They called me "Mr. Tom"

You know, despite the fact that I really want to keep these posts as small as possible, they always end up being long. You have to scroll down to read the whole thing. Which I guess is the way it should be, but I will continue to try and be a little more concise.

Today was a little ridiculous.

Today, I met my first Korean foursome. In all actuality, however, it was a threesome, because the member had some back problems that kept acting up and he decided to ride in the cart for 18 holes. And surprisingly, all three of his guests still wanted to play the course today even though it was going to rain through most of the round.

Everyone in the caddyshack groaned when they first saw this foursome walking up to the tee. Nobody wanted to take them. But, lucky them, I was the "junior" caddie. So I was chosen. Another caddie ended up joining me, and he ended up carrying two bags. TWO. I suppose it's really not a big thing, but right now I'm so focused on carrying one that I can't seem to fathom what carrying two would be like. I guess it's just a lot of running around.

So we both found out very quickly that out of the four of them, the member was the only one who spoke English. I mean sure, the other three knew the key phrases: "good shot," and...well...I guess the rest they knew I could at least understand. Here are some examples and suggested translations so you know what I mean:

Comment: "Mr. Tom (this is what they called both me and the other caddy, because I suppose my name had the easiest phonemes to pronounce and remember), is this a PGA course?"

Translation: "Do PGA players play here?" Obvious enough, but there's more.

Comment: "Mr. Tom, I am five."

Translation: "I need my 5-iron."

Comment: "Mr. Tom, is this a middle hole?"

Translation: "Is this a par 4?"

Comment: "Oooooohhh...grrrrrauuughhhh! Montagnya...montagnya..."

Translation: "That was a shitty shot."

There were more, but you get the point. Not only did they all move very fast (quite a challenge for a junior caddie such as myself), but they loved to grunt and groan. And I'm sure they were talking about me and the other caddie. That was annoying. My man and one of the others were gambling. But it was unbelievable. In America, you set the ground rules, and you settle the bet after the round is over. These two exchanged money after EVERY HOLE. EVERY HOLE. I asked the other caddy if this is normal. He nodded and added, "I just don't think they trust each other after the first hole."

But all in all my guy was nice. And they all had fun swings to watch. You got a little rush every time they made contact. Because you knew you might not have to go into yet ANOTHER bunker and rake it.

And I'm going to end this, because I can tell it's already long. Sorry again. But there will be more attempts.