In this insightful episode of the Pull Hook Golf podcast, host Matt Cook sits down with experienced PGA Tour caddie David Gies to unravel the often overlooked yet critical role of a caddie in professional golf. David shares his journey from his early days in junior golf, his brush with professional play, and his eventual emergence into caddying, offering a first-hand account of the skills, tactics, and relationships that define the role.
The conversation delves deep into the challenges and triumphs of caddying at the highest level. From Gies’ maiden voyage at the Masters to the hustle required to maintain a job on the tour, this episode is enriched with the nuances of golf that enthusiasts rarely get to hear. Importantly, it highlights the evolving camaraderie between caddies and players, illuminating how Gies’ bond with Harrison Endycott transcends the course and becomes a cornerstone for success in high-stress situations.
About the Guest:
David Gies is a seasoned PGA Tour caddie with a rich history in the game of golf. Having started playing at a young age, Gies’ golf journey led him from competitive junior and collegiate golf to attempting a professional playing career. Despite not turning pro, he has made significant achievements, including playing in eight USGA events and making it to the quarters of the US Mid-Amateur. Gies’ caddie career kicked off remarkably at the Masters, where he caddied for US Mid-Am winner Kevin O’Connell and later transitioned to the PGA Tour, working with players like Johnson Wagner and now Harrison Endycott, the recent Q School Winner.
Key Takeaways:
* David Gies’ progression from a young golfer to a seasoned PGA Tour caddie encapsulates the demanding nature of the sport beyond the greens.
* The episode touches on the importance of caddie-player relationships, showcasing the dynamic between Gies and Harrison Endycott.
* Gies’ recounts managing situational pressure during tournaments, with strategies like focusing on hitting shots to 20ft to maintain the lead at Q School.
* There is discussion around the lifestyle and behind-the-scenes work that caddies undertake, from course strategy to handling challenging bags on off-tours.
* The conversation navigates the complexities and community opinions regarding Live Golf and the potential implications for caddies and players alike.
Welcome back everybody to P hook golf the podcast I’m your host Matt Cook and today we have an awesome guest another PGA Tour caddy David gase is on with us who is the current caddy of Q School winner Harrison Endicott but before we do dive in today’s episode which is all
Going to be about the caddy today uh we do want to give a special thanks to swanes golf everybody go to swan. use that promo code that we have which is p hook golf 25 for 25% off your entire order got the swan’s gear on today just
Like always on the show and uh I mean if you’ve noticed I’ve worn these hoodies quite a bit this is the Camden hoodie it is the best thing that I I just love it from swanie so once again use promo code pull hook golf 25 at checkout for 25% off your enti
Order all right here we go David let’s get right into it man let’s talk a little bit to get started about your golf Journey so not necessarily cading but tell me a little bit about how you got into the game of golf and uh where golf has led you in terms of
Playing uh you know I started playing when I was young probably seven eight my dad was a big golfer but not he wasn’t in the business or anything and once I started showing some interesting got kind of decent at it he got into the golf buiness so it’ be cheaper and
Easier for me to do it um I played up until junior golf into college and went to North Alabama played two and a half years there didn’t uh do too great with academics but uh still I still try to play competitively a little bit I haven’t probably in a year though but uh
I’ve played eight USGA events I’ve made the quarters of the US midam I’ve I’ve done some things but nothing that I try to turn pro didn’t work out and then uh that’s my quick story of golf yeah and doing a little bit of prep work ahead of
Time I did notice you are quite the player and have played in quite a few USGA events so that’s pretty cool that you’ve had that experience now I will tell you I was the same way when I went to Grand Canyon Grand Canyon University it’s always a mouthful to get that one
Out I wasn’t heavy in the school don’t tell anybody but uh I don’t know how I got a degree but they ended up giving it to me anyways I guess U the power of the golf program so to speak um so I feel you
There now how far did you I mean did you ever try to play mini tour stuff like that or was it always kind of staying in the amateur ranks I actually I had the I never had the mindset I was good enough so I I kind of just stuck with the am stuff
Because I I was pretty realistic with my own game and uh I worked at qu Hollow for almost 10 years terrible place and they afforded me the yeah awful place and they afforded me the opportunity to play in practice and I would travel with members and play
These cool clubs and it just never really it never really thought to turn pro and then right a couple years before Co somebody made an offer to pay for me to go to Latin Q school and I had a bunch of funding behind me had I made it
But I missed by two twice and I just Co hit and opportunities came and I mean opportunities left because of Co and it just kind of lost interest for a bit okay just with playing golf with uh with foam and cups and cups raised and just
Wasn’t that fun so I uh I kind of stopped but in between that um Co and a couple years prior I had CAD for a friend in the US midam and he went on to win so that was kind of my start into it so I I kind of
That kind of helped me stop playing a little bit or encouraged me to stop playing a little bit but I still goty to play it as much as I can it’s funny whenever I have a caddy on the show I’m always kind of listening for the demeanor because I’m like every caddy
That’s on the PGA tour that I’ve spoken with interviewed or had on as a co-host I’m just like man you guys have a vibe that it’s just like chill calm like and those end up being the really good ones because you have that vibe that kind of
Brings the player kind of back down to reality in pressure situation and so for so I get it but so you end up cing for this gentleman uh and then from there winning an AM tourn or the what what did you say the Amer was he won the US midam
So it got him in like Masters in US Open and so I do head first into the cad and my first professional event was the [Laughter] Masters that’s insane now how did that lead to you becoming a PGA Tour caddy so I mean I see he had some success um and
I still played after that I still played mid am events and and am events um and like I said I went to Q School twice and when Co hit um Johnson Wagner’s a member at Quail where I was working and his caddy had just left for another player I
Believe was a situation I was like hey I’ll go caddy for you and he’s like yes so for my first tournament for a tour player was in the middle of Co so that’s kind of how I got the PJ tour aspect of it and I couldn’t have picked a better
Start it was with a veteran that I didn’t have to do much I just kind of carried the clubs and kept him company now I know a lot of people are going to get upset for me for just skipping over the fact that your first event was the
Masters so I do have to go back because I’m like yeah we kind of need to talk about this for a second first tournament at the Masters now had you ever been to Augusta National before that I’ve been very fortunate been a few times uh
