W.Who connects the masters of 1938 with those of 1948, 1951, 1953 and 1956? The answer lies in the kind of story Augusta National should celebrate, just as it did this week with the belated recognition Lee Elder received for his pioneering status among black golfers. Willie Lee Stokes, only 17 when Henry Picard triumphed a year before the start of World War II, was the caddy in five different Masters victories for four players. The record looks even more amazing decades later. The late Willie Peterson was also traveling for five champions; They were all called Jack Nicklaus.
Stokes’ life touched the fairy tale. He grew up on farmland where his father worked that was later bought by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts to build Augusta National. A decade before his death in 2006, at the age of 86, Stokes recalled how he had helped fell trees while cutting trees. That same year, Stokes was inducted into the Caddy Hall of Fame.
Roberts, the tough business brain behind Augusta’s formation, instantly made Stokes shine. “He’s always been out for Clifford Roberts,” said Stokes’ brother Latimer at the time of Willie’s death. “He loved Clifford very much. Clifford was always his man. “Apparently it was Roberts who was instrumental in choosing the players for whom Stokes would work at a particular Masters.
Picard, Claude Harmon, Ben Hogan – twice – and Jack Burke Jr. benefited from Stokes’ wisdom when green jackets were earned. In his book “It’s Just a Game,” Burke recalls the comforting habit of spinning a single club in his hand while walking. Burke has only sought advice from a caddy once in his career; when about the crucial putt in this 1956 Masters. “Just go ahead and drive them in there,” affirmed the Bagman Burkes reading.
Those were different times, of course. By the time Elder broke the mold in 1975, the Masters players were white and the Caddies were black. Augusta’s own club caddies simply continued their work during Masters week.
Jerry Beard, who cadded as a debutant for Fuzzy Zoeller during his Masters triumph in 1979, will be 80 years old in January. His warmth for Stokes is very clear. “He was the king of the caddies,” says Beard. “This golf course is all about green reading. You have to know these greens. This did him so well that he taught us all how to read the greens. He lived in the area when the place was built, so he knew more about the land than anyone else. He could read greens if he knew 100 yards from the hole what the putt would do each time.
“When I started caddling at 15, the master caddy took me out with him to study. He called me ‘Little Bull’ when I was a little boy … ‘OK Little Bull, this putt is going to do so and so and so and so’ and … bang. In the hole. He told you what any putt would do, then it was up to you to tell your player. You made your money on how well you cadded. Players wouldn’t tip well if they weren’t a good caddy. A lot of people were very, very generous then.
“He was a great guy. Loved having fun. And he was a pretty good athlete, he was older than us, but he loved to race and overtake us. “
In 1983 Augusta National decreed that players could bring their own caddies to the Masters. This marked the beginning of the end of the club’s long-established caddy culture. “We were a big part of this tournament,” says Beard. “Things have changed, it was all about the money. We were all black back then and I would have had no problem if they had integrated themselves on the golf course. If everyone learned to cadd on the golf course like I had to learn, don’t just bring them in and let them make the big bucks. I thought that was wrong.
“In the south everything was separate. Most people at the time felt like it was a small job, so they didn’t want to be caddies. As the money skyrocketed, it came to what you have now. All whites. That was what the whole business was about, about money. “
While Beard was “so disappointed” with the change, he returned to his night shift with a paper company. He took great pity on those who had lost the Master’s payday; Augusta National is closed to members from May to October. “I had another way of making a living because I had a wife and five kids, but I really felt sorry for those guys when it was all they had.”
Another of Augusta’s decorated caddies, Carl Jackson is still working at an exclusive club in Arkansas. Beard, such a charming man, laughs when it is suspected that this contingent’s contribution to the tournament is insufficient. “Well, there aren’t many of us left …” That seems all the more reason to make a fuss. “I’ll watch it on TV,” added Beard of the Masters. “I can no longer walk over the hills. I looked at it for a couple of years then stopped walking. Some of the greens have changed, but I still know what the ball will do before a player putt. “The knowledge shimmered from Willie Lee Stokes. Augusta National should fondly remember him.
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