Caddy's dream on golf course
Caddy's dream on golf course
By Lely T. Djuhari
JAKARTA (JP): Being a golf caddy enables a man coming from a village far away from the capital city to observe the extravagant lifestyles enjoyed by the wealthy.
His job is to walk for hours with the rich and famous in the open air. He accompanies them over vast green spaces punctuated by lakes and palm trees.
A caddy can also listen to the words that pass between the leaders of business conglomerates, as discuss new deals. He can daydream about the spoils that may follow upon their chatter.
This job description was strong enough to lure Syamsul Arifin to pack his bags and leave his hometown in Kediri, East Java, to work as a caddy at the Pangkalan Jati Golf course in South Jakarta.
To do the job you don't need a fancy college degree or any special skills. It's enough if you have a good and strong pair of arms and legs.
"I didn't have the money to continue high school so as soon as I pocketed my junior high school certificate in 1988, I decided to try my luck as a golf caddy. I got the job through my uncle, who was already working here at the Pangkalan Jati Golf Course", Syamsul says.
"I was pretty sure at that time that this job paid well and might help me attain my dreams", he recalls.
However, the journey was not as smooth as he had imagined. He had to work as a humble office boy for two years before being promoted. He got into his current post because he managed to establish a good relationship with his boss.
"Once in a while the boss gave me the chance to be an unofficial caddy. I learnt the tricks of the job there", he said. Having some experience in caddying meant that he did not have to take a three-month training course, in which potential caddies are taught about the rules of the club, how to behave among the players and the finer points of the game itself.
A caddy's job starts at around 6 a.m. The hours depend on the number of golfers on the course and the number of holes they play. A caddy usually assists only two players in a day.
Syamsul says that his main task is carrying the golf kits of the rich and famous.
He prefers carrying men's bags to women's because the men, he says, bring only the necessary things, mainly golf clubs, balls and gloves.
"But the women frequently bring so many unnecessary things; such as make-up bags, food and sometimes folding chairs", he said. "A woman once brought a small TV set. I had to lug her belongings for four hours. They weighed about 30 kilograms", he said.
Syamsul says that the earnings from his job are quite reasonable. "There's a caddy fee of Rp 10,000 (US$4,54) a day. But most of the income comes from tips."These vary quite a lot," he explains. "Foreigners are a bit stingy", he says, giving caddies only Rp 10,000 to Rp 15,000 per game, which is far below what the Indonesian golfers hand out.
Syamsul's big earnings enable him to send Rp 300,000, twice a month, to his mother. This amount is sufficient to support both his mother and his younger brother, who is attending senior high school.
"I don't want my mother to worry about money. She wants her other two sons to work as soon as possible, but I have told her that my brother must get a higher education than I did," says Syamsul.
He stress that the job is good for his future because the company provides housing assistance for caddies. Moreover, each caddy is insured by the company.
Over 350 caddies work in two groups at the Pangkalan Jati Golf course. One group is on duty on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the other works Tuesdays and Thursdays, he said. From Friday to Sunday all the caddies work to help the large number of golfers visiting the course.
Arsad, another caddy, said he serves many famous golfers, ranging from a minister to the presidents of private companies.
"I like experienced golfers because they don't talk much. But beginners are polite when they ask for help -- because they really need our help", Arsad said. He doesn't like the know-it- alls. "They don't ask which club to use, then blame me when they mess up." Also, he finds it hard to work when he knows the tip will be small.
"I only look at Jakarta as a place to work. I don't go out at night or visit entertainment places because I am not interested in them. I have to save up as much as I can", Syamsul says. He has visited only Ancol Dreamland, in North Jakarta. That was when one of the golfers invited him along on a family outing.
The first two years, during which he lived with his uncle, were "really bad". His uncle was usually in a bad mood because there wasn't much for breakfast, and what there was had to be shared with his many relatives.
"I was glad when I was able to rent a house in 1990", he recalls. "My plan is to continue working until I can buy a house in the caddy complex, and then to marry a girl that my mother picks out for me back home. Maybe I'll bring her here".
Syamsul is willing to keep walking over the big green lawn each day, carrying the belongings of golfers whose lives are very different from his. He continues to do so in the hope that, in time, he will realize his dreams.