Living two hours away and I’d been a ton actually there you go so there wasn’t the sh there for the first time right no and and fortunately too like I’m sure you know when once you qualify for the Masters they give you a certain amount of trips there to play and practice
Whatever and Uh I that was the first time I’d been outside of a tournament week so I did get to go check it out prior to the Masters which was nice that’s pretty cool now being on that that first tea box at the Masters in your white caddy
Babe how terrifying is that or let me put it this way how much pressure or nerves are there just being a caddy on that first te honestly the most nerves I felt we were on the putting green one morning it might have been Tuesday and tiger rolled up with laava and I’m I’m
Like I i’ I’ve obviously seen tiger play up close and personal and he walks on on the green there’s just no Ora about him especially when you’re a big fan and I the kid I was catting for Kevin okono I was like hey let’s see if he wants to
Play a practice round he’s like I’m not asking him why don’t you ask laava and I’m like I’m not asking laava so that was the most nervous and kind of scared I was but on the first year it really isn’t that bad you kind of it’s such a
Cool place you kind of have a calming a calmness to you I don’t know it’s it’s a weird feeling I thought I’d be nervous but I was not all good that that’s it to me I’m just like man putting myself in your shoes and there does there’s an aura to
It right that I mean just the environment and everybody’s around you on that first T box it’s just I’ve been to the master I’ve been lucky enough to be down there for a few years um and during the Jordan spe era of him uh losing to Bubba than winning and then
Essentially losing because of hole number 12 so yep it been there for that what ended up so you got your break into being a PGA toour caddy uh for Johnson Wagner where did it go from there so how didd you end up getting on Harrison’s back so Johnson uh went went pretty much
A full season with him he was playing off I want to say he was off 126 to 150 category which limited starts um and then the second year I worked for him he was playing off pass champion and we had we had a couple starts and he was
Starting to play a little better he’d been working hard in his game and leading up to Puerto Rico he went down to Kusa Pines in Naples Florida and uh he injured his knee in flipping a golf cart which for all intents and purposes for all intents and purposes stopped his
Career um so in the middle of July he basically told me he’s like hey I’m not going to play much my brother’s going to caddy for me so I reached out to a friend of mine who’s an agent um Matt broom and he happened to be Harrison’s
Agent um and he hooked me up with him in July of 21 I guess it was okay so we had maybe seven events left on couron fery and he finished the season strong got his card and then just kind of stuck with him that’s pretty sweet now getting on
The cor fery tour how different is it than being on the PGA tour uh it it is night and day it’s it’s you don’t want to be out there as a player I think you’ll they’ll say as well you’re you’re playing that tour to get off that tour
And I think it’s kind of the same mindset as a cadd you’re you’re trying to either hopefully take somebody to the tour and they bring you with them or take a step down with confidence in somebody and I mean it’s tough because a lot of I mean caddies are are very
Expendable so you could get a guy to the tour and you might not have a job two weeks later that’s so true I mean I’ve had Bobby Brown and um so legendary PJ tour caddy caddy for Dustin Johnson and his son Daniel Gregory Caddy’s on the corn fairy tour
And has been there for a while and each player that he had coming up through that he was on the bag for for all corn fairy tour wins all of a sudden they make it onto the PJ tour and they’re like hey man I’m going with Lance
Bennett I’m going with X Y and Z caddy so Pearson C is his first guy that he is that Pearson is is bringing him up into the PGA Tour so it’s interesting but that Carousel of caddies and it goes around and around and around it feels
Like to where guys you know if they start start playing poorly they’re like hey I’m going to need to make a change I want this I’m looking for that or even if they start playing really well like even look at ludvig oberg yeah all of a sudden um stealing away Tom Kim’s caddy
So that type of stuff happens too so this caddy world it is crazy on the PGA tour but I do want to take a step back I want to ask you about Q School especially this year where your guy won it Harrison Anda wins Q school but it
Was a crazy Q School um to begin with with all the weather and everything and not being able to finish so one of the days got rained or the final round got rained out but what was it like caddying through Q school was this your first ATT
First time cading through it all it was and and honestly leading into it it was a weird situation because he had finished 138 on the FedEx Cup last year so in our minds going into it we had 126 to 150 status which in prev last year
Would have got 24 starts so we had the mindset hey we’re still going to get 15 to 20 starts let’s go out and kind of play free and hindsight I mean it was a huge week and he it was good because he went into it with the attitude I’m the best
Player in this field they’ve never had status I have status currently what do I have to lose why not go out there and just prove that I’m the best player out here and for four days I mean or I guess five he had that attitude he he
Dominated really it was it was never in doubt it wasn’t I mean he had the 54 hole lead and then final round gets rained out I mean and the clubs behind me here Saw Grass country club now was s grass Country Club was that the final
Round no Valley corset at TC gotcha so this was one of the rounds though right there was two and two yeah and it was and Sass as you know it’s brutal it’s sress country comes as hard as it gets especially when it’s windy that’s for
Sure so going through a rain delay in Q school with all that now granted yeah he he had status already kind of just wanted to go out prove himself out there as the best player in Q school but how do you you know keep him entertained so
To speak through an entire sitting on the lead by the way so not only is he sitting on the lead but now he’s got an entire day where it’s rained out you got to wait till the next day in order to play and finish up to see if you can win
It I mean what what’s your job there as the caddy so we were staying together that week and we’ve become pretty pretty good friends and uh so that was full of Family Guy in South Park sitting at the house I mean it was it was great weather
We we thought about going to uh Top Golf and I was like dude we don’t want to hit golf shots just it’s a day off it’s we’re not doing anything um then we went to we did some lunch and just we ate at the same restaurant every night for
Dinner too so oh not superstitious at all H typically no but that week it was easy to get to it was easy it was good food I mean it was uh why not why change the recipe if it’s working definitely not now what was the meal of choice at that restaurant
Every night so it Sushi every night this restaurant called oku um in jackonville beach so funny story the only the only we actually did not eat there one night and the reason is so we we get there like 4:55 the place opens at 5 doors are
Unlocked walk in we’re like hey uh are youall open yet and they’re like no not yet uh five minutes we’re like okay can we just sit at the bar and wait like no you need to sit outside and we were like No And it’s raining I was like no we’re
