Graham Marsh and I during 1975 European campaign.

The 1974 year had proven to be a good one in my caddying adventures. Not only had I caddied for the wins of Bob Charles and Simon Owen in their respective victories in Switzerland and Germany, but, on my return to New Zealand John Lister had continued his domination of New Zealand scene with yet further wins at the Otago Charity Classic and the Garden City Classic.

As the year ended I began to think about whether another trip to Europe in 1975 would be of any value but the thrills I had experienced there in 1974 got the better of me and I again contemplated a couple of months’ work ahead of a return to the European Tour in late April.

The caddying arrangement with Bob Shearer had come to an end at the Dutch Open in August of 1974 and for the remainder of that year in Europe I worked for Simon Owen and, when he played in Europe, Graham Marsh.

It was arranged that I would again work for Owen and for Marsh in Europe and instead of a paying job, I spent time on the horse stud of friends in the Waikato of New Zealand before heading to Britain.

This time, I would have travelling companions, Michael Glading and Merv O’Brien, with me, making the trip even more enjoyable although Merv’s rather bizarre and comedic tales require and will get a write-up of their own as we move forward.

Compared to his rookie season the previous year it was a disappointing year for Owen in 1975, finishing 86^th on the Order of Merit compared to his very impressive 9^th in his debut season in 1974.

To add insult to that injury was that Bob Shearer, who I had made the decision to split with the previous year, was developing into the golfer that he had promised to be and finished 5^th on the Order of Merit. I was however happy for Bob that he was beginning to realize his significant talent.

Simon Owen and I – Carroll’s Irish Open Bray 1975.

The year and my spirits would be boosted, however, by the efforts of Marsh who would play seven events in Europe that season and, although he did not win any, he performed very well when 6^th at the Open Championship, runner-up after a playoff to George Burns at the Scandinavian Enterprise Open and 4^th at the Dutch Open.

Marsh’s effort at the Open that year was particularly impressive recording a final round of 71, one of only four rounds under the par of 72 that day in conditions which allowed the fabulous Carnoustie to really bear her teeth.

Marsh finished in 6^th place alone, only two shots from the playoff between Tom Watson and Jack Newton with Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Bobby Coles tied for 3^rd just one shot behind the leaders and Marsh another shot back.

The playoff in Sweden was agonising as, having played so well to make the playoff, Marsh blundered with a horror first extra hole to allow US rookie Burns, a standout during his amateur career, his first win in the professional ranks.

Marsh would also play the Benson & Hedges event in York the week after the Dutch Open where he finished 12th. His brother, Rod, and legendary Australian cricketer and commentator, Richie Benaud, had travelled across from nearby Leeds where the third Ashes cricket test was being played to witness the final day at the Fulford Golf Club.

Rod was of course the Australian wicketkeeper in that era, but as was the tradition in test match cricket back then there was a rest day and so he took advantage of the opportunity to watch Graham playing at the nearby event.

I asked Graham if Rod could perhaps get me tickets to the remainder of the test match as it was delicately poised and while in the region I too had thought it a great opportunity to see a match of such significance.

It would become of even greater significance the next morning when vandals / protestors dug up the pitch and poured oil onto it, thus causing the match to be abandoned with Australia needing some 230 further runs to win with seven wickets in hand and Rick McCosker on 95 not out.

The protestors had been campaigning to free armed robber George Davis from jail. My one and only opportunity to watch test match cricket in England had therefore been foiled.

It would not be the last of rather intriguing experiences in the remainder of the season for me.

I will outline in another piece, caddying for Jim Colbert against Seve Ballesteros at Turnberry in a head to head match in September of 1975 but, at the Dunlop Masters in early October, another unusual occurrence took place.

Marsh had returned to Japan after the Benson & Hedges to play further events there and the next time I would see him would be at the Ganton Golf Club near Scarborough on the north coast of Yorkshire for the time honoured Dunlop Masters.

Arriving late from Japan, where he had played the Japan Open the previous week, Marsh had just one practice round over the fabulous Ganton layout before the event got under way but that did not stop him putting together an outstanding effort to lead after an opening round of 70 on a very demanding day.

With the prospect of another crack at the World Match Play the following week, for Marsh to have been in this sort of form was exciting to say the least and after a couple of beers with a few of the boys in Scarborough that evening I was off to bed early looking forward to an early second day tee time and feeling pretty happy with things.

I woke early and was off to the golf course to get the pin positions as were forced to do in those days. Some bright spark would later realise that making the pin positions available to all on the first tee was a much better way of controlling caddy movement on the golf course early each day.

On my way to catch transport to the course I walked past a newsagent and there, in bold print on a board outside the shop, was the headline “Marsh Disqualified”

Now I looked at it for a few seconds, not quite comprehending what I was seeing and initially thought it was referring to something else – perhaps a footballer or whatever.

