-Life as a PGA Tour Golf Caddie-
The world of professional sport for all of its buzz, excitement and entertainment it can produce, is also recognized as a house of a different sort for those living within it.
Take the highly competitive nature of what it represents, the stakes as they relate to wins and of course the losses. Individuals who operate in this space, no matter the sport need to adjust or they will not last.
Perhaps like no other, the sport of golf represents one of the most cut-throat there is. Very little is guaranteed week to week and the variance between glory and bust is slight.
Of course, players come to mind first in this sport. However, make no mistake, they are far from the only ones who ride this rollercoaster of emotion while on tour.
Pro caddies are very much part of this and in some cases have even more vested in the wins and losses.
Well on this episode, we have the opportunity to get a peek into the world of professional sport and caddying, by way of a guest who through his wide and varied experiences can shed some direct insight on this career and way of life.
Introducing
Mike Darby is a Vancouver, Canada based professional PGA Tour Golf Caddie. He has been so for well over a decade and his accomplishments include being on the bag for many pros including his current teaming with golf legend and two-time US Open champion Lee Janzen.
Professional Background
Mike’s knowledge of the game, preparedness and cerebral approach to it all has amounted to success in the form of being part of three PGA Tour wins, as well as three other major tournament victories across North America.
Reasons to Listen
Mike will share some of the hidden details of this profession including some of the visceral challenges he and other pros caddies face, as well as some of the highs one may encounter within this unique line of work. Not only that our discussion meanders in and around topics many other compelling topics.
This will be a talk worth listening to for:
- those looking for ideas relating to a career within golf
- those interested in finding out what it takes to be a professional caddie
- those curious about what such a profession and life entails
Listeners will come away with insights on:
- to what degree the job and responsibilities of a modern caddie has evolved
- what life is like while on the PGA tour and off tour
- specific tasks a caddie will perform in preparing and planning for play on a course
- tools pro caddies use in their planning and preparation
- the physical demands and mental demands of the work
- the highs and lows of being a professional caddie
- the mental tolls the sport can take and how deeply it affected Mike at one point in his career
- the role of a mental performance coach in finding success
- a story illustrating the degree of mutual respect both Mike and golf legend Lee Janzen share for one another
- player caddie relationships during tournament play
- an entertaining story about how Mike discovered some rather disappointing news about his work early in his career
- how delicately caddies try to influence or sway player decisions out on the course
- the role of tech within caddying
- conjecture on the role of AI moving forward within the sport of golf and profession of caddying
- Much more!
A Memorable Quote from the Episode:
“Most people don’t know that we have to know how far the ball flies for certain clubs in every city we go to. It’s a different distance based on temperature, humidity, wind conditions, altitude. These are all of the things that I have to know.”
-Mike Darby
Check out the Video Conversation:
For those who desire to view the full video conversation of this discussion, you can do so via Youtube.
Words of Wisdom:
Hear from Mike as he provides advice to those looking to explore the notion of becoming a pro caddie.
Discover More
For those interested in learning more about Mike and his work, you can check out these links:
Keep Listening!
I hope you enjoyed the episode. For more, check out additional episodes here!