Going to go somewhere else thank you though sit outside in the rain yeah no like just let us come in grab a drink at the bar jeez you know they they lost business that night yeah something something other than outside in the rain that sounds terrible uh so obviously you did
Something right with watching South Park and Family Guy and going to the same restaurant every day because [ __ ] you guys end up going out and I mean he showed that he was the best player player out there and that final round was not easy I mean that was a drenched
Golf Course and there was a lot of wind as I recall yeah it was I mean it blew probably 20 all day um and he I mean he’s he’s an Australian kid he plays in the wind and when he’s playing well he’s as good a ball Striker as there are
There is and he hits a lot of flush shots so it’s playing in the wind I feel like he’s in an advantage usually and basically we got to the first team I was like why don’t we treat this round like Tiger Woods in his prime we hit every
Shot to 20t they have to chase you they’re going to make mistakes if we can’t make if we don’t make any mistakes they can’t beat you and the whole day just he kept hit it to 20 feet and when he hit it crooked he would chip it to a
Foot and tap it in and I mean it was it was pretty flawless I was I was very impressed with his uh his final round game there one of the toughest things to do is to close out a tournament when you have a big lead talked about this
Numerous times on this podcast that that sometimes can be more daunting than falling asleep or going to bed with a one-hot lead because you know you need to go out there and play where versus trying to hang on right that that tends to be the entire momentum killer is when
You just go out there to hang on where it’s awesome that you created that game within a game or a tournament within a tournament of hey let’s go out there let’s put it to 20 ft on every single hole make them chase and I love that because you actually gave him a
Challenge of what to do rather than just trying to hang on yeah and and as I don’t know if you played the valley course or not but there’s trouble everywhere so it it’d be really easy to start seeing yourself go sideways especially in that kind of win
Too do you imagine all of a sudden you’re not hitting it so solid and all of a sudden that wind starts playing a big factor [ __ ] I wouldn’t want to be in that situ that’s why I don’t play anymore exactly I’ve called it quits finally for good about to turn 40 and
I’m like you know maybe I’ll give it one last shot and then I got Co at the beginning of the year and it ended up being long covid and I’m like no I couldn’t even go and like swing a golf club to practice I’m just like too damn
Old for this man these guys are too damn good then everybody on tour this year is just absolutely crushing it in terms of new names popping up guys are just playing unbelievable Golf and that’s one of the cool things to see is that we have this new kind of influx of talent
That’s coming up and through the PGA Tour you guys one of them to which it’s just awesome to see and awesome to get some of these fresh new names now a lot of fans don’t feel the same way about it they’re like I want to see my Ricky
Fowler I want to see my Jordan speeds of the world up at the top of the leaderboard and I understand that aspect as well but I do want to ask you I mean have you seen any and I’m not going to get on a soap box here because a lot of
People know how I feel about the PGA Tour and promotion um of players and building them up and so forth but did you see any type of buildup around Harrison from winning Q School not not really I mean because he had already been out there a year um if
You talk to a lot of people that know him he’s kind of had the next upand Comer status okay since he was a kid because I mean he’s he was a world beater in Amateur Golf he uh junior golf leading into amateur golf he was a world
Beater and I think he was maybe two or three in the world uh in amateur rankings and turn pro pretty quickly but yeah there there’s no no real Buzz around him after wi in Q school but I think that’s mainly because he I mean he
Had a year off I don’t know I mean he had already played a year got it now what is this conditional status like because and granted he doesn’t really I mean would you call it conditional status with winning Q school I know it’s the first time they have allowed the top
Five guys to make it back on the PGA tour because it used to just be for a 10-year stretch or so I was talking about this with Kevin stelman we he didn’t even realize that this year five guys were basically getting their PGA Tour cards from Q school because it’s
Been so long you would just go and play on corn fairy tour but what type of status has he been given for winning Q school so they tell him they tell him his full status when you when he graduate from Q School um in typical
Year like last year I think he was there were 50 cards 25 from the season and then 25 from corn Fair finals and I think we were 41 coming off of a corn fairy and like obviously you have the fall at the start of the season so it
Made things different but you would get Sony for sure you’d get pretty much everything except waste management at the beginning of last year um this year we we’re nowhere close at Sony I think we’re 10th alternate obviously we were nowhere close to any of the Signature
Events cuz you had play your way in we didn’t get Waste Management it wasn’t even I mean we were 30th alternate jeez and then we didn’t even get we didn’t even get cognizant so we had to do the Monday qualifier following Mexico and that’s technically with full status yeah
So it’s been a a really weird year and honestly the next three we wouldn’t have gotten bpar Houston and Valero if it wasn’t for the tour extending the fields wow so before the first reshuffle had they not extended fields we would have got actually they extended Tory Pines as
Well so we would have got AMX barely we would have got Mexico and Puerto Rico leading up to the Masters so we’ have got three starts had they not extended Fields so full status isn’t necessarily uh full status because guys are playing why wouldn’t you yeah it it’s to 50 is too
Important it’s just crazy that you can claim its full status when you can’t get into the majority of the events yeah and that’s that’s kind of been our argument I mean and you would think and I I get it the corn Fair guys played a full season I don’t expect winning Q
School to go ahead of guys that play a full season but winning should have some type of reward and I don’t I don’t think that was anything you would think maybe players or something throw us a bone or something but I mean all you can do is
Go play good golf it takes care of everything that it does I mean that that that does come kind of come down to the bottom line where hey you go out you dig it in the dirt so to speak like tiger says and uh you go out there and make
Your way it’s not like it’s given to you but man it’s just weird the entire setup and all the changes that have been made because like this year in particular like you said last year would have been in all these events like this like Sony like Waste Management Open and now this
Year it’s like can’t even get in to those events having full status and I was talking with Lance Bennett about that um on the a couple months ago when he was on Austin smotherman’s bag before ultimately taking tiger woods’ bag which uh he’s out there at sass uh this week
