WALTER

March 18, 2004

MACK DADDY CADDY WORLD WIDE is taking you right to the hard hitting action and all the golf entertainment news happening in Real Time. We travel the world with the best and the brightest so you know what's happening when it happens.




The man I will introduce you all to today started out as a caddy before he got his big break.

As a child and young adult, my friend was a stand out baseball player and his cousin, Joe Morgan, was a professional baseball player for The Cincinnati Reds. Professional Ball was in his blood. But when he was side lined with a baseball injury, he went for golf and went all the way becoming one of the finest Playas To Grace The Fairways and Greens.

The Old School Gents who set the standards and promoted the game for many years are waiting for their stories to be collected. Now more than ever, the stories of Golf's Legends are vital. We have an opportunity to learn great life lessons from all golfers, especially the incredible golfers who broke racial barriers, promoted quality, and defied the odds.

Thanks to a couple trailblazing individuals, there is great hope for the future of golf connecting with segments of the population not typically involved with the game. MEN, WOMEN, and CHILDREN of all ages are invited to learn more about golf with us as we explore the game like no one else can.

Our Man who set the standards high and played his way onto the tour despite the odds is WALTER MORGAN.

Like so many Professional Golfers, WALTER's story is one of a kind and should be used as an educational tool promoting the great success and struggles one can encounter through life. WALTER's life is a tremendous, one of a kind success story positively promoting success amongst the lives of millions of people around the world. Because of my relationship with WALTER and his wife GERALDINE, he has allowed me to interview him. He and Geraldine are like my grandparents. WALTER is one of the greatest teachers ever!! He is my friend and one of the greatest players and advocates golf knows.

As a caddy, we are the player's assistant and it is our responsibility to carry all of the tools and equipment in a big ole equipment bag. Most of a caddie's day is spent with a giant golf bag on our shoulder or on the ground right next to us. Some bags are more heavy than others. This all depends on who the player is.

You could caddy for the biggest jerk with the lightest bag and you would still feel like dumping his bag in the nearest lake.
Or you could caddy for the nicest guy with the biggest bag imaginable and it really not matter how heavy the bag was because you were hanging out and helping him play a great round of golf.

Back in 2004, I was caddying periodically because I had shifted my focus from on course work to off course development and programming creation. I was in the early stages of creating this organization and foundation. I was writing and interviewing so I could present all of my work and findings to you. I decided to take a trip to Newport Beach where I would see my friends and interview my former boss and WALTER MORGAN and several other Professional Golfers like CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ and JOHN JACOBS.

Following is my interview with MR. WALTER MORGAN, THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND. We are seated outside the pro shop. Its Hoppin' with Lovely Ladies, a perfect setting for
THE TWO MACK DADDY's.

LK: So I am here at The Newport CC with The Mack Daddy Caddy himself, Mr. Walter Morgan. Now Walter, I would like you to tell me about the first time you caddied. I heard you joined forces with Chi Chi Rodriguez in Hawaii a while back.

WM: It was a great experience. It was about 1961 and I was in the Army stationed in Hawaii and The PGA Tour came to town. I went down to the course and asked around. I had just started playing golf at the time and began a conversation with one of the guys I knew and he said: “Chi Chi needs a caddy.” And I said: “Okay, I’ll caddy for him.”

We had a lot of fun out there. You know how he is. But the thing that got me with Chi Chi was, well we were playing with Bruce Crampton who was getting on the scorekeeper who was way down the fairway. Obviously it was bothering Bruce because he kept messing with her having her move this way and that. “Move! Move here go stand over there!” And Chi Chi finally got tired of it and told him: “Go ahead and hit the ball. If it was a tree would you tell it to move? You can hit the ball or we can fight. Leave the lady alone.” And he did. He never messed with her again that day. But he didn’t talk any more that day either.

Crampton is a businessman on the golf course. He’s a great guy to play with. I’ve played with him a lot of times. Respect him and he’ll respects you. But he is strictly business on the golf course. And Chi Chi just got tired of him messing with that lady and he told him so. That was a great experience.

Well we missed the cut, but any time Chi Chi would get to a par 3 he’d say “Go take the flag out! I hit it on the pole last year, so when I hit it take that flag out. When I hit it, take it out.” And I said “Ok.”

And every time he’d hit out of a bunker, same thing. Hold the flag and hit it. I mean he was dancing around that flag man. He’d start to hole it every time he hit out of the bunker--one of the greatest sand exhibitions I’ve ever seen. Between him and Gary Player, I don’t know who’s the greatest out of the sand. I think it’s a toss up. They’re pretty doggone neck-to-neck on that.

I just had a lot of fun. Then the next year I go down and caddy for Burt Green. And Burt was a home boy. I knew him from back home. His dad was a pro back home. And I went and caddied for him. It was a great experience and we had a great time.

Then the next year, I caddied for Gibby Gilbert the next year. Gibby is a gentleman. And he’d say: “You should be playing. You can play a little bit. You should play for me.” I told him I could play a little bit and the other guys were telling me I should go out and play. That was a great experience working for those three guys.

