Star of the Future maybe?

I caddied yesterday at Sandmoor Golf Club, Leeds, in an Open Age Regional Order of Merit event for a young fella called Sam Wilkinson.

Sam is 15 and we met on the internet!

Now that sentence has sunk in, let me explain clearly!!!!!!!!!!!!…..

On my Twitter account, as I am a total ‘sport Billy’, 99% of the folk I follow are sportsmen and women and most of those are golfers or golf related.

Back in February, the European Tour golfer Simon Dyson who I knew well when I caddied on tour is one of the golfers I follow and he re-tweeted a Tweet from Sam who was announcing he had just being picked in a 6 man Yorkshire elite team.

As I am into golf so much, plus it’s great to see young ‘uns do well (I had my lad playing at 4) I thought I would watch out for Sam, a fellow Yorkshireman with, by the sounds of it, the potential to be a future golf star!

Getting the Loop

About a month or so ago, just after I returned from caddying in St Omer I noticed a Tweet from Sam. I had enjoyed St Omer so much I thought I would ask him via a Twitter message if he needed a caddie at any upcoming events.

My motivation was simple… I thought I would be able to help him on the course!!

He replied saying he’d gladly have me as a caddie but wouldn’t be able to pay me!!

I told him I didn’t want a penny piece as I would enjoy it just as much as he would, and my enjoyment would be multiplied many times over if I did make a difference to his performance on the course in a comp.

Over a few weeks, via Twitter and Texting, we arranged a comp for me to caddy at (after one I couldn’t make) and over the weeks leading up to it we kept in touch about his golf comps, coaching etc.

He did at one point say “It’s hard work when my Dad caddies for me as he expects too much!”

I met his dad Alan yesterday at Sandmoor and I gotta say, he is a top drawer fella, my kinda bloke… likes a laugh, a beer, easy to talk to and ultimately, just wants his lad to do well…. Just like any Dad would.

He had his ‘digs’ after the round and talked about some other, maybe negative stuff regarding Sam’s game, but, you could tell from a mile off, all he wants is Sam to be the best he can be…. I am the same for my boy Eric.

That said, it may not be the best move in the world having Alan on Sam’s bag, as good a bloke as he is!

Trip to Sandmoor Golf Club

It wasn’t as straight forward, logistically, going to caddie for Sam in Leeds.

My 6 year old boy Eric is with me during the holidays and I am mainly working from home. So, to get a full day I needed a babysitter and it was lucky that my 19 year old daughter Laura was off and could help me out. Through her job she does one day a week, Tuesdays at College and as college is closed over the Summer Hols, she was free to help me out.

Even with those arrangements it wasn’t that easy as I had to wake my boy up at 5.15am. I put him in the car, half asleep with a pillow and a blanket and set off from Oldham to Huddersfield to drop him off at Laura’s.

I gave them my bank card so they could have a good day themselves (probably a really stupid thing to do) and then set off to meet Sam at Sandmoor which is t’other side o Leeds.

I’d arranged to meet Sam & Alan at 7 and as I had just got out of my car, a car pulled up and I recognised Sam. After quick intros we were straight to the range to hit some balls and Alan went to get me a bacon buttie….. top man!!

The Golf – 1^st Hole

Par 5 first - not a long one, but not that straight forward really… blind tee shot and if you went right a bit, which is where the tee points you anyway, it’s a bit of a double-dogleg and the lay-up area & the green are bunker protected.

Sam hit a nice drive up the right but was a bit blocked out in going for the green in 2 so it was a lay-up and I asked him what his preferred lay up distance is and he told me “Anything really, but probably between 70 & 80 yards!”

That was my first bit of ‘good info’ from Sam.

I didn’t then know how good Sam was going to be, but what I did know is that he was confident in his own short game to say ‘anything really’ which was fine by me.

He hit a good 5 iron lay up to leave 85 yards in to a back pin… ‘perfect’ I thought.

Then he ‘thinned’ his wedge a bit and went straight over the back into the crap at the back o the green and up against a tree!!!

I saw him blush a bit but it was fine, it’s the first hole, damage limitation and let’s move on.

He couldn’t play to the flag with his 4^th due to being up against the tree so played to edge of the green and 3 putted for a 7… double bogey on a shortish par 5 is not the best start, but, in a sick kind of way, I was really glad that happened… it put me in a position where I felt I really could help this fella now.

As we walked off, I was fully aware that at this point maybe his fatha Alan would have give him a hard time but all I did was nudge his arm and say “I’m glad you did that now ‘cos we’ve 35 holes to get them back fella!”

He birdied the 2^nd!!

The Golf – putting

Sam’s game in short, is very very solid.

He is great from the tee, up there with some of the best pros. He’s not that long yet, but he’s very straight and has a great swing where not a lot can go wrong. He trusts his lines and his swing, then commits…. Makes driving look very easy.

