Who's Your Caddy?: Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf

'Who's Your Caddy?: Looping for the Great, Near Great, and Reprobates of Golf' by Rick Reilly is an enjoyable look at the world of golf through the eyes of one who has seen and heard much. Many 'names' are mentioned and lots of secrets revealed. Reilly, a competent, articulate author, writes with rich humour and energy, and his anecdotes are hilarious. My favourite, which features me, Lee Trevino, Frank Sinatra and a state senator, appears on pages 89 to 94:'It was 1972. Augusta. A skins game. I was caddying for Frank Sinatra. The other three players were Trevino, Schwarz and a senator from Michigan. The senator had skinned most of the cash, and with one hole to play, the pot stood at $25,000. As we approached the 18th green, Trevino offered to pay for the round when it was over. Sinatra, who had witnessed the senator pencil in a '1' at the par-5 15th, was having none of it. "Get the round now," he said as he grabbed a .45 from his bag, "and I'll load it. I've shot a lousy score so now I'm gonna shoot a lousy politician. Hey! Get back here you bum! Schwarz, stop flexing and get after him!" I think the senator's still running, although not for office.' 'Who's Your Caddy?' is a book that will be enjoyed by avid golfers and those just out for a walk with a really heavy bag.

C. What do Donald Trump, Jack Nicklaus, Deepak Chopra, and BobNewhart have in common? They've all utilized the caddying servicesof Rick Reilly, a senior writer for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and authorof the hilarious WHO'S YOUR CADDY?Reilly set out to find out about what makes golfers tick . . . to doso, he offered to caddy for them for free . . . although Tiger Woodsturned down his offer (repeatedly), some of the best pros in the world agreed to let him carry their bags--including David Duval,Tom Lehman and John Daly . . . others did as well, and all theirtales are covered in this book that is a MUST for any golferto read.And even though I haven't played the game since I was a teenager,I loved this book and would recommend it to non-golfers as well . . . it is funny, in many spots, but also quite moving whendescribing the uphill battle faced by Casey Martin when he hadto get the Supreme Court to rule that he should be allowed toplay with a cart.I was also touched by the story of Bob Martin, one of the topblind golfers in the world.There were several memorable passages; among them:* The bag was simple and blue, with no sponsor on it, and heavier thanMeatloaf. What's this guy got in there, anvils? I remembered the timeBritish golf writer Bill Elliot spent a day caddying for Faldo for a story.Elliott struggled under its weight all day, until he discovered, afterward,that Faldo had snuck a brick and three dozen extra balls into the bottomof the bag for a laugh. There is nobody that will crack you up like that madcap Nick Faldo.* A local TV crew comes up to us on the second fairway. The reporterasks, "What's the secret to hitting it so far?""Well," says [John] Daly, "you gotta have a lot of ex-wives. I just think ofthem and hit it."* The truth was, I'm sure it's not easy playing with somebody grillingyou between every shot. "Nah," he [Jack Nicklaus] said. "Remember, I played with Trevino. In fact, one time, we met on the first tee and I said, 'Lee, I don't want to talk today.' And Lee said, 'You don't have to talk,Jack. You only have to listen.' "

Rick Reilly may just be the best and most unpretentious writer about sports or anything for that matter in America. Even when his jokes fall flat at least you're not reading for the millionth time one of these "sport is like a way of life, it reaches in us and bla bla bla" type writings. I'm amazed that he has not been nominated for a National Magazine Award, hmm, looks like that institution shares a lot with Oscar in its ability to constantly overllook great talents. This book is great, just entertaining and a light read, something you can enjoy over and over again. Yet another cult classic from a master.

First, a disclaimer. I think Rick Reilly is one of the most creative and entertaining sportswriters out there. I thought it before picking up this book, and my impression has been confirmed.I've read interviews about dozens of "golfers." Reilly's genius is his ability to turn those "golfers" into "people." In these short vignettes, Reilly not only gives you some insight into what makes people like John Daly and David Duval tick, but he does it an entertaining, mapcap manner.There are sometimes when Reilly gets a bit over the top, such as when he uses expression like "eat hot titanium," but I can overlook these exaggerations when they serve to move the stories along. I know that I'll pick this book up time and again for light, fun reading.

This was the first time I had read any of Rick Reilly's books. He has got to be one of the funniest people I have ever read. This is a fast read but one where you immediately think of golf friends who would enjoy it as much as you.