Having played golf as a youngster and a youth, I gave up my obsession with the game to embark on a late spring trip round France.
Packed into my Mk2 VW Golf, to sustain me for a couple of months was a tent, a stove, a corkscrew and a pan. I'd decided to pack one smart pair of trousers, but mostly clothing was shorts & jeans to accompany T-shirt as I pottered my way round the whole of France, taking in the scenery, towns & cities on my first real trip abroad on my own.
I thoroughly enjoyed French life, as a 20 year old, diet was the last thing on my mind and looking back, I think I survived pretty much on Ravioli, bread and red wine. I'm sure it must have rained but looking back 20 something years, all I remember is wall to wall sunshine as I made my way from St Malo down to Bordeaux, towards the Pyrenees and eventually across the South of France.
My 21st birthday was celebrated with a beer in Casino Square, my first ever visit to Monaco, but it was just the one as money was starting to become a necessity!
After the briefest of stays on a campsite in Menton, it was time to head North and return home.
I'd made a note that the French Open was being played north of Paris at Chantilly late June and figured as it was an overseas tournament I might be able to pick up a bag for the week and earn my ferry fare home.
I found a campsite in the forests a few days before the players would start arriving and spotted there was a race meeting on. Knowing very little about horses or form, I spotted the name of a young rider called Frankie Dettori and figured I'd heard of him so I'd back him to win in all 7 races. Walking from the race course pretty much penniless ended my brief career as a professional gambler....
So on to golf. Monday afternoon and I drove up to the public car park and wandered in to the beautiful parkland course. Dressed in my best shirt and trousers, I found the practice ground and just one player was there, all by himself hitting ball after ball. After a while he stopped for a break and I plucked up courage to ask Vijay Singh if he was fixed with a caddie for the week. He was, he'd given his caddie the day off, but Vijay couldn't have been more helpful in telling me who best to speak to, where to wait and how I should get fixed up, as I had a decent knowledge of golf and had played to an okay standard for my county and had a very brief moment as an assistant pro.
So did anyone turn up that needed a caddie?
John O'Leary, winner of the Irish Open in 1982 and probably just as well known for some very interesting fashion choices in his early career (two tone trousers with one leg black and the other white!) was making his comeback after back surgery. John O' was chairman of the tournament players committee, which meant he played in the pro-ams and had a high standing amongst all the players, being one of the more senior pros.
We had a brief chat and the deal was sealed. I'd get to caddy, earn enough to cover my keep for the week and ferry fare home. Tuesday morning and time to start work. Collect his clubs and meet him on the practice ground. On to the 1st tee and he is playing a few holes with Richard Boxall, now a regular TV commentator but at the time was one of England's bright new hopes.
Following practice on the course, it was back to the practice ground, which in those days involved caddies standing as targets and collecting the golf balls as they flew in, somewhat of a hairy job as accuracy and consistency from the players probably wasn't quite as good as it is now. Having survived for a couple of hours without too many injuries, the day was drawing on and it was time for some putting practice. The whole course was pretty much deserted and the only other player on the putting green was Mark James.
James had just started experimenting with one of the first of the long broom handled putters and was keeping himself to himself at one end. John O' was practising rolling in 6 footers with unerring accuracy and a smooth stroke when suddenly another player joined us.
Severiano Ballesteros. Seve. SEVE. Talk about feeling in the presence of greatness. He just had an aura about him. Here I was on my first day as a caddie, getting paid to stand on the same piece of green as my absolute golfing hero.
After he had practiced a while, he then started to get curious about what Mark James was practising with. Well actually he started taking the mick out of Mark but ultimately just couldn't resist trying the long putter out. I wish I'd taken my camera out at that point but didn't think it would be the 'done thing'. It's fair to say it was swiftly returned after a couple of missed putts, with a face from Seve that suggested he wouldn't be signing up to the broom handle brigade!
John O' had just stood and laughed at Seve and plenty of banter was exchanged between the three of them. We were finished for the day and as I packed John O's putter and clubs away, I found myself stood with just Seve by me. I plucked up courage and asked if he minded posing for a photo (no digital cameras in those days!) and he couldn't have been more graceful, a true gent as he waited for me to grab my camera and make sure it was wound on before taking a snap. His smile for the photo conveys the warmth of the great man. (Click on my pic of him on the right to open a larger view)
How did John O' do? Well he missed the cut, so no weekend prize money bonus for me but there was a twist. We'd got on well on the course and he needed a caddie the following week for the Monte Carlo Open. If I could get there by Sunday evening, the bag was mine. Monte Carlo or bust! I made it and 12 months later, was still caddying on the tour for him. Which was unbelievable fun and the source of a few more memories to be written
Tony Jameson-Allen
Co-founder, Sporting Memories Network
Memory added on May 30, 2012
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