On closer inspection and having bought the paper I realised that Marsh had, indeed, been disqualified from the event after leading the opening round for inadvertently signing an incorrect scorecard.

On the closing nine at Ganton there are two very similar par 4’s and Marsh’s playing partner, David Chillas of Scotland, had marked down a 3 where Marsh had actually had 4 and 4 where he had 3 and so while the total added up to 70, because Marsh had signed the card with individual hole numbers out of sync he was disqualified.

Marsh first heard of the mistake when a golf writer had noticed the discrepancy while going over his final spiel later that evening and saw that the scores, which had come in from the scorers on the course during play and were posted on the big scoreboard in the media centre, differed from that on the card.

The journalist then contacted Graham at his hotel and advised him on what appeared to be a scorecard issue and so Graham headed out to the course to confirm and had no choice other then to disqualify himself.

I was not staying in accommodation anywhere near as salubrious as that of Marsh’s and in the days of no mobiles he had been unable to contact me to inform. I went over to his hotel and joined he and his wife Julie for breakfast to discuss the situation and when we would leave for London.

David Chillas was an outstanding young man and was devastated by the error he had played a role in although Marsh took full responsibility for not paying enough attention to the details of his card. The similarity between the two holes meant that the indiscretion had gone unnoticed to Marsh’s tired and perhaps jet-lagged eyes.

And, thus, it was on to Wentworth where Marsh would face Open Champion Tom Watson in the opening round of the Piccadilly World Match Play. He would bow out by the margin of 2 down at the 36^th hole, the most significant moment in the match coming when Watson drove it out of bounds at the 16^th in the morning round and still managed to halve the hole after Marsh failed to get up and down from just off the green.

It brought and end to a rather roller coaster season in Europe, some good, some bad, but back in New Zealand, John Lister, would again add lustre to the year with yet another win (his 4^th in succession) at the Garden City Classic.

One of my travelling companions, Michael Glading, experienced a great thrill of his own when on the bag for Hugh Baiocchi when the South African won the Dutch Open and so it was a year which, despite its ups and downs, had added significantly to the adventures we were experiencing.

Marsh during his 1975 World Match Play loss to Tom Watson – my last event in Europe

Late 1975 – Lister wins again in Christchurch

Myself, Alfie Fyles (Gary Player’s Caddie) Gary Player and Graham Marsh – 1973 World Match Play.

Having outlined in my previous piece how my European caddying adventures came about and began in Bournemouth, this story outlines how the rest of 1973 unfolded and culminated in one of the most exciting experiences I have enjoyed in golf.

Working for Bob Shearer for much of the season, I had travelled to many different parts of Great Britain and Ireland as well as to France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland before arriving at what was to have, initially, been my final event of the season in Birmingham in early September, the W.D and H.O Wills Open.

Shearer had not played well for much of the season and had failed to get starts in the late season events so I had been free to pursue other options in an attempt to extend my time in Europe.

Not one to ignore potential opportunities I was aware that Australia’s Billy Dunk had been invited to play the John Player Classic at Turnberry and the Dunlop Masters in Wales and had written to him (snail mail) earlier in the year in the hope that I might be able to have his bag for those two events.

In mid-August I received advice from Dunk confirming my involvement in the two events thus ensuring that my time in Europe would be extended until early October at least.

The week before Birmingham I had caddied, in the absence of his regular caddie and for the first time, for Bob Charles in the Double-Diamond teams event at the Princes Golf Club near Deal in Kent and afterwards he asked whether I would be available to caddy for him in two practice rounds a week ahead of the John Player Classic as he had to head off for a few days just before the event.

My end of season schedule was, therefore, building nicely but it was to build even further and in the most dramatic of ways in the week ahead.

Following Birmingham, the South African golfer, Dales Hayes, loaned me his car while he headed back to South Africa, my side of the deal being to get it to him at Turnberry more than two weeks later. Things were indeed falling into place as I enjoyed the sporty Vauxhall Firenza over the two weeks and arrived at Turnberry the week prior to the John Player Classic.

The stunning Turnberry – a few good things happened there that week – Getty Images

I spent a couple of days caddying for Charles in practice rounds and while there ran into Australian Graham Marsh who I had met in New Zealand although I couldn’t say I knew him well.

I had known him well enough, however, to write to him in Japan earlier in the year to investigate any opportunity of caddying for him at the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship in mid-October to which he had been invited as a rising star and as the winner of the Scottish Open in June.

On asking Graham if he had received my letter he said yes but that the guy from St Andrews who had caddied for him in his Scottish Open win three months earlier would be with him at Turnberry and at the Dunlop Masters and the World Match Play. I figured that would be the case but that it had been worth the inquiry anyway.