He knows his iron play is solid and he is well aware of his distance control with every bat in his bag.

The above coupled with a short game that if I had myself, I’d be at Augusta.

As for putting, he had told me before we met that he struggles with it.

Let me say, his putting stroke is great! Perfect technique and execution and is not scared to run at a hole.

His problem he said, was picking the lines so I thought, ‘well, let’s have a see!!’

The first 4 holes we had been reading together and had as good as agreed on the lines, at least the direction if not the amount of break… and then we came to the 5^th hole.

As on every hole, he had looked at the putt and then I went and had a look and would ask Sam “What are you thinking?” and when the same happened on 5^th and he said “Left lip!”

“No Sam, I think it’s the Right lip, not the left lip!” I said.

I had watched him putt on 4 holes and thought I had his pace sussed now.

He went and had another look and said “Really??”

“Yes I really think it is!” and he pursed his lips a bit and replied “Ok.”

I walked off to the side of the green and whispered to his dad “This is our first disagreement on a line direction so let’s see what happens Al.”

…Birdie!!!

As he walked back to give me his putter I said to Sam “Which way was it?” and he smiled and said “I went with you and right lip!”

“One nil me!” I said and winked at them both!

We only had 2 more disagreements on the actual direction of a putt the whole day. In that I don’t mean an actual break of how far left to right for example, I mean the actual ‘I think left to right’ you think ‘right to left’!

Three nil up!!

We read EVERY putt together, bar gimmes obviously and walking off the 16^th green in the afternoon round after he just sank a good par save Sam said to me “I’ve never known anyone read a green as good as you, you must have saved me 10 shots in putting alone today!” and laughed.

The Golf – mental strength

As I have mentioned, Sam is 15 years old but what a wise head he has on young shoulders…… immense!!

Now I’m not saying he isn’t a typical 15 year old who may be a nutter when he’s with all his pals… in fact he probably is as he has a twinkle in his eyes that gives that away… but on the golf course, he is well beyond his years; he’s liked a seasoned pro, seriously!

Course he got pissed off a couple of times, what golfer doesn’t, but it was gone within seconds and his head was back on the game and he was focused on his next shot.

To birdie the 2^nd hole of the 36 after a double on the 1^st tells you what sort of temperament he has and it was a joy to caddie for him in that sense alone.

So many pros think the world is against them… pathetic!!

Sam realises a few very simple things when playing golf…

Ø      He will not hit every shot to perfection

Ø      He will have some bad luck

Ø      He will bogey some holes

Ø      Golf is hard

… and he helps combat the not so good things that happen with…

Ø      He will hit a lot of superb golf shots

Ø      He will get some good luck

Ø      He will birdie holes

Ø      Golf is a great game

Another big thing to help Sam, coaches and psychologists etc aside is his family.

I’ve not met his mum or his brother but I have met his Dad Alan, and we had some beers after the comp and got to know him a bit.

Alan is a normal bloke like me and my pals; very grounded and friendly and realises his son has not only a talent at this beautiful game, but it will never stop him being Sam Wilkinson no matter how many majors he may win!

I know, from just one day with Sam and Alan that, when Sam wins a major, he will sign a 1000 autographs if need be, he’s that kind of character……. And if that does change, his dad will probably leather him!!!

Star of the Future

Ok, it’s only 2 rounds I caddied for Sam, but I am no idiot, I can tell who’s got it and who hasn’t. I was a manager at the Yorkshire Post for years before I caddied professionally and I could tell instantly who would cut it in that job. It’s the same thing in sport; some folk have it…… Sam has it!!

He finished 4^th yesterday, from 100+ in an Open Age event and if Sandmoor GC understood what ‘stupid’ pins are he would have pissed it!!

Sam shot 1 over par 72 in the morning round and that was with a double on the 1^st. In the round he had 2 more bogeys and 3 birdies. Alan said to one official at the side of a green “How many of your pins are illegal today?”………… pisser!!!

The afternoon wasn’t as up and down as the morning round but as with the morning round, fairways and green stats must have been top of the whole field…. Class to watch!

Yes he’s a great player and not everyone makes it, but he has more than that. From his grounded upbringing to a self belief and determination that will make him a success (he even dumped his girlfriend ‘cos she gave him a hard time over how much golf he played!!!!).

I would love to caddie more for Sam, I had a ball and I really felt I made a difference.

Caddying now and again professionally I may continue over the years for a laugh and to see my old pals but to go back full-time as a pro caddie on Tour, I think I would only consider if it was to caddie for Sam.

We clicked and you couldn’t buy the feeling I would get if when he turns pro (because he WILL) I am on his bag in win after win, Ryder Cups, majors……….. and ‘reading’ the final putt to win The Masters!!!!!!!