As we’re recording this uh during the players championship week but you got a little story about uh Mr Lance Bennett which uh he was giving you some [ __ ] down there in Mexico this year at the Mexico open and uh I want to hear a little bit about that well not
Necessarily any [ __ ] this this year in Mexico so one of the first first uh or was that last year J no it was it was working for Johnson it was like the third event I’d ever C so um I honestly like first to admit I had no idea
Etiquette stuff as caddy goes um so on the night pole at Wells Fargo my home home tournament basically and we’re playing with MAV mcneel and at the time Lance is with Scott Harrington okay and both of them hit in the bunker on nine green side I clean Johnson’s ball I go
To the back lay the bag down grab the flag and both of them come out of the bunker and the courtesy is to hey your guys on the green clean either Rake The Bunker or clean the balls on the on the green well I’m not paying attention at
All I have no idea I’m supposed to do that and Lance is like hey Dave we need your help here and I’m like what the what the [ __ ] did I do I got no idea and Johnson is as good as he is will stick up for anybody as we’re walking off he’s
It’s nice as can be but he’s like Lance what was that he’s like we clean the balls he needs to he needs to help out here and for the longest time I was like man that guy hates me I I’m never going to get along with that guy he hates me
And then the next year at Mexico where we play the little caddy Par 3 and Lance is paired with me and we’ve gotten along since it’s it’s uh it’s been a cool relationship I mean somebody had to tell me I’m a I’m a rookie I got I know
Nothing and no you got the veterans got to say something find your way right yeah I mean that’s what’s cool about it is like I no Lance through he’s been on multiple times and uh good dude but he is somebody that will bust your balls a little bit about stuff like that which
That’s great though that like there’s some guys and I’ve heard this through the grape Von and so forth that there’s some guys that like literally will hold a grudge over something as small as that and it’s cool to see that like having a veteran caddy kind of busting your balls
A little bit showing you the way is it’s a cool thing for them to do and at the same time it’s also probably a little bit of fun for them too just to be like hey rookie rookie caddy ABS it’s the same thing too with players uh you see rookie player doing something
That is kind of frowned upon these old are somewhat grumpy they they’re going to tell you how it is they’re they’re like hey this is not how things operate here but you’re not gonna learn if nobody tells you exactly that’s why I love that story from you about Lance and
Um and I didn’t what’s what’s funny is you and I were chitchatting about it uh beforehand and I’m like I didn’t realize that this goes back to the Johnson Wagner days which makes a lot more sense now because I’m like okay that’s uh you know you’re very new at that point and
You’re coming in cading on tour I mean I I can’t imagine I was actually talking about this with a buddy of mine who he caded on the DP World Tour for a couple events and I’m just like man what is it like because I I interview PJ tour
Caddies I’ve thought about cading for guys before and I’m just like I just haven’t really done it I’ve done it at the amateur ranks and I’m like I wouldn’t even know where to begin even though I’ve played I’m like and I like the math is what scares me the most of
Like trying to Pace out yardages and be like trying to do a math equation here I’m like yeah no I don’t I don’t think I could do that is there ever a time where you have just been stuck and you’re like wait a second am I giving him the right
Number right now I do it every round I mean I think you need to sub in for me one time because uh so my guy is in meters but he doesn’t use a meters book so we use a yards book so I Pace off The
Yards I give him the number I convert it to meters he has a chart but I’ve got it memorized at this point so for example like 162 front I know is 147 M so I’ll tell him the number and I have to wait for him to come through and check his
Chart so yeah I mean every time I give him a number I go like he’ll be going through his routine I open the book real quick and like all right I think I got it right okay I got it right all right if I’m ever gonna Sub in just make sure
It’s a non-important event yeah get ready to do some conversions so and that see I don’t know if I could do that I’m just I don’t I I might need like my iPhone to be like hey Siri can you uh go ahead and convert this for me to meters please like I and
You can’t use a cell phone right no I didn’t think so I don’t think so yeah I don’t either that’s why I mean he’s got a little cheat sheet in his in his book so it helps him but I I never got that I
I know the first week I worked for him I was in the hotel with white out and a marker changing every number in the book because he wouldn’t let me use a meter book so I was like I’m not going to mess this up this week and unfortunately I
I’ve not done that since because I I think I’ve got the conversions down see Bob Bobby Brown was good because he he first he was catting for SEIU then he cading for sunj and by the time that he recently was caddying for sh Kim he he
Does everything in meters now so like I couldn’t even talk to him we were out there at the Shriners and I was walking with him in sh and I kept looking at the foresight launch monitor that I kept putting down for sh and I’m like what
What the hell are these numbers I’m like yeah it didn’t hit me till probably at least seven h in that it was in meters I completely forgot and I’m just looking I’m like man he’s in it really short but it seems to be going a long way I’m like
What’s going on here so and on the same thing like on part three T’s when everybody’s around and I’ll spit out numbers and he’ll spit them back and uh oh so we carry at 162 and guys that don’t know he’s in meters will look over
Like damn he’s way off it’s like n we we’re in meters so he’ll tell people like hey just so you know we’re in meters don’t get confused well and now it actually makes even more sense that I’m thinking back to the foresight deal and Kevin Streelman we we ended up
Catching up with him um on the 10th or 11th hole or on the 10th hole we we started playing the practice round with him and sure enough he’s like hey can you leave that down for me is it okay if I hit a couple shots and see my numbers
On foresight and he kept looking down with a little bit weird of a look and I’m like I it it didn’t dawn on me until we were just talking about this I don’t know why but now I understand why had a confused look on his face but uh yeah he
Was probably damn I’m head it short all of a sudden what happened exactly now we do have a special swanie segment here on the show now a quick word from our sponsor swanes is here with a fresh take performance-based materials are a given these days but if you’re looking for the
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Their drive another 15 yards premium looks from top to bottom at swan. this is where we go over a little bit of style action and uh I can already tell via the the Rope hat you got on you got some style you definitely you got the flow going too which is great now
And I’m jealous of that CU I used to have it in college my wife won’t allow me to grow it back out she’s like you don’t wear hats enough and I’m like honey this is all I do I wear hats all the time now she’s like absolutely not
So I’m jealous but what kind of style are you rocking out there as a caddy so some guys they like to rock the Jordans others are Nike Air Max U 90 type of guys like where do you fall within the style and I mean I’m starting with