Marsh, too, was at Turnberry well ahead of the John Player Classic as he had business to attend to in Southern France for a few days ahead of the tournament and wanted to get in a couple of practice rounds before heading off. He asked if I wanted to work those rounds to which I, of course, said yes.

I began to finalise my plans for heading home to New Zealand after the Dunlop Masters but you can imagine my delight when, on Marsh’s return from France, he advised he had received word from his Scottish caddie that he was unable to make the John Player and the following two events were in doubt because of an illness to his wife.

Graham found me at Turnberry and asked if I was still available for the World Match Play. I was beside myself as the event at Wentworth was one of the great events of the season and the opportunity to caddy in my first season in Britain in a field where only eight of the world’s best players were involved was almost too good to be true.

The opportunity also existed to caddy for Graham at Turnberry and in Wales and, on reflection, I probably should have but felt an obligation to stick to the arrangement to caddy for Dunk and so organised for my friend, Lee (General) Wilkins, who had been on the bag of the highly successful Peter Oosterhuis in recent seasons, to work the two events for Marsh prior to Wentworth.

Dunk, who rarely played in Europe, performed below his best in the two events, perhaps not helped by me leaving his umbrella in the pro shop ahead of one of the rounds at Turnberry. Dunk was capable of getting fired up at the best of times but when a huge rainstorm hit on the 17^th hole that day and he asked for his umbrella I was looking for a rock to crawl under.

In Dunk’s defence, however, it was my blunder and overall he was good to work for. He was a brilliant iron player and never really showed the world just how good he was. He won twice in Japan and countless titles in Australia and New Zealand but he did not enjoy travelling and so seldom did.

And, so, it was on to Wentworth and the chance to caddy in a dream event. Compared to other events we were well looked after by the tournament. Beautiful jackets were provided to each caddie in addition to a per diem in addition to whatever our respective players chose to pay us.

Access to the clubhouse in Britain in those days was never available in regular tour events but in this event not only were we allowed in the clubhouse but to eat the table of our bosses.

Graham faced the Masters Champion that year, Tommy Aaron, in the first round and won comfortably.

His opponent in round two was the Open Champion that year, Tom Weiskopf, and despite losing a ball up a tree early in his 36 hole match, Marsh would go on to win 4&3 and had therefore made the final where he would face four time winner, Gary Player, who had accounted for Johnny Miller in their semi final match.

The semi-final against Weiskopf

For me as a just turned 20-year old it was almost surreal as I headed down the practice fairway on the Saturday morning to fox balls for Marsh. I saw a television crew coming down the fairway towards me.

I could not work out why but as I picked up the balls (yes in those days we had to fox the balls ourselves), it soon became apparent they wanted to have a chat with me which was the beginning of a day like no other I had experienced to that point and since.

The match was tight all the way. All square through 18 holes, a still tied through 27 although Player grabbed a two-hole advantage with four to play. It seemed all over but Marsh birdied the 33^rd and when Player three putted the 34th, the contest was set to go to the wire.

As the pair stood on the 35^th tee I was standing a little below Graham and noticed that Player was ahead of the markers. It was totally inadvertent but Graham had noticed it also and as Player was getting set over the ball he advised his opponent.

Player was clearly not impressed but when he lost the hole to a birdie and went one down with one to play he was even less so.

As the players walked from the green, Player shook his finger at Graham and said; “Man I’ve got to tell you I teed my ball up in exactly the same place as you back there on the tee but as far as I am concerned I don’t worry about petty things like inches so we’ll forget the whole thing.”

Rather than me explain that incident further and how Player managed to get himself out of jail and win at the 4^th extra hole, the longest final in the history of the event, the video below highlights how it all unfolded and Player’s amazing tenacity and grit under pressure.

Despite the agonising loss, this was an unforgettable day and experience for me and brought to a close my first year on the European Tour.

Those final few weeks had provided the incentive to return in 1974.

The 36th hole

This photo shows Jumbo and I standing together with Peter Thomson (putting) and Frank Malloy

Having tasted my first caddying experience late in my last year of high school (1970) and really enjoying what professional golf provided, even as a caddy, I began almost immediately to think how best I could be involved again.

The New Zealand golf circuit back in 1971 was restricted to five or six tournaments over a two-month period between November and January and so there would be a wait of nearly twelve months if I was to enjoy what I had in Dunedin and Hastings.

My parents moved to Rotorua from Dunedin in late January of 1971 and before leaving I experienced my first real job (as a 17-year-old) while digging graves for the Dunedin City Council for six weeks at the Anderson’s Bay Cemetery. Funnily enough it was a job I enjoyed (there were never any complaints from the clients).

I left for Rotorua with my parents as my father had a new role with the government there and my mother also continued her teaching career.

Having decided not to go to University I needed a job and eventually got one working for a plumbing firm which mainly involved driving plumbing products across to the paper pulp mills at Kinleith about an hour’s drive away.

