Wednesday, April 18, 2001 | 9:58 a.m.
You're sitting in a parking lot, on a golf cart or under a tented area, patiently waiting and hoping for a break.
If you're lucky, you'll be chosen.
If you're good, you won't need the luck.
You're an independent caddie looking for a day's work, a week's if you can get it.
Or you're a full-time caddie whose Senior PGA Tour professional decided to take the week off and didn't tell you in time so now you need the work or your trip has been wasted.
"You know, you can't quit traveling because you're not working," Pat Williams, Senior Tour player Calvin Peete's caddie, explained. "You've got to go hope you get lucky.
"This is a lucky job out here. If I wasn't here, I'd have no chance to get a job. I may not get one, but at least I'm here."
"Here" was five feet away from the scoring table at the TPC at the Canyons on Monday afternoon.
Williams, of Birmingham, Ala., was one of several caddies waiting to see which four men would qualify for the Las Vegas Senior Classic which began today at the TPC at Summerlin with a pro-am and concludes Sunday.
Once the low four were determined, Williams would make his move.
"I'd say, 'Hey, I'd like to try to work for you,' " Williams said. "That's all."
For an experienced caddie like Williams, who has looped on the Senior Tour for 12 years, five with Peete, that line would be enough to get him hired.
As it turned out, Williams did land a job. That's a good thing since Peete isn't entered in this event and Williams would have been out a good chunk of money.
Caddies generally pay for all of their travel expenses including airfare, hotel accommodations, transportation to and from the course and meals whether they are full-time or independent.
On the flip side, a professional caddie is normally well-compensated.
According to several caddies, the minimum for a full-time caddie is $500 a week plus tips and five percent of the player's winnings, more for a win or top 10 finish. The average scale is about $600-$700 per week plus six or seven percent of the prize money.
Some caddies were uncooperative and secretive about the money being made on the golf course.
At the Las Vegas Senior Classic, independent caddies report to the caddyshack and sign up to be paired with amateur golfers who don't have their own caddie for two days, more if they make the cut.
Margot McMillan, one of three full-time female caddies on the Senior Tour, is entering her sixth year. She was Tom Shaw's caddie for four years and is in her first year with Bob Murphy.
McMillan used to caddie for her husband, Greg, on the South African tour before he retired.
She quit accounting six years ago, after Greg became a full-time caddie for Hugh Baiocchi and they discovered how lucrative the job could be.
"First and foremost, we do it for the money," she said. "It's a very good way to make a living. We've built a gorgeous house on the beach (in Florida)."
Baiocchi and Greg McMillan parted ways on Sunday so he was busy looking for a job.
"It's been the first time in a long time he had to wait around in the parking lot," McMillan said. "He was excited about it.
"I'm not worried. Hugh will not struggle to find a good caddie and Greg won't struggle finding another job. He's renowned for being good."
Sure enough, Greg did find work for the week and has some prospects lined up for the future.
So what does it take to be a good caddie?
"Every player looks for a little something different," Senior tour player Dana Quigley said. "The No. 1 general rule for caddies, I would say they have to be on time.
"They can't be late. That's very, very important out here."
Sounds simple enough, but there is more to it. By many accounts, a caddie must be able to carry a full golf bag, have a good knowledge of golf, know what club a player should use in certain situations, if asked, and get along with the professional.
"A caddie has got to learn a player's personality," said Jerry Postil, who carried the bags for the recently retired Jimmy Powell and Jim Dent. "You've got to know things that are going to help him and not hurt him so every player has got to be caddied a little differently."
Many professional caddies use a detailed yardage book and other measuring devices to distinguish themselves from what Postil calls "country club" caddies -- those who are locals and work tournaments when they are in town.
"A tour caddie will go out on a golf course and spend about four hours out there doing his yardage work and setting the course up for his player and he probably knows that course better than a country club caddie who has been there for 15 years because he knows what he's looking for," Postil said. "A tour caddie understands when to speak and when not to speak during a round.
"A tour caddie sticks to business. He's being very careful because a lot of money is involved."
Postil said his annual salary is about $100,000.
In the caddie business, Bob McFadden is a rarity.
McFadden, a former sales representative, got lured into the job after his friend of 30 years and former college classmate Tom Jenkins asked him to carry the bag full-time after "Q" school in 1997.
Though McFadden was an avid golfer and used to work in the golf equipment industry, he never imagined the demands put on a caddie.
"When I first started, there was a whole lot more to it then I thought," he said. "Two people working together, seeing things in different ways, trying to win.
"A caddie is half shrink. We've got to know what to say and when to say it. It is an unusual relationship."
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