Sneakers but you can go anywhere with this we’ll start sneakers I typically wear the little high top uh on clouds they’re not necessarily for walking but they to me they look good so that’s my go-to shoe um I try to wear whatever Harrison wears as far as brand goes and
Right now he’s bad birdie but uh if I if I can wear a hoodie I’m going to wear a hoodie I mean it’s even if it’s borderline too hot I’m still going to wear a hoodie and always is a rope hat so yeah uh the Hat I’ve got on now it’s
A Charlotte beer shop that I go to been frequenting for almost 15 years now but since I couldn’t get paid to wear V bar at Q school this was the Hat I rocked all week and the guy that runs the place knows zero about Golf and he had uh he
Had the golf going all week at Q school because of the hat so I have to give him a little shout out that’s so dope I love that uh Ju Just represent the local Brands man I absolutely and I I comment or I complimented you on that hat at
Before we hopped on this podcast recording and I’m like dude dope hat like that is it’s a sick hat Yeah man so you got the clouds going you got you got to have a rope hat I get that cuz you got the flow going on and a hoodie and a hoodie
So [ __ ] I I feel like I would be doing the same thing other than the flow um now what is your take on caddies with separate clothing deals from their player so this kind of a new thing going on right now Willie Willcox being one of
Them with uh he’s he’s malbun and uh his guy sunjay is a titlist guy fo joy and uh you know I I wonder is there a conflict there like what are you hearing from inside the ropes anything I I don’t think there’s a conflict unless it’s written in the player’s contract that
The cad has to wear what they wear which I mean not to be greedy but if the player has that in their contract I’d be kind of asking to at least be compensated a little bit yeah give me some money baby but if you’re not required to wear it then I
Mean why wouldn’t you take a little bit extra money I mean I mean it’s just it why not I just don’t see any any reason not to an alpha player obviously says hey I don’t think you should this is what I think you should wear I mean you
Can maybe have an argument with him and ask for more money but I I just think you kind of have to say yeah sounds good boss Let’s uh I’ll stick with what whatever I need to do I think where this is all head yeah I think this is where
It’s all heading where caddies are and they’ve been overlooked for so long and now it’s finally and we’ll get into live golf in a in a little bit but it’s partially because of how Liv started taking care of CES and words started getting back to
Some of the guys on tour and then it’s like okay then all of a sudden I noticed that through talking with guys that PJ tour really stepped up their game when it came to caddies and you guys are starting to be looked at more and more
So as a staple as part of the team not so much as oh you know what I’ve picked up this caddy in the parking lot today because he was out there hustling um or knows the golf course it’s like you guys are building teams now and that has
Become a very important thing so it makes more and more sense that Cades get a little bit more um showtime in terms of being on air where you’re miked up per se having those conversations with the player and then also getting some brand deals as well I think that’s where
Everything is starting to head that’s why I want to ask you I’m like are you hearing anything around that from inside the ropes are guys pissed off about it are guys excited about it uh that’s the type of stuff that you know a lot of people don’t hear about so
It’s cool that uh you know you’ve got that take on it I wouldn’t think anybody would really be mad about it if they are then that’s that’s shows who they are more than anything but um lot of jealousy out there David yeah but like like you said
I mean the cadd is on if you’re guys in contention the cadd on TV a lot I mean it helps these companies too like why wouldn’t you pay somebody to wear your hat or a logo on the sleeve that you could see instead of the bib
And I mean and as you mentioned too the team talking if you talked to a lot of Veteran guys back in the day it was more hey I’ll be there at six o’clock I’ll see you at 6 you play your round of golf hey see you tomorrow at 6 and that was
The end of the day now like guys are close like when I worked for Johnson me and him are really close friends we’ve been friends for a decade and basically he he told me before we started he’s like hey we’re not staying together we might do dinner once a week um that’s
Just the way it is and now with Harrison like I didn’t know I met him the first time the week I CED for him and I bet you we do dinner six nights a week because it’s when we finish it’s like hey what do you want to do for dinner
Yeah so I mean I think the how close guys are with their caddies has changed significantly in the last five even to 20 years couldn’t agree more and I think they’ve seen success too from previous caddies that have been super close with their players and had great success
Because of it and kind of leaning on the caddy sometimes for practice routines and things along those lines as well um so I do want to ask you real quick in regards to that I know it wasn’t on our show notes but I I you it just popped
The question into my head how do you go about kind of when you go to approach a golf course is there anything that you’re doing for Harrison that you’re like hey man this is what we should be looking at or you kind of letting him do
His thing I know a lot of guys spend a ton of Time Around The Greens during the practice rounds so he does I let him do most of his own stuff as far because he see the guy’s unbelievably talented he I mean he sees some shots that I just
Don’t see but on the other side there’s some shots that I feel like he’s so good like you have to have this shot because I have this shot but then on the golf like doing prep work my biggest thing is just finding the are there holes where
Short Sid’s better than not that that’s my biggest thing because most of the time at least with him you’re playing to the fat part of the green and just conservatively aggressive and if we can find a a hole that doesn’t necessarily seem like we need to go at it but we
Know that short side’s okay that’s that’s huge for me I just I want to know where the short side good misses are love that just get a little bit more aggressive on some what seemingly tucked Flags yeah makes sense now I’m going to put you on the caddy hot seat so take a
Good good Swig of that because this is where it’s going to get tense all right these are going to be rapid fire questions here for you toughest bag you’ve had to date this could it doesn’t even have to be a pro toughest bag oh man I actually caded
Yesterday at qu Hollow and I mean these guys are they’re 25 handicaps and they would argue with every single read and yes there’s one in particular I don’t know if you’re familiar with Quil the 14th hole oh yeah driveable par 4 Green is going hard to
The water this guy hits his fourth shot 15 feet past he’s like this goes left right and I said No it’s it’s a foot right to left this goes right and I’m like dude I’ve played here a thousand times I’ve catted here a thousand times it goes right and he just he couldn’t
Get it out of his head and on the next toll he drives it in the water then I’m foring ahead he said that go in the water yes it went in the water are you did you see it go in the water I’m like no I’m lying to you