Again, it was an enjoyable job as I was left to my own devices to a large extent but it was never one I imagined I would stay at. As the year progressed I put plans in place to caddy once again in Dunedin where there would be two events in 1971 (the NZ Open and the Otago Charity Classic) and, for the first time for me, the Garden City Classic in Christchurch.

I had earlier developed a close friendship with the outstanding Golf Course Superintendent Bob Bradley who was in charge at the Russley Golf Club at the time and in October he invited me down to join his team as they prepared the golf course for the Christchurch event.

Both Bob and his wife Dorothy had me stay at their house on the golf course at Russley for six weeks or so further enhancing the experience and the learning curve it provided.

That experience became invaluable as my caddying and career in golf generally progressed, becoming aware of the issues involved in peaking a golf course for an annual tournament. Never would I be critical of the preparation of a golf course as that time in the preparation of Russley opened my eyes to why things are and are not done.

I again caddied for John Lister in Christchurch, the two events in Dunedin, one at Paraparaumu and one in Auckland without winning success but I was learning all the time and my great working relationship with John grew further.

Lister had advised, however, he had a friend to caddy for him at the NZ PGA Championship at Mt Maunganui over the New Year of 1971/72 and while I was disappointed, John had won the previous year at the venue and his decision to stick with his friend was typical of his loyalty and integrity.

Being only an hour or so away from my home, I was keen to caddy at Mt Maunganui and after spending Xmas at home I and a new found friend from Australia, Stephen Donaldson, who had caddied with me in events down south and stayed with my family for Xmas, headed for the fabulous seaside resort town in the Bay of Plenty.

Jumbo and I

Word was out that several Japanese players had been invited to the event by the head of the Stars Travel Group Bob Owens and Steve and I decided to investigate the possibility of working for one of those players.

We met with the head professional at the Mt, George Attrill who gave us a couple of options Takaaki Kono and Jumbo Ozaki.

Steve won the toss and went for Kono and so I was left with Ozaki. I was cursing my luck to some extent when Kono led after the opening 36 holes but things would change dramatically over the weekend with Ozaki eventually winning by seven shots over Bob Charles and another of the Japanese contingent, Takashi Murukami.

Ozaki had already established his credentials in Japan having won a dozen events in just his first two seasons as a professional after a brief career in professional baseball. He was an imposing figure, especially for a Japanese, and his powerful hitting with the then small ball was to become legendary.

Ozaki and I soon developed a rapport, despite the obvious language difficulties, and he asked for yardages on nearly every shot. He had an unnerving habit of getting over the ball and just before takeaway would take one last look at me and ask the question – “OK”?

It took a while to get used to it and to be honest I don’t think I changed his mind once and think he was just looking for final confirmation.

One shot sticks in my mind with Ozaki. The 11^th hole at Mt Maunganui is a relatively straight par 4 and in the second round of the event Ozaki had walked back to the tee as I walked ahead to the landing area for the tee shot.

His drive found the trees on the right and arriving at the ball a few minutes earlier than Ozaki I had concluded that he had no option other than to chip out sideways. When he handed me back the driver, he asked how far he still had to which I looked at him quizzingly, wondering just what he had in mind. In fact, I gestured to him that his only option was to hit it out sideways.

He was adamant, however, that he wanted to attempt the hero shot through a small gap in the trees which, for the life of me, I could not even see never mind work out how he could negotiate his way through it.

I rushed out into the fairway and got a rough yardage following which Ozaki hit a miracle shot through the gap only he could see to 3 feet and made the putt for birdie. I never questioned his judgement again that week.

Ozaki took control of the tournament on Saturday and won as he liked on Sunday.

I will never forget the thrill of that day, the rush of caddying for the leader of a tournament throughout the final day as he slowly but surely demolished a field that included several of Australasia’s best. I would caddy for the winners of 17 events during my time in that role in professional events but that first win in the role of caddy gave me perhaps my greatest thrill.

Before he headed out for the prizegiving he gave me some money as payment but when I looked at the amount I felt it was well below what I imagined would be the case. I felt I had done a really good job and while his first prize was admittedly small in an event which carried considerable prestige but little in the way of financial reward, I still felt I deserved more.

I spoke to the most respected of the Japanese delegation, Sugimoto, about my situation and expressed my disappointment and pointed out that I was a professional caddy (which was probably a stretch) but he obviously spoke to Ozaki as the big man came over to me after the prizegiving and more than doubled the money he had originally given me.

It was my first experience of a win as a caddy and although Ozaki would go on to win over 100 tournaments in Japan and find himself in the world top ten during the mid-1990’s, the 1972 NZPGA Championship was his only win outside of his homeland.

To have been involved in the legendary star’s only win internationally and for that to have been my first winning experience made that week in early January of 1972 one of the more memorable of my time caddying.

The imposing Jumbo in full flight at Mt Maunganui