LK: How old were you at the time?

WM: Back then? I had to be 31, 32, 33 . . . I’d just started playing golf.

LK: You didn’t start playing until you were how old?

WM: 30

LK: And you started as a caddy working with Championship Players and moved on to be a Championship Player yourself. Now Walter, that’s pretty remarkable!

WM: Well, I’d watch these guys and try to learn something from them. That’s why I went down there. Every time I went down there, I’d get a job and caddy for somebody. Walking inside the ropes, working for these players.

LK: Tell me about a funny caddy experience you had out there on tour.

WM: About somebody working for me? Funny? Nope, never had any of those kinds of caddies.

LK: You sure about that?

WM: No, never really had any, to tell you the truth. The only thing I couldn’t understand was Larry--Crazy Larry--worked for me when I won my first tournament in Sea Island. So I got into the Tournament of Champions. So I call him in California and he said: “I’m not getting on a plane.” So here we are in the Tournament of Champions, guaranteed a good check and he’s not flying. So I took Tony Shepard with me. We went down there and made a good check and then went to Aruba and played in a hole-in-one contest and I finished second down there. So Tony made about $30,000 that week, while Larry stayed home. Now how can a caddy turn down money? And how can a caddy be afraid to fly? That was weird. That was his loss and my gain. I was just sharp that week. He even told me I was going to win the tournament that week. I was a bit in shock.

LK: When you get on, you’re on.

WM: You know, when I got the lead I thought “There’s no stopping me now, baby.” And then Dave Stockton had tied me at one point in the last round and then I started making birdies and pulled away. It was quite an experience.

My second victory meant more to me than the first. Because I beat Gary Player in a playoff. And that means a lot because I beat a legend. I think he was more nervous than me.

LK: Did the caddy have any role in that victory.
WM: Carl was on the bag and he was keeping cool. When we got back to the 18th tee, someone told me everyone was watching. I can only finish second. That’s the worse I can do. So I was going for it. And it just so happened that our putts were on the same line. I had a twelve footer and Gary had an eight footer. But when my ball went in the hole, I knew it was over. He dropped his head and told me “Good Putt.” If I would have missed mine, he would have made his. But I put the pressure on.

LK: So did your caddy read the putt?

WM: It’s best to read my own putts. Caddies can’t read putts. Not even you. You don’t know how hard I am going to hit it. It’s all about personal preference. And that way, I can’t blame it on you if I miss it.

LK: So Walter, do you have any other funny things happen out there with caddies? Like transportation issues, drinking issues, or caddies getting in fights with their players?

WM: I’ve always gotten along with caddies. I mean I was one. But there was this one time when Hobo was caddying for me down in Charlotte one year. Now Hobo is a great caddy if you keep him sober. So he called me up and I asked him if he was sober. He said, “yeah” so I told him he could work for me, as long as he’s sober. He came to the course and while we are working on the short game, I took a break and he said, “Go in the locker room and get me a drink, will ya?”

And then I told him: “Look, I thought you quit. I am not buying you a drink or bringing you a drink. No way, it’s not coming from me. I’ll bring you a sandwich, but I’m not getting you a drink. If you get a drink, it’s not coming from me. I’ll bring you a coke, but not a drink.”

I was in Charlotte and Hobo called me aksing me when I was headed over to the TPC. He said he wanted to bring over James Black, one of the great wedge players and original African American tour players to work with me on my short game. So I said ok, I’ll be there by 10 am. But then my wife told me that I had an appointment. So I ended up getting out there around 11am. Well I get out there and he wasn’t there and the pro told me Hobo was all drunk and raising cane. A taxi brought him out here and so I gave the taxi driver $20 to take him back to wherever he came from. So I reached in my pocket and gave him $30.

So the pro said that Hobo told him I wanted him there. I never said that. Shoot, I don’t want hobo around me, especially since I knew he would be drunk. Turns out that James didn’t come with him either. Well he was probably smart since he knew Hobo would be drunk. He had good intentions, but he couldn’t stay away from that bottle.

LK: Tell me what a good caddy is for you.

WM: One that will do the job. And he knows what his job is. I like a caddy that’s going to be there on time, I can trust him, knows how to walk the course and get the yardage before we play. Before we start the week, he’s suppose to be out there getting yardages. Even though they give you a book, they make changes on the golf course, so you have to do it. That’s his job to do that. How far to this bunker or that bunker? I need to know that. I always tell my caddy, like I told you: “How far to the front of the green and how far to the pin?”

WM: And when I am putting, remind me if I’m uphill or downhill because I forget.

LK: And firing you up everyone and a while is a good idea. You need to be fired up once in a while, Right?

WM: Yeah. It helps me keep my mind on the game. You lose concentration out there. You get to be seniors like we are, you lose concentration. You have to have somebody to keep you awake. You know, it’s like, “C’mon Man, lets go. You can do it man.” Now that’s a caddy doing his job. Some caddies are just out there carrying the bag and waiting for a check.