But that those are the toughest bags it Pros are easy that’s incredible and you’re spot on I I caddied when I played college golf for some money used to CAD it Silver Leaf out here in Scottdale and then also at Arizona Country Club and yeah there were those guys that were
Just like are you sure cuz you know they they’ve got that ego to where they’re just like I don’t see that that’s not going to do that and you’re like all right just don’t trust me hit it your way and let’s see the ball Miss sure enough and then they’re like all right
I’m going to start listening to you and then they still have a tough time not coming through and listening to you at all but it’s like yeah it’s just so that sounds like a rough day yesterday glad that happened to you yesterday and not uh player well I’m very accommodating
When I’m there because they they’ve been so good to me I can go out there and practice and play and I was I was actually practicing yesterday and I was on the putting green and my old boss comes he’s hey we’re short to caddy can you caddy I’m like absolutely like I
I’ll go I’ll jump in there they’re too good to me so I have to be accommodating love that now what’s the hardest thing about cading on the PGA tour and you cannot say converting to met to the metric system that’s easy that’s easy stuff uh to me it’s when when it’s not
Going well not showing emotion not being able to like when I have a caddy and I’m playing B I don’t mind if you give me [ __ ] and tell me hey let’s go some guys like you just leave them alone like let let them sulk I mean that that’s the
Hardest part you don’t you can’t always say what you want to say especially at the pro level where you say the wrong thing it might be the last week you work so I’ve heard a few of those stories yeah that does happen okay all right yeah adaptability got to
Know your player all right what advice would you give to someone looking to become a caddy on the PGA tour man I think Aaron fleiner touched on it one time on a podcast I mean you gotta grind you just got to whether it means go chase Monday qualifiers or go
To a corn fairy event and stand in the parking lot I know you’re going to lose money but I mean that unless you know somebody I was very fortunate I did but I see that obviously the best Avenue is knowing somebody but if you want if you really
Want it you have to go you have to chase it I mean it’s just like playing you have to chase it good answer and if you don’t you just you just and you see guys that that have been doing it for 10 years they the same guys they chase the
Mondays and they’re eventually they’re going to get their break you you hope but you got to grind gotta grind got got to put in the hard work what’s the toughest day of the week for a caddy on the PGA tour oo probably a Monday proam
Because it’s usually a 5 and a half hour day you’re there all day you want to do prep work too I I would say Monday Monday especially especially I mean if if your guys playing the Monday pram it typically means you missed a cut the previous week Andor you are rushing to
Get to that spot so I mean it’s just you’re already tired and then you’re dealing with five and a half hours on the golf course and really in the proam you’re just staying out the cad staying out of the way let let the pro entertain and if you can entertain as a caddy
Great and it’s more a better experience for the players but yeah it’s a It’s a Grind on Monday okay all right and is there a particular tournament or golf course you haven’t yet worked but hope to in the future I’ve never been a waste management I think that would be be up
There no no Waste Management huh this year was aacle but that’s what I heard obviously any of the majors are going to be at at the top of the list I mean an Open Championship would be incredible any any of the open championships I don’t care what been you
I’m with you on that I I would actually because I haven’t been over and I’ve got one of my best friends he grew up at St Andrews like literally like five minutes up the street got his PGA card through St Andrews and I still have yet to go
Over there but I could only imagine in the Open Championship at St Andrews it would just be insane I agree so we played Scottish open this year and um we stayed right there at North barck and we uh I got fortunate to play North barck which is quickly in the top three that
I’ve ever played it was awesome and then we missed the cut so we went over to St Andrews I have a buddy as well that he’s the head pro at Glenn Eagles okay and we didn’t get to we didn’t get to play the old course but we played Jubilee and we
Got a perfect Scottish day was blowing 35 and nasty and I just I fell I love that you called that a perfect day perfect Scottish day blowing hard 30 miles an hour perfect it was yeah it was good that is UN but I fell in love with
Scotland Scot man I fell in love with Ireland when I went over to Ireland and played along the coastline that was insane too I think Ireland’s underrated in terms of the golf that is over there but at the same time I haven’t been to Scotland forgive me for saying that so
Uh I know everybody I got to get over there I got to play but let’s get into a little that you made it through the hot SE the caddy hot seat and I mean the answers were Flawless so well done there um but now we got to get into a little
Bit of the Hot Topic which has been going on for the past couple years if you’re not exhausted by this yet um folks then uh yeah we’re just going to keep keep riding it until it dies but uh live golf now a lot I obviously I’ve
Spoken with a lot of caddies and there’s a lot of big opinions around live golf and by the way I’ve got some caddy friends that uh you know have been on the program that are over in live golf that uh share quite a bit of information
As well but that being said where do you stand and this can just be a general opinion live go I’m happy to dive in I mean I’ve never been a fan of live golf the format anything about it I’m a huge Golf Nut I love watching golf I’ve turned live on a
Couple times I just don’t like the 54 hole shotgun it’s just it reminds me of junior golf honest all honesty on the other end of that fair I don’t I don’t knock any player that takes money to go play golf it’s hard to knock and I have I’m
Friends with Harold I’ve grown up with him and I I don’t knock his decision I mean you do what’s best for you and it’s just that’s what it is but my biggest gripe and I’ve talked to you about it the the live fans on Twitter and I’ve
Had to delete my personal one that I I just can’t do it because I get too heated but at the end of the day you just got to know they’re not real people they’re they just want to watch the world burn oh it’s so true it’s so true it’s
One of my pet peeves and then you know a lot of them got on me not that long ago because they’re like well the PGA Tour Fanboys or or the they also call Pro PGA Tour accounts PGA Tour only fans I’m like you know at least they know what
They’re talking about though like that’s my problem with the live golf accounts is that they’re delusionally bad like they just don’t so often they’re just so off in terms of their knowledge around the game of golf it’s like okay if you’re going to be a burner account if
You’re going to be a hater if you’re going to be a bot for one of these Brands like you got to know your [ __ ] and that’s my biggest argument with those accounts they don’t know Golf and I ran into one recently that he didn’t even know what match play was it’s like
That’s insane yeah I mean it’s like you’re not you’re not a golf F you’re just you see this new product and if growing the game is the goal you’ve created some new fans they allbe it some interesting ones but back to I I gave it
