There's more to being a caddie than carrying the bag and earning pot loads of money. Though a caddie on Tour may earn £500-600 week plus a percentage of prize money (if he's lucky) he still has to fork out for his travel, the place where he lays his head at night and his food. He or she needs to be punctual, reliable and pretty fit as he has to carry the golf bag and 14 clubs, which can weigh up to 44lbs. He also has to carry tees, balls, towels, sweaters, caps, gloves, course notes, sun block, fruit, sandwiches, drinks, waterproofs and a first-aid kit!
A caddie has to be good at reading the greens and weather conditions and should be able to soothe the savage beast (if the Pro is that way inclined).
See also Tour Caddies
It seems most caddies started their careers by caddying for club members, local events and if lucky get onto the Tour. Here are just some of their stories...
Alistair McLean - Lee's caddie from August 2007
Alistair McLean took up the challenge from August 2007. He had previously caddied for Colin Montgomerie for ten years until their split in June 2007.
John Graham - Lee's caddie to September 2006
Caddie John Graham or Scotchie as he is known, was with him when Lee had his maiden European Tour win at the Scandinavian Open in 1996. In September, he and his wife, Caroline became the proud parents of their firstborn, Karl! Scotchie currently caddies for Soren Hansen.
Mick Doran ...Lee's caddie to April 2000 Mick Doran who currently caddies for David Howell was asked the following questions for our newsletter. 
Q.Have you always caddied for a living or did you do other jobs first? A. Yes, I've always caddied for a living, working at Wentworth, then going on tour.
Q. Do you play golf yourself? If so, off what handicap and who caddies for you? A. I play golf when I have the time. My handicap is 12 and I don't have a caddie when I play!
Q. Did you have to apply for the job or did Lee approach you and ask for you to work with him? A. Yes, I applied for the job.
Q.Have you any advice for youngsters who might want to try caddying as a career? A. Nowadays it is very tricky to get started. You also need to have some savings as you may not get a job some weeks.
Q. Do you share Lee's apparent easygoing attitude on course, or do you get anxious at the way an event is going? A. I do share Lee's attitude. If things are going well, then that's great. If not,then there is no point in getting anxious on the course.
Martin Gray ...Lee's caddie from April 2000-September 2001 
Martin Gray was born on 5th December 1961 in Worksop.
He began his working life as a coal miner but played golf for leisure. In 1988, he and his friends went to watch the Weetabix Ladies British Open, which was taking place at Lindrick Golf Course, on the outskirts of Worksop (which once hosted the Ryder Cup). Martin said his friends went to watch Laura Davies but he was following a young lady called Nicola Way (sister of golfer Paul Way). Telling of how he went to help her find her ball when she hit it into the rough, he again came to her assistance a few days later when she needed a caddie. He was with her on the last day of the event when with only nine holes to play she was lying in 3rd position. Unfortunately she didn't win the event but Martin enjoyed the experience and was amazed when he realised that he too would have won the equivalent of three weeks wages had he been her professional caddie.
Martin then decided that was what he wanted to do for a living and he applied to the government for an 'Enterprise Allowance' of £2,000. First he had to be interviewed at Nottingham to check that he was serious about what he wanted to do and he had to keep accounts to present for inspection. He was the first person to be awarded the grant for caddying.
His first event was in Tenerife in 1989 when he caddied for Lindrick pro Chris Gray, who missed the cut. Martin then went on to caddie for Lincoln pro Keith Waters, and the rest as they say is history.
Useful Links
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/ 
