That Kip Henley, he’s a caddie, you know. He’s been carrying them golf bags for a long, long time. Sixteen years, I heard! That’s longer than some folks been married. He ain’t just carrying bags, though. No, no. There’s more to it than just that.
He started with that Brian Gay fella. Worked with him for, shoot, eleven years. Then he bounced around a bit, you know. Worked with some other fellas, like that Axley boy, and that Bohn fella. And that one they call Boo. Even worked with that guy, Stewart Cink, and Vijay Singh. They all different, these golfers. You gotta know how to deal with ’em. Now he’s caddying for Scott Gutschewski. Lord knows how long that’ll last. These golfer fellas, they like to change things up, keep moving. Keep you on your toes.
Caddying, it ain’t just about the bag. It’s about the people, see? You gotta know these golfers. Gotta know what makes ’em tick. Kip Henley, he knows. He’s been around. He sees things. He’s like that old dog that knows when you’re happy or sad. Just knows.
- You gotta know when to talk and when to shut your mouth.
- You gotta know how far they can hit that little white ball.
- You gotta rake them sand traps just right.
- You gotta know how to fix the grass, put it back like it was.
- You gotta know how to hand them that flag thing.
It ain’t easy, being a caddie. It’s hard work. Sun beatin’ down on you. Walking all day. Carrying that heavy bag. And these golfers, sometimes they ain’t the easiest folks to get along with. Some of them get all riled up if they don’t hit the ball right, you know. It is a hard work. They gotta keep their cool, though. Kip Henley, he’s good at that.
Being a caddie, it’s like being a friend, almost. You’re there for them. You help them. You gotta know if the golfer want you to talk to them about their swing, or if they just want you to hand them the club. They call it “shot selection”. You gotta know all about that. And feedback, they like that, too. Gotta give them feedback. That’s what one of them studies said, anyway. I read it somewhere. Don’t remember who wrote it. Some fellas named Jarred and Sam, maybe.
They say it is more than carrying a bag. They got that right. A good caddie, he’s like a partner, in a way. You see them out there on that green grass, the golfer and the caddie. They got their own little world going on. They work together, you know. It is a people thing. A two-way street. That is how it is. They say confidence is a two-way street. That is true.
That Kip, he knows the game. He knows these golfers. He knows when to talk, when to be quiet. He knows how to read their moods. Caddying is a people thing, like I said. You gotta understand people. You gotta know how they think, how they feel. And these golfers, they are a special breed.
Some folks, they just think a caddie just carries the bag. They don’t know. They don’t see what goes on. It’s more than that. It’s like, well, it’s like being a wife, almost. You gotta be there for them. You gotta support them. You gotta know what they need, even before they ask for it. That is important, yeah.
And that Kip Henley, he’s been around. He knows what he is doing. He’s seen it all. The good shots, the bad shots. The wins, the losses. He’s been there through it all. And he’s still out there, carrying that bag. Still helping those golfers. Kip Henley caddie, that’s what he is. A good one, too.
These days, everyone talkin’ ’bout that Zalatoris fella. They say his wife is his caddie sometimes. Well, ain’t nothin’ new under the sun, I reckon. Wives been helpin’ their husbands forever. It’s just like I said, it’s a people thing. You gotta work together.
So, next time you see a golfer out there on that green grass, take a look at that caddie. He ain’t just carrying a bag. He’s doing a whole lot more. He’s a friend, a helper, a partner. And Kip Henley, he’s one of the best. Kip Henley caddie, that’s what people will say, yeah. He’s a good one, that Kip.