A ton Anthony Kim’s first week I mean I watched I know you did as well I mean Anthony Kim’s like a blast from my past like I remember his first week at Quail he’s a myth it’s a magical myth yeah so I mean I tuned in for all three days and
And honestly they’re telecast is great I mean they they show golf uh yeah they do a good job with the bro what but let me stop you there because I watched it from the very beginning and I used to have to mute it because the broadcast team was
So bad then farity came in I started listening a little bit but he was the only one that was like staying true to himself like Jerry fult and Grant granted I’ll give uh what’s his face um oh I can’t think of his damn name off the top of my head the soccer
Broadcaster he was he’s actually on Ted lasso which when I pointed this out to Bobby it just threw him for a goddamn Loop he just couldn’t process the fact that uh is it Arlo um oh gosh there’s Don Boule which he’s the encourse guy now they boo they moved him out of the
Booth when farity came in that had to be a tough like demotion and then all of a sudden uh you’ve got Arlo uh White I believe his name is um I will have to fact check myself after this but that he’s a soccer guy so he didn’t know
What he was doing necessarily Jerry folz has been around for a long time a lot of people don’t like him in the industry which I I don’t have an opinion either way on him and then farity comes in and like but they were so over the toop with
Everything like you could tell that everybody prop it was all propaganda and it drove me nuts I had to mute it and I was just watching Golf and for a while there it was like watching Tik Tok just boom boom boom boom boom boom boom shot after shot after shot after shot you’re
Like holy [ __ ] I have no idea what’s going on my wife po like my wife jumps in for a second like she’s seeing me watch this and I’m just like Shook and she’s like holy [ __ ] this is fastpaced huh I was like hun this is this is this
Is something else and then sure enough now that they’re in their third season they finally they’ve dropped a lot of the propaganda granted they promote the [ __ ] out of that podcast Fairway to Heaven I’ll never forget the goddamn name because I’ve seen it 97,000 times within the first tournament let alone
Now we’re into we’re four tournaments deep uh but yeah it was cool to see Anthony Kim come back so good for him but yeah let’s get back to just the uh just the broad so you like the broadcast you think the broadcast I don’t mind it I mean I hate
The scoreboard on the side just if you’re a casual golf fan there’s no way you know what these names are and that’s that’s my biggest complaint like fortunately I follow Golf and I know golf um and I can figure it out but the first time I watched it and he had some
Of these Asian players with longer names and it was abbreviated to four letters I’m like I don’t I have no idea who that is and then they’re throwing in the team logo next to him and it’s like who is this guy yeah you you actually have to
Like seriously follow it to know what the hell’s going on with that side leaderboard my biggest issue is the goddamn putting line can we get rid of the live line thate on that one that’s it’s never right and it’s in the way yeah I can’t watch it’s so God you can’t see the
Butt yeah exactly unbelievable um do you think that there’s going to be a merger I gotta believe at some point I mean I know it’s it’s all speculative but I mean everyone keeps talking about needing the PF funding but I mean and if you don’t I think they just pick
Off more players well I mean they’ve shown they don’t care about spending money they had this budget initially three million is what I was I read every day and they’re pretty damn close to that or three billion you mean yeah three billion so if you add up like player contracts on assumed player
Contracts they they’ve got they’ve surpass $2 billion paying players oh yeah I mean rah rah got the bag with 600 [ __ ] and then their next Target you know you know their next Target’s got to be Rory and in order to get Rory it would
Be a bill you got to give Rory a billion dollars and that would just throw him way over the top so it’s like why not their entire purpose for this entire thing was that they wanted to be involved in the PGA Tour and involved at
The top level for golf so there I feel like the deal is imminent when the waste management came around they were actually really close to finalizing from what I was told from the from my sources and multiple so it wasn’t just like one aging or one person familiar with the
Situation I have multiple people telling me hey this might actually close this week because they kind of want to like tuck it under the news of the Super Bowl and everything and have it not be this massive ordeal even though they kind of knew that it would be but the one thing
That always kind of stuck like stuck out was that the pathway way back for the players and what that would look like what the fines would be everything like that to come back and play on the PGA tour but now I’m getting a lot of information and mainly and I don’t know
Whether to trust it or not because this is coming from the Twitter spheres of the pro PGA Tour accounts talking about the fact that Liv’s going away in this deal that the PGA Tour is stuck in like that’s the one thing that they’re requiring is that live goes away and
That golf comes back as one yeah and I mean I could I could see that happening but it come it not being live it being something along with the PJ tour Enterprises and still similar concept but called something else I don’t know I I really don’t know I mean
I feel like what you also read is Yasir loves his live as his baby so I know that’s where like it to me that’s surprising that Liv would just go away because yeah kind of removed Liv from the negotiations there for a while which that led to SSG strategic Sports Group
Coming in giving three bills to the PGA Tour PGA Tour saying okay we don’t necessarily need you piff piff getting pissed off going and getting John RAM and then it’s like all right well where is all of this leverage in negotiation right now so I think your guess is as
Good as mine at this point where yeah I don’t think we really know at this point in time I know they want it to be done before the Masters CU they don’t want that to be the overarching theme to The Masters but it’s kind of seeming like it’s
Gonna go on for a little bit longer and back to the pathway back I mean obviously tournament sponsors if there’s John ROM’s coming back Bryson Kea DJ those sponsors are going to want them in their events so I feel like the pathway back has to involve fines not necessarily
Suspens because how are you going to tell Waste Management no John Ron wants to play but we suspended him he he can’t come yeah I mean you’re going to lose sponsors there too in my opinion but also you have to look after the guys that are fully exempt now you’re going
To say I mean what we talked about earlier my guy struggling to get in so you bring let’s say 20 of those guys back 10 of those guys back that moves 10 more spots down where you have no Chains It’s Complicated you know what I mean
It’s like this is not an easy situation at all what are we going to have 180 guys playing in an event next year like this is going to be a really complicated situation and then you got the live golf contracts which a lot of people are saying that you know those won’t go
