Confusing but not because of the vino

Caddie's Role:The last event of the year or the sixth event of the year, I am not too sure which. It is the confusing time of the year on the European tour when you don't really know if you are at the end of it or just the beginning. The calendar year is a mere guide to where you stand in the Order Of Merit with Christmas an interruption to the golf, writes Colin Byrne

We congregated in the Western Cape last week to compete for the second oldest national championship in golf. It was played on one of the newest courses in the country, the Pearl Valley GC, situated on the vine lands outside Paarl about an hour north east of Cape Town. It is in the heart of the Cape wine lands and is set against the stunning backdrop of the Drakenstein Mountains.

Ernie Els has his winery about 25 minutes away just outside Stellenbosch. David Frost grows his vines close by in Paarl and my own boss, Retief Goosen, has his vineyard four hours up the coast near George. With vines stretching around the foothills of the surrounding mountains there was no mistaking the theme of the week.

Not that we should assume that everyone has the luxury of a great golfing talent and a refined pallet with which to create a profitable hobby. Lest we forget the reality that lies beyond the luxurious nature of the course (and modern country club living worldwide) and the streamlined second homes that line the manicured fairways, not everyone has a links view on the Cape.

There are a number of local South African caddies that show up each year in the hope of work. Caddying for one of the more recognisable players there is a good chance you will have at least two self-appointed caddies to carry your bag. I was wondering why the local caddies were so enthusiastic with their welcomes earlier in the week. As I took off to the range on Tuesday I realised that I had two guys on my shoulder.

If I went to get a bottle of water, a water was handed to me by both. If I went to bin the empty bottle, it was snatched off me on the way. I had to sort out the employment arrangements for the week and through my best attempts at diplomacy, I ended up with just one caddie shadowing me.

It is tradition on the Sunshine Tour and something that takes the shine off the gleaming new way of life for those living on the complex when you see others are battling to survive. There was a protest scheduled for Friday last by the local caddies which was averted. This seems to be a common occurrence on a tour that is not flush with funds unless staging one of their co-sanctioned events with the European Tour. Despite the fact that we are permitted in the locker-room and in most clubhouses on the European Tour we are not when we come to South Africa.

Caddies are strictly not allowed in to the clubhouse at any event on the Sunshine Tour. For those of us who have fought a long battle to ensure some dignity in our daily duties in Europe, this is a big setback. There is an issue in South Africa which does not seem to have been dealt with in recent times. The fact that the entire locker-room at Leopard Creek was cleared out a few years back has had a huge bearing on the ban.

There are seemingly two tiers of caddies in South Africa; those who have caddied in Europe and around the world and those who have not had to use their passports. The guys who loop in Europe needed a helping hand when they first left home and now are self-sufficient. It would be great if their experience rubbed off on their colleagues who have not travelled.

The weather delay last Sunday sorted out my dilemma over the end or beginning of the year. The freak rain delay in a month where the locals say it never rains on the Cape meant that some of us teeing off later in the final round were going to miss our flights back home. This could only happen at the end of a very long year.