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WISE WORDS Amongst those humorous stories Sydney shared along the way was perhaps the best piece of advice a caddie has ever given me .
Coming off birdies on 11 and 12 I had left myself a somewhat blind shot to the green on 13 . These were days before GPS and laser rangefinders . Sydney assertively said , “ It ’ s an 8-iron sir .” I much-less confidently asked “ Is it a hard 8 or an easy 8 ?”
Sydney : “ Just the true value of the club sir .”
I ’ m not sure I ’ ve ever hit a shot dead-solid perfect with any club that I ’ ve eased off of or over-swung on . Did I nail this 8-iron ? Actually , I cannot recall , the scorecard says I parred the hole . Forty years later I still try to recall Sydney ’ s “ true value ” comment as I address a demanding shot .
When he lined up my second shot on the par-5 14th , handing me my persimmon 4-wood , I nailed it about 10 degrees right of his preferred line . He went silent and hurried ahead . As I caught up he had reached the front edge of the monstrous Hell Bunker and was happy to report I had cleared it comfortably . “ Thank Gud , I thought I had put ye in Hell .” I hit it close from there for another birdie .
“ THAT ’ S SYD ” As we walked together down the par-4 16th , Sydney spotted a ball on the opposite
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Cal Coolidge and brother
Frank , left , at St . Andrews . Above : Cal ' s scorecard from the round , signed by " No . 1 caddie " Sydney Rutherford .
side of the fence toward the Eden Course . “ Here take these ,” he quickly said , handing me my bag to lug as he scaled the fence and captured the stray ball for his inventory . He was quickly back and on the bag . The other caddie just shook his head and commented “ That ’ s Syd .”
Coming into 17 , I had miraculously made four birdies and was walking on air on that perfect St . Andrews day . The rush of adrenaline that you experience on the first tee and again as you reach the River Eden and begin seeing the “ Old Grey Toon ” getting closer on each hole is perhaps the most emotional experience any casual golfer who knows a bit of golf history may ever have .
Unfortunately , disaster struck on the Road Hole . It was completely unnecessary and too painful to describe , I will only say Syd gave me the correct line from the tee . Gesturing toward the ancient green sheds that totally obscure the view of the famous par 4 that awaits , he pointed at the words , “ Old Course Hotel ” painted there in white . “ Hit it over the O and U ” he advised . I blocked it out over the “ E and the L ” in hotel . Reload . It got worse from there .
As we walked off the 17th green towards the 18 tee Sydney , who was keeping the scorecard , quietly asked me , “ and what shall I give you on that one sir ?” He knew better than to question my reported 9 .
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Thankfully I was able to recompose myself , nailing my final drive on 18 out past the crossover road . The usual crowd of half interested townspeople and envious tourists all of whom probably wished they had been on the Old that perfect sunny day got in my brain as Sydney handed me a 9 iron . I envisioned what was certainly my largest audience ever scattering when I caught it thin and bounded it beyond the white fence they were leaning on .
“ Sydney , I think I better hit wedge .” He grudgingly took back the 9 iron and pulled my wedge . “ You ’ ll be in the Valley of Sin sir .” He of course was correct . I three-putted from there and carded my 84 . Despite the train wreck on the Road Hole I had just completed what , to this day , remains my most thrilling day of golf . In fact , it was one of the top five days in my very full life .
I always inquired about Sydney when I ventured back to St . Andrews . I missed him by a few minutes in 1986 . During my 1992 trip , I learned from the caddie master that Syd had passed away . In 1998 , after walking through the town as it slowly came to life early one morning , I searched the local cemetery . There in St . Andrews , the home of golf and my inspiration to play the best of golf wherever I am , I left a ball embedded in the soil at the base Sydney Rutherford ’ s headstone on which I wrote “ Best Caddie Ever .”
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Cal Coolidge is a longtime VSGA member and is part of the VSGA ’ s competitions committee . Have a contribution or a story idea to share ? Contact editor Chris Lang at clang @ vsga . org . |
CAL COOLIDGE |