Through employment like they’re not legal employment contracts here in the United States like they’d never fly because they’re under a lot of like they’re very controlled in terms of the contracts from what I’ve read and what I’ve seen and I’m like shoot I’m about to have two live golf guys come on to
This podcast and I’m like kind of worried as to what can I ask them what can I not so that’s going to be a fun one yeah absolutely I mean obviously they or not obviously I mean speculative again but they all speak so highly I mean you got to believe that they’re
Told they can’t say certain things in interviews so that is true and and we’ve seen it right but I don’t know how long they’re so because it also falls on the team owner technically which is the captains right now so the captains technically I guess can say
What they want once they get beyond the signing period like I’ve noticed that with the signing period the first like month or two they like John for instance John ROM yeah he had to and I know a lot of people around John so this one I’ve
Seen close to home where it really was he had to not do any media and everything that was media driven was from Liv and he had to say certain things yeah and then go keep going oh no I was just goingon to say so there’s
That well and then on the back to the contract thing is once these contracts expire are they going to dump out it like say John ROM I don’t know what his contract is but say it’s 600 million three years and three years expires so the longest ones are three years so at
End of three years or they just going to hey I made 600 million the last three years I’m still productive just like a baseball and NBA player I want more I want this next contract I want 650 for three years that’s a tough thing for Liv because DJ’s contract is coming up at
The end of the year yep which DJ got over a 100 Brooks is coming up which is over 100 Phil do you resign Phil Mickelson who’s basically been like your brand ambassador so to speak good bad or otherwise I mean depending on how you look at that whole situation so there’s
So many guys Bryson is going to be coming up it’s just that is a tough scenario to where yeah these guys don’t have a place to go as of right now because they’re not coming back on the PGA tour unless the tour sets up some type of fine system the only precedent
We have right now in regards defines as the DP World Tour y i gu who was it vburger paid a ton to go back so it was vburger and then um the other one was oh God why am I blanking it was uh what comes to mind is Richard Bland
But he’s still playing he I should know who it is because I we played two DP world events last month and I I saw the player thinking of I should know who it is is hang on I’m I’m going to pull it up real quick so live golfer back on DP World
Tour so burned is the one that really went back full force and then there is uh caner uh Lor caner went back as well yeah and then you had like a couple tournament guys like hin dupus and there there’s some other guys that I saw there
That I know played a little bit of live what uh what’s the other one the Spanish guy he gets he likes to pump live a lot on Twitter uh oh gosh who is it you got me on that one Pablo larabel oh yeah well done there yeah I wouldn’t
Have gone yeah and I know what you’re talking about now too I’m like my brain wasn’t even going there but yeah you you nailed it you’re you’re on top of this stuff he uh he’s he’s one that’s he it’s like he was trying so hard to be a John ROM team
Member he definitely he was definitely uh campaigning for that money he’s like abely would love to come over love to get paid a lot of money love to be on John’s team we’d love it they’re just like sorry Pablo it’s not working out Pablo we’re actually going with Caleb tell
People yeah and I I kept telling people on my personal account before I deleted it was like it’s gonna be Pablo lar zabel and Rafa Cabrera beo and that’s going to be your your main three on John ROM’s team you know I think they actually miss with Raa vict hin Rafa
Would have been he playing good golf yeah and he’s playing good golf again I complet fair I mean Caleb satat a Kaleb rat’s a a very good player and he’ll make a ton of money doing it and I think he was the easy decision I mean what two years from now he’s not
Suspended from the PJ tour is he because he’s never a member never a member and he’s GNA be 22 years old with however many millions in his bank account yeah so there’s something to be said for the young guys that have gone over that that might have been a pretty smart move for
Them to get established to get some money in the bank and you know I don’t think it really hurt them all that much now rah rah definitely was on the side of hey this is all going to get merged together anyways so let me take my money
Now and then I’ll say my sories and everything coming back over um that hasn’t necessarily worked out for him yet and I think he’s a little bit nervous in regards to whether or not that’s gonna happen like he his tone has changed yeah and I mean I guess when
You’re John ROM you’re a big enough name where I mean almost calling the PJ towards Bluff I don’t know like are you really going to suspend me and now I’ve got 600 million in the bank what are you gonna when are you gonna find me that’s going to hurt
Me it does make you wonder like what is that fine going to be for these guys to come back over then you got guys like Dustin Johnson cam cam Smith these guys are just living the dream don’t care yeah they don’t care to play golf anymore they’re like yeah cool I’ve
Played golf I’ve made money I’m going to be on my yacht or with Cam he’s gonna be his in his Lamborghini most people don’t realize cam Smith owns a Lamborghini folks like and and he loves to fish it loves to fish somebody uh Harrison was telling me
That his the year that he finished second at Augusta his week rep leading up to Augusta he heard about big fish in a certain Pond and just went and fish for a week and then finish rolled up and finished second that is not surprising at all uh I I personally think that
Dustin Johnson and cam Smith should have a uh fishing show just fully pivot from golf and go to fish just the two of them going out you know they going to get sponsored by bass sport shops and uh they’re going to go out on DJ’s ya and they’re going to
Go big go catch some Marlins and they’re just going to film the whole thing and have those two I mean imagine the conversations probably not not that many no they just then just keep going up the coast of Florida from Palm Beach to Jacksonville and just have a time oh
Man well David I appreciate your time man appreciate you coming on the P hook golf podcast and uh absolutely once again this may be the first of many appearances from you so uh I I definitely appreciate you coming on we got your story as to how you got started
In the game of golf ended up getting into being a PGA Tour or caddy um and then we got into your player Harrison um Andy cot we got into some stories we got into some style got into the caddy hot seat that you absolutely crushed got
Into some live golf oh man I don’t so next time that you come on we might have to talk a little bit uh little bit of shop here and uh talk a little bit about the curent events going on with uh you know giv golf tournaments and so forth but uh
Again I want to thank you I want to thank our sponsors Swan’s golf once again folks use promo code P hook golf 25 at chck count for 25% off your entire order at swan. I’ve been wrapping it the entire episode and uh pretty much every episode that uh I have done over the
Past year year and a half has been uh all decked out with Swan so I want to thank them and uh here it is folks that’s Golf
1 Comment
What an episode! Love it when the caddies come on the show!