Caddies Keep Hope Alive

If you’ve never played a round of golf with a veteran caddy on your bag, aspire to do so. It may cost a pretty penny, but the experience may prove priceless.
Having a caddy in tow to suggest where you aim, how hard to swing and which club to use won’t guarantee you a great score.
I learned that the hard way recently during a chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity to play the Golf Club of Georgia in a PartnershipsInAction charity event benefiting impoverished women and children in the Third World.
As luck would have it, the three other scheduled players in my foursome were no-shows. Unsettled a bit by their absence, I steered out toward the 15th tee of the glorious and intimidating course for the shotgun start alone.
But it wouldn’t be long before the burly, bearded caddy who introduced himself to me only as “Barlow” made his presence felt.
Barlow wound up blessing me with a lesson on wielding my wedges confidently that was more than worth the generous tip I palmed on him after the round. He recognized my natural fade after two holes and directed me accordingly; to the point where we were confounded on what shot to play once my swing with my new/used Si3 (9 degree) Ping drives straightened out and my trusty old copper Zing 5-iron found unprecedented punch.
I won’t bore you (unless you ask) with tales of how many ProV 1s I sacrificed to the mercilessly long and wide marshes that guard many of the GCG’s fairways. Nor will I complain about all my three-putt pratfalls on the private course’s swift, sloping and expansive greens.
“Barlow” had no control over the blustery (10-20 mph) winds that I’ll use for an excuse for my score. My solitary experience with him on one of the southeast’s finest tracks did, however, breathe rejuvenating life into my game.
Yours Truly (above): Photographed by "Barlow"