St. Andres Caddies
Letters to the Editor
August 20, 2004

Sir,

I have been waiting since your publication of July 23 to see if anyone would comment on the comments attributed to Ms Nurse, a spokesperson for the Links Trust. To date, nobody has.

Ms Nurse is quoted as saying that the popular image of the old St. Andrews caddie was �unkempt, unshaven, drunk and virtually sleeping in the street.�

How man of them does Ms Nurse know, one wonders?

My late husband, John Sorley, was one of the said caddies and anyone who knew him will testify that he was always impeccably turned out and , as we had a lovely home, he had no need to sleep in the street.

The year he died, 1989, he caddied in the Scottish Open, The Open and The Dunhill.

I can�t imagine professionals asking for his services if he was as Ms Nurse describes.

My poor man must be spinning in his grave at the treatment meted out to the caddies now. Five pounds every day in order to work!

I wonder how many of your readers or, indeed, if Ms Nurse and her colleagues at the Links Trust have to fork out 5 pounds every day before they can work?

I am really surprised at the caddie manager. Being an ex-caddie himself, I would have thought this latest piece of nonsense would have been abhorrent to him. If this had happened in your day, Mr. McKenzie, I am sure you would have had a lot to say on the matter.

The old caddies looked after my husband while he was ill and took care of me afterwards.

As they seem to be afraid to speak out, I feel it is my duty to say something on their behalf.

One final point. As we how have quite a number of lady caddies, isn�t it about time they had their own toilet facilities?

Helen Sorley
17 Boase Avenue
St. Andrews.