A lot of folk will probably still harbour a fairly stereotypical view of the humble Scottish caddie.
Perhaps it is of a slightly hunched, shuffling fella called wee George who has the kind of craggy face that resembles an abandoned quarry and delivers whispering pearls of golfing wisdom through gently billowing plumes of fag reek as he peers knowingly at the subtle borrows on the 12th green.
This particular notion, of course, can be as wide of the mark as some of Donald Trump’s tee-shots under pressure from a baying mob of protesters.
Jack Gallacher is a lean teen who is still not old enough to indulge in that other favoured pastime of a caddie; a good, drouth-quenching bevvy. “You can write down that I’m 18 in the paper and I might get into some pubs,” said the 17-year-old with a smile.
Lumping the bag of his well-kent dad, Stephen, for the past month has been quite an eye-opener for Jack but this father and son alliance is slowly making some headway.
Gallacher senior’s five-under 65 – which equalled his lowest round of the season – had him moving in the right direction on day three of the Scottish Open.
Having missed two of three cuts prior to this week as a new partnership, this was a timely tonic in their own backyard.
“It was a bit of slow start for us but we’re getting there,” said Jack, who has been one of his faither’s most loyal followers on the other side of the ropes down the seasons but now finds himself in the merry midst of the competitive cut-and-thrust. “It’s been different, especially this week on home soil when you see all the familiar faces walking round.
“The whole idea about me doing this was briefly discussed around about the PGA Championship in May and dad just said one day: ‘do you want to do it?’
“The next day after he asked, I left school. It was quite a whirlwind. I had just started sixth year and left. This was a good chance to make some money. My mum was OK with me quitting school. As long as I’m making a few quid, she’s quite happy.
“I was going to stay on at school but I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. The one thing I knew is that I wanted to do something in golf. You are still learning on this job even though I maybe can’t practise as much on my own game.
“It’s been a case of so far so good. It helps when he’s playing better. That makes my job a bit easier. I’ve followed my dad around the golf scene for years and I just about know his game inside out. This is a wee bit different now that I have to keep up with all the wee jobs.
“It’s sometimes just the little things like handing in the stats cards after a round or keeping the towel wet and making sure there’s plenty water.
“I’m not quite sure what my strengths are to be honest just yet. I’ve always been pretty good on the greens and I’m there to offer another pair of eyes. I’d say my dad is a my best pal so that’s not a bad working relationship.”
By all accounts, young Gallacher has been welcomed into the caddie fraternity and he’s already been in good company.
During Friday’s second round he got to watch at close hand the bagman nous of Billy Foster, the long-serving looper who worked with Seve Ballesteros and has enjoyed great success with Lee Westwood. While picking up a few tips of the trade, there was also some good-natured ribbing.
“We’ve not had too many major mistakes yet but the other day, dad had just about hit a shot into the sponsor’s pavilion and I was trying to get a yardage from where we were,” added Gallacher.
“Billy shouted over and said: ‘can you bring me a 99 ice cream when you’re in there?’.
“Someone like Billy has worked at the highest level so I was just trying to pick up any wee bits that could help me. They are a good lot”
Nick Rodger
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