Caddies' angle on bagging Ryder Cup and stories out of school

GOLF BOOK CLUB: How We Won The Ryder Cup: The Caddies' Storiesby Norman Dabell

THE LONGEVITY of this book, with the first edition published back in 1997, is probably testament to its worthiness.

Since then, of course, the Ryder Cup has developed a mystique of its own; with, it seems, each passing two years producing more lore and more history even if, as Rory McIlroy would tell you, and many would actually concur, it is only an exhibition.

The real intrigue about Norman Dabell’s work is it succeeds in giving us an insight into the goings on, from a European perspective, of how the Ryder Cup evolved over time – but quicker than anyone really could have expected – from a bit tournament into an encounter that has had its share of ugly moments (Brookline 1999, particularly) but which now, apart from being a cash cow for the organisers on either side of the Atlantic, is one that teams don’t want to lose.

The “We” in the title, of course, refers to the caddies. The bagmen. Or, as Dabell even describes the formative years of Seve Ballesteros before he became a superstar, the “rake rats”.

This book may be penned by Dabell, but it is from the perspective of the caddies who, as time has gone on, have become an integral part of the European team.

As Bernard Gallacher points out, there was a time when players would leave their professional caddies behind for the Ryder Cup and, instead, take over friends to carry the bag.

And, until Tony Jacklin changed things, there was also a time when caddies were very much second class citizens and almost treated with disdain.

This book, really, gives credit to the caddies for the jobs they do; and the fact that the book is written from the perspective of the caddies means Dabell is able to adopt a casual, almost conversational, manner in the telling of the various stories, some of them out of school.

The idea of putting biographical notes about each caddie at the front of each chapter may have seemed like a good idea, familiarising the reader with each bagman before the stories behind the scenes are brought to us, but they do tend to become a little tiresome.

That, perhaps, is the only real criticism to be levelled at the author who manages to earn the trust of the caddies and the stories reflect this.

One of the caddies, Bryan McLauchlan, recalls the time at Oak Hill in 1995 where Philip Walton became the hero of the hour.

Intriguingly, McLauchlan recounted how Walton had been given a tip on how to play out of the thick rough by Ian Woosnam who had finished second in the US Open on the same course.

“The worse the rough, the better Philip started playing the little pitch-and-putt chip shots,” said McLauchlan, recalling the Dubliner’s knee-knocking chip on the 18th in his singles match with Jay Haas.

McLauchlan’s reaction? “It was like collecting the FA Cup,” he said of the eruption that broke out, as he tearfully made his way to the locker-room.

“Christ! What have we done? We’ve made history. . . . We won the Ryder Cup.”

It is a good read, with many yarns. Almost like sitting on a barstool at the 19th hole. How Seve’s American caddie coped with him in full war cry . . . the arguments in 1991 at Kiawah Island over illegal golf balls and the spike mark that “cost” Europe the Cup . . . experiencing the scenes at Brookline up close.

The stories change from match to match, but there is no doubting the passion that the caddies have for this particular exhibition.

Questions for readers

1 Does this book change your perception of the importance of the caddie a professional golfer?

And how?

2 What do you think of the author’s use of biographical information about the caddies at the start of each chapter of the book?

3 Do you think that the one-sided perspective of how the matches were “won” works?

4 How well do we get to know the actual players from the caddies’ interpretations of events?

5 How do you rate this book out of a possible top mark of 10?