‘The Caddies Dive Down in The Pond to Collect the Balls’

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There’s a sports saying here in Indonesia that the smaller the ball, the more expensive the sport. Yaya Supriatna bet on that adage as a young man, moving from his factory job in Garut, West Java, to make money as a golf caddie in Jakarta. Now 60, he has spent the past 40 years helping golfers work on their games.

Over the years at Rawamangun Golf Club, where he caddies, Yaya has made some key observations. Today he tells My Jakarta the difference between local and foreign players, how he learns from the pros and why anyone who wants to retrieve a ball from the water hazard should think again — and this time with a swimsuit.

Yaya, now that you’re in your 60s, is it hard for you to work as a caddie?

Caddying sure is different now than it was when I started working in my 20s. These days we don’t carry the heavy clubs; we use a small push cart instead to roll the clubs along with us, so for now I’m still very much holding on.

What kind of working hours do you keep?

I usually arrive at the course around 7 a.m. and I stay for the whole day. But those aren’t really all working hours, per se. There are about 200 caddies who hang around, sometimes for up to two days, until they’re actually assigned to a player. When we do work, we usually spend around three to four hours for a full 18-hole game.

And your salary is based on the number of players you assist?

Yes and no. Yes, because each player will tip us for our services; but no, because it’s not actually a salary. As a caddie, I’m only paid with tips, but thankfully, even though it’s not required, I’ve never seen a player forget to tip [smiles]. Usually the tip ranges from Rp 100,000 to Rp 300,000 [$11 to $33].

In tournaments where the winner gets a big sum of money, the winning caddie almost always receives a huge tip, often hundreds of dollars. I remember caddying for a professional golfer named Rick Gibson from Canada during a tournament here. Mr. Gibson was so happy with his performance that he gave me a $650 tip — the biggest I’ve ever received.

Do you also golf?

As a caddie I’ve been able to pick up some basic golf skills, and I also pay attention whenever a pro golfer coaches the amateurs.

As for playing myself, the course opens late on Monday, so the caddies sometimes play for small bets, like where the loser has to pay for lunch [laughs].

Have you noticed any differences between local and foreign golfers?

There are two major differences. First, foreign golfers tend to have more respect for others. They often fix the botched grass caused by their swings, while local players rarely do so. The local golfers can also be selfish, refusing to speed up their game when there’s a long line of golfers behind them who want to play the same hole. Even after repeated pleas, the locals simply say, “We’ve paid.”

The second difference is that most foreign golfers prefer to stick to golf clubs they’re comfortable with, no matter how old the clubs are, so they can get an optimal swing. Local golfers tend to update their equipment according to the latest trends, spending up to Rp 50 million for a single club.

How deep is the water hazard on your course?

It’s about five to six meters deep. They made it deep because it also acts as a reservoir, watering the surrounding vegetation.

Six meters? How do you collect the balls that go in?

[Smiles] The caddies simply dive down to the bottom of the pond, of course, even without any sophisticated gear, and we collect all the balls. We usually do that early on Monday, when the course opens late.

Do most players prefer male or female caddies?

At Rawamangun, almost all of the caddies are male, though we do have some newly trained female caddies.

From my experience, the main selling point of female caddies is their pretty looks. Some female caddies don’t even understand the rules of golf — they’re just there to accompany the player. That’s why most professional golfers tend to prefer male caddies, because you can actually discuss your game with them.

[Smiles] Besides, what man would have the heart to let a lady carry a heavy bag, often weighing 15 kilograms?

I understand you have seven kids and even more grandkids. Do you take them to play golf?

[Laughs] I took one of my little granddaughters to the course once, just to let her play with a golf ball and the club, but nothing more that. For my children, I’m planning to have one of them work here as a caddie, but the rest of them are already on their own.

Yaya Supriatna was talking to Carlos Situmeang.

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