New Zealand Open caddy clinic again proves popular
Matt Griffin, Steve Williams, and this writer are talking to around 90 caddies who took advantage of another tournament function
Each Tuesday of New Zealand Open week, a function officially known as the Steve Williams Caddy Clinic is held ahead of New Zealand’s national open to bring together a large group of the nearly 300 caddies involved in the event.
With 150 professionals and 150 amateurs, there is a great need for more caddies than is the norm in a professional event, many who would caddy for the first time, and, for others, the gathering of 80 or 90 of them for a BBQ and Drinks allows stories and perhaps a bit of advice ahead of Thursday’s start.
This year, Williams was joined by former New Zealand Open Champion Matt Griffin and myself who was MC for the event as I have been for the past few years, my own background in caddying for the winners of seventeen events worldwide, supporting the incredible background and knowledge Williams has gained in nearly 50 years of caddying for the winners of 151 events including 14 major titles.
In 2025, we invited Australian Anthony Quayle to be the ‘player’ representative, and, as a result, he and Williams became good friends, with Williams caddying for Quayle in several events in Australia and New Zealand in recent months, including when Quayle led the Australian PGA Championship through 54 holes in November.
The function is unique in tournament golf and is yet another innovative idea in an event that has become renowned for them, the unique nature of the New Zealand Open ensuring many caddies are getting their first start at caddying at this level.
This year, Griffin proved to be another popular member of the panel, discussing his views on how to establish the boundaries of a new player-caddy relationship, his great come-from-behind win over Japan’s Hideto Tanihara to win the event in 2016, and his career generally.
Williams was, of course, his entertaining and articulate self, relating several stories from his outstanding career and passing on a few tips on the ‘art’ of caddying.
For those who missed out on a professional bag, I emphasised the need to get to know and connect with their amateur bosses for the week, an amateur playing in the pro-am is typically a very successful businessperson or a celebrity of some sort, and the chance to form a friendship could lead anywhere.
But there were many other ideas exchanged, with several questions from the group responded to by the panel, the hour-long function, which included beers, wine, and a sausage sizzle, once again proving to be quite a success.
Some of the 90 or so caddies who took part
