PROFESSIONALS AND CADDIES
by JAMES BALFOUR
from Reminiscences of Golf on St. Andrews Links 1887
LET ME RECALL SOME OF THE PROFESSIONALS AND THE OLD CADDIES. FIRST AMONG these was Allan Robertson, the prince of golfers. He and his father and grandfather had been ball-makers, when feather balls Nvere the only balls, for more than a hundred years. He was a short, little, active man, with a pleasant face, small features, and a merry twinkle in his eve. He was universally popular, not a bit forward, but withal easv and full of self-respect. He generally wore a red, round jacket, and played constantly with gentlemen, both in matches of great importance, and in those that were only more or less important. His style was neat and effective. He held his clubs near the end of the handle, even his putter high up. His clubs were light, and his stroke an easy, svift switch. With him the game was one as much of head as of hand. He alwavs kept cool, and generally pulled through a match even when he got behind. He was a natural gentleman, honourable and true. He died of jaundice on lst September 1859, when only about the age of forty-four, much regretted.
Next to him was Tom Morris, now called "Old Tom." He began bv helping Allan to make balls, and was very nearly his match at the game. His style I need not describe, as all golfers of the present generation know it. He still flourishes on the Links, and is still a fine player. He and Allan were together the champions of their day. Tom has always been respected, not only as a player, but for his excellent private character. There is an anecdote told of him, which I have great pleasure in repeating, because it is so honourable to him. On one occasion he was playing with the late Captain Broughton, and when at the high hole Tom's ball was lying in the bents that used then to surround it, the Captain said, "O Tom, you had better give up the hole; you are playing three more, and you are in the bents." "No," said Tom; "I'll perhaps hole this." "I'll give you f50 if you do." "Done with you, Captain," said Tom, and he holed it! Next morning the Captain brought f50, and handed it to him. "What is that?" said Tom. "What you won yesterdav." "Take it away," exclaimed Tom, "I would not touch it. We were both in fun." This was exceedingly creditable to Tom, and showed real good feeling. If he had taken it, no one could have found fault with him, and £50 offered to a tradesman was a temptation. I had often heard the story from Campbell of Saddel, who was present, and other gentlemen, but I once asked Tom himself about it. He said it was all true, and he laughingly added, "You should have seen the Captain's face when it wvent in!" Tom, as is well known, is now the Conservator of the Links, and has a large establishment for making both clubs and balls.
His son, "Young Tommy," was perhaps the best player that ever appeared on the green. He was a tall, handsome athlete, and unmatched at all parts of the game. His victorious career began in 1867, when he was sixteen. It continued without a break till his early death in 1875. During these eight years he exhibited as remarkable a displav of golf as has ever been seen. When he died, at the early age of twentv-four, he was buried in the ground at the old Cathedral, where a monument has been erected to his memory by contributions from sixty golfing Clubs.
Among the older professionals were the twin brothers Dunn of Musselburgh. They were beautiful golfers, and fought many pitched battles with Allan and Tom. They ran them hard, but could not beat them.
Referring to the caddies, there were Sandy Pirie, who carried for Sir Hope Grant, and Sandy Herd, who carried first for Saddell and afterwards for Mr. White-Melville; Charlie Thomson, once a crack plaver, as most of the others were; and many other most respectable men. But perhaps the greatest character among them was "Lang Willie." He was very tall, about six feet two, with bent knees and a slouching gait, a tall hat, swallow-tailed blue coat, and light trousers. His look wvas rather stupid, but he was in reality wide awake. He used to insist that he drank nothing but sweet milk, greatly to Allan's amtasement, who knew better. He was much taken out as an instructor of beginners, and when one met him and asked him how his pupil was getting on, he had always the same stereotyped answer, "Jist surprisin', which might mean either very well or very ill. On one occasion he was teaching one of the Professors of the Universitv the noble game. But the said Professor nas not a promising pupil. As he hammered away, sometimes "missing the globe," sometimes topping the ball, or cutting up large divots of turf, Willie fairly got out of patience, and said to him, "You see, Professor, as long as ye are learning thae lads at College Latin and Greek it is easy work, but when ye come to play golf ye maun hae a heid!" On another occasion he was carrying in a match, when, at the last hole coming home, the party had to wait till a young man on horseback had passed along the road. The rider was not very steady in his saddle, and Willie quietly remarked, "I think that lad is a wee loose in the glue" a phrase which golfers will understand who have felt the inconvenience of their club-head getting rather loose. Willie had more than one stroke of paralysis. I could not help being amused at his description of the first one. I asked him one day what he had felt. He said he felt nothing, but in the morning his sister said to him that his face was twisted. "I said to her, 'Nonsense, lassie,' but when I sat down to my parritch my jaw wouldna work!" At last he was overtaken by a fit on the Links, vas carried home in an omnibus, and died in about twenty minutes after.