Opening day is tomorrow. In four hours I will be caddying my first loop at Kingsbarns for the management of the course. Davy told me that I would be carrying the bag of David Scott, the director of golf operations. I won’t be paid, but I will be given my tea (lunch, I suppose) in the clubhouse after the round. Fair enough. I’m taking one of Jack’s University of Toledo golf balls to present to Mr. Scott on the 1st tee. And I’ve been awake since 4:00 a.m. studying my yardage book. I walked the course once, taking notes, and I’ve written those notes into the book. But when I close my eyes and try to picture the holes, it is all just a blur to me. A pale green field of mounds and valleys rolling beside the blue sea. I am going to pretend that I am caddying for Jack today and that we are trying to qualify for an important tournament. And no matter how nervous I am, I’m not going to forget the hazards you can’t see—the hidden stream at the back of the 6th green and the hidden bunker up the left side of the 14th fairway. And the stream behind the 16th green. And the only out of bounds on the whole course, up the right side off the tee on number 11. Since I woke up this morning, I have been trying to think of the worst thing that might happen to me today.
I think the other caddies in my group are also new. I think that’s what Davy told me. Many of the experienced guys are still in Florida, where they work during the winter months. They won’t be back for another few weeks. Something I didn’t realize until yesterday is that we host the last event on the European Tour, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. So if I make it through the next 187 days in good order, I will have a chance to caddie with the pros, and Jack will be able to watch on TV.