nd limits his functions to giving you that club without
being asked for it. This caddie is a silent caddie, who knows that words
of his are out of place, and that they would only tend to upset his
master's game. It will generally be found that he, above all others, is
the one who takes a deep and sympathetic interest in that game. He
never upon any consideration gives advice without being asked for it. On
the other hand, he takes care that no act or omission of his shall ever
cause his man the most momentary irritation, for he has sufficient
knowledge of the golfer's temperament to know that these trifles are a
constant source of bad holes. When the player is preparing for his shot,
and his eye is wandering anxiously between the ball and the hole, he
puts out his hand whilst still continuing his survey of the ground, and
as he puts it out he feels it grasp the handle of the exact club that is
wanted. There is little need to look at it. The caddie knew and acted.
The stance is taken while the player is still in his thoughtful mood,
the shot is made while his mind is still concentrated to the utmost
extent on the difficult task in hand, and then, after a happy result,
the player and this faithful, truly sympathetic caddie go quietly on
their way. When you are on the green he never needs to be told to go to
the pin. He is always there, standing at the hole as soon as the time
has come to putt; and while, if the putt is a poor thing, he has nothing
to say (for silence is more than ever welcome at such a time of sorrow
and disappointment), he permits himself a few courteous words of
congratulation if a great success has been achieved at the last stroke
at the hole, and the crown been placed upon an effort that has been
truly praiseworthy throughout. This is my ideal caddie, and I am
prepared to make some concessions to have him always at my side during
the most trying rounds that I have to play. If he always performs the
duties I have named, promptly and quietly, I do not care whether he
really knows much about the game or not. If a caddie does the round of a
course often enough in the company of good golfers, he knows the club to
use for every particular stroke, even though he may have no practical
knowledge of the game, and I ask nothing more of him than that he should
always hand that club to me without keeping me waiting for a single
moment. These caddies are a rarer species than the others.

I am no advocate of female la