Caddie wisdom always useful

What better way to spend part of an afternoon than out on the golf

course at Newport Beach Country Club Thursday?

A slight, crisp breeze blew in off the Pacific Ocean, and the sun

shone its rays off the perfectly-manicured fairways and greens on the

second day of the Toshiba Senior Classic Pro-Am.

I arrived just after noon for my first caddying assignment ever.

I. jogged to the driving range where I would meet the golfer that I

would have the privilege of attending to the next couple of hours.

I found Toshiba official Chris Premer, who walked me over to

Miller Barber.

We shook hands and were soon off on our golf cart. No, I didn’t

have to lug the bag walking down the fairways. I didn’t even have to

do all the jobs a caddie performs because also riding with us on the

cart was a guy who called himself, “Popeye.”

“Popeye” showed me the ins and outs of caddying, using the yardage

book to calculate the distance to the green, always following Barber

to the putting green with a towel so I could wipe off any dirt or

grass from the ball and raking the bunkers.

I got to count off the distance on one hole, and by the end of 13

holes, I was cleaning off Barber’s irons after he hit his approach,

usually right onto the green with about eight feet from a birdie. We

started on 15 and ended when Barber and the foursome with us putted

out on No. 9.

The Toshiba Senior Classic, which began Friday and continues

through Sunday, is only the second tournament Barber has played in

this year. He lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. in the winter and then

travels to another home in Montana in the summer where he can fish.

He is semi-retired.

I didn’t learn that much about “Popeye,” but he taught more by

action.

He showed me where clubs fit into Barber’s bag, such as the

putter’s position in the back compartment. He taught me how to read a

yardage book [they really are self-explanatory once you realize the

number within the circle tells how many paces are to the hole from

the front edge].

But “Popeye’s” most helpful words came after I drove the cart from

the 15th green to the 16th tee.

As I got into the cart, he quipped, “Be on your toes, you could

get hit.”

Those words carried more meaning than ever within the group that

included Barber, Sano Naohisa, Ralph Kaplan, Alex Ivorio and Dan

Ostrowsky, walked up to the eighth green.

I drove the cart on the pavement toward the back of the green,

parking behind the bleachers and tents that have been set up

throughout the course.

I slowly walked to the green and then heard a “Fore and duck,”

yelled by two members of our fivesome. Heeding the advice, I tilted

my head slightly to the right, and it was just enough. A ball zoomed

past my left ear, missing by about an inch.

I looked back at “Popeye” and he just smiled.

“You called it,” I told him.

The group got a chuckle out of it and I received a reprieve from a

certain headache and possible medical attention.

Don’t ask me what the group ended up shooting because I left after

13 holes. Initially I was only going to do nine, starting at No. 15,

but I waited until the group finished No. 9, which was conveniently

located next to the clubhouse.

I walked away learning a few things Thursday: have a towel handy

when the golfer walks to the green to putt, always walk straight to

the hole and not to the ball when counting off distances and never

underestimate the importance of a few words of advice.

Thanks “Popeye.”