Is playing golf in a country that has "banned" the game like a tree falling in the woods and no one hearing it? China recently prevented its 88 million Communist Party members from playing the game in an update to their moral ethical code.
Our caddie, who has worked this tournament in the past, drops all kinds of insight about this week's HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.
This is also a prime example of why I protect the identity of the caddies featured here. A couple truth bombs get dropped, so put on your hazmat suit and please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle. Enjoy this week's Caddie Confidential!
Michael Collins: Golf is already considered by many to be a niche sport, now it's virtually banned in China. What are the crowds normally like at this tournament?
Caddie: You know, it's a great question. They're not enthusiastic. There's not a lot of crazy cheering anymore -- it's more like you're a curiosity to them. It seems to me like they just kind of, uh, they watch to see how you're going about things and how you do things. But I don't feel like there's ever been a lot of rooting. It's more like they're curious, they take a lot of pictures. They don't understand the "no pictures" thing at all. They don't get it, they don't wanna get it, and you can tell them no pictures and it won't matter.
Collins: And what about size? Are the crowds big or are they similar to Web.com, LPGA, or Champions Tours?
Caddie: Yeah, they're pretty small. Even for Jordan [Spieth] or Rory [McIlroy] you get some small crowds around those groups but nothing like in Great Britain or America where you're five deep along the rope line. If you follow those guys in China, there's never a point where you won't be able to see everything. The crowds just aren't that big.
Collins: What makes this event challenging for the caddie?
Caddie: I'll say this, there's two things to me that make it tough caddying in China. One, is the time difference obviously. You gotta switch over fairly quickly and get things going to be on the right time. The other thing -- and I was thinking about this before I talked to you today -- about this event struck me as peculiar and unusual is you have to get your player off to a good start. The reason why, is if he doesn't, it's really hard to find the reserves to keep fighting. It's a no-cut event, and you're gonna make money no matter what. So, if you don't get off to that good start, it's really hard to summon the reserve to fight and get back into it. If after two days, let's say you're in 45th place. Chances are you're gonna end up in 45th place. That event just seems to me like whoever is in the top 10 on Friday night tends to be in the top 10 come the end of the week.
Collins: For the guys who didn't play Malaysia the week before, can they ever get on the right schedule?
Caddie: I'll be honest. Personally, I've never even attempted to get on [their time] schedule. I will get up at 2 or 3 in the morning, and if we tee off in the morning that's my afternoon. If we tee off in the afternoon that's my evening. I'll go to bed at 4 or 5 in the afternoon everyday because it's only a week, you know? If I try and adjust, maybe by Friday or Saturday I've adjusted. Then I'm leaving two days later and I'll have to do it again when I get home. So personally, I never even try to adjust. I just leave it as is and stay on my normal sleeping schedule and don't even fight it.
Collins: Was there ever anything about being in China that made you nervous?
Caddie: Um, no. And the reason why is because you're so secluded where you are. It's just like any other week [on the PGA Tour]. You're at the resort, which is beautiful. And you're at the course, which is a great Jack Nicklaus design. So unless you go out and about a lot -- I remember going out once. It was kind of awkward because we went to this shopping district. Which was kind of neat, but being obviously American or a foreigner you were really accosