11
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