Michael Collins …From Comedian To Caddie & Beyond. Special Report By Kiran Kanwar.

Nassau, Bahamas … From Comedian to Caddie & Beyond  – Special report by Kiran Kanwar.

Humor in the classroom and in sport has been shown through research to, among other things, create a relaxed atmosphere. Surely that is what all golfers need during a stressful golf event, and who better to provide some light “comic-relief” than a player’s caddie, who has to walk wth him (and suffer his poor humor too, sometimes) for eighteen holes.

When Michael Collins changed careers from being a stand-up comedian to caddying, he had no concept or clue whatsoever to the mentality that went into it. After years of being on the bags of many famous professional golfers, he now knows just how mental of a game it is. “Depending on the shots you’re hitting and the results the shots give you, the attitude you have towards the results can dictate the results on your score card going forward. That was very new for me to process and understand.” Collins, now the famous “ESPNcaddie”, always thought people simply got up and hit it from here to there then putted it into the hole and talked to their friends the rest of the time, and that was it.

ESPNs popular Michael Collins interviewing Rickie Fowler.

ESPNs popular Michael Collins interviewing Rickie Fowler.

Now he understands why so many professional golfers have sports psychologists – it is because that aspect of the game is so important and the longer psychology has been studied, the more mainstream it has become. A caddie can help his player relax because when the mind is going through something, it affects the body, and thus the golf score too.

Asked what the worst attitude was that he had ever seen with any of his players, he – naturally – had a funny but true story to recount. Once, a player had made three consecutive bogies with his sand wedge from the middle of the fairway so his shoulders had become slumped, his chin was on his chest and as they were walking down the 8th hole, he complained that he was the world’s worst player and that he did not have any business being out on Tour and should not be wasting his time being there. Collins recalled, “ I kept thinking this is not good, it is only Friday and if you’re going to have this attitude going forward we’re not going to be here for the weekend.” Collins, too, began to wonder what he was doing there, not having any fun either and not even being the player’s full-time caddie. Then the player made another bogey. On the next hole he hit a driver into the rough, decided to use a three wood out and popped it into the air leaving himself with a 100 yard shot and no other option but to hit another sand wedge. So once again the player complained. As Collins reached the ball, he slammed the bag on the ground and told the player, “Yeah, you do suck.” Then “The player just froze, it was like a verbal slap to his face. When he looked at me, I gave him a smart-alec look and said maybe you should try professional darts. There is a bar about three miles away and we can go there and you can try that, maybe you’ll do that better.” The player got a smirk on his face, said “F@#$ you” to Collins, grabbed the sand wedge and hit it to six inches. On the next hole he needed sand wedge once again, and Collins said “You’ve proven how much you suck with the sand wedge” and the player, trying not to laugh, hit it very close to the hole. The next hole was a par three and it needed a pitching wedge, but it still had a wedge in the name!  So he told the player, “You know I know how prominent this feels for you…” and as soon as the shot was hit wondered if it was heading for the hole – which it was! So, the player finished birdie, birdie, hole-in-one, all with the very wedges he’d been complaining about.

Michael Collins

Michael Collins

Would it be better to give a player shock treatment or bolster them up on every hole? Bolstering them up looses its effectiveness, especially if one keeps bolstering up the same person all the time. Amazingly Collins had discovered just what sports coaching theory has researched for years – constant feedback, or feedback which is general instead of specific, do not help!

“Sometimes,” adds Collins, “The best thing you can do for them is let them be mad for a minute, let them be upset. If a guy needs to throw a club, throw it, my only thing is before they start and get into a bad place I would always tell them just throw it in the direction were walking, ‘cause if you throw it the opposite way and I’m already carrying a bag, I’m not getting it so you’re going to play with 13 clubs.” He actually carried through on the threat one time when a player threw a club into a tree. When the player asked him, “Aren’t you going to get it?” Collins replied, “That’s not the way we’e headed”!

One formula to keep his player calm and happy was something he learned from another caddie. “Don’t let the score determine the enjoyment of your day. If you enjoy the time you spent regardless of score or good or bad shot, if you’re enjoying your time out there and the company of the person you’re with, its amazing how good the scores can be.”

How has a comedian worked to lighten up moods? Sometimes when a player was getting stagnant and only making pars, he might tell a joke. For instance, when the waiting between holes took ages, he’d tell a joke and the player would crack up and only get back into focus when it was time to go.

Laughter, it is well said, is the best medicine, and a caddie with an understanding of his player’s mind can contribute in a very meaningful way to his player’s successes.

Kiran Kanwar,  

  •   Developer of The Minimalist Golf Swing System -100% scientific, simple and specific          (www.mgs.golf)
  •   BS (physics, math); MS (sports science, nutrition); PhD (biomechanics, anatomy – student)
  •   Class A Member: the LPGA, The NGA of India, The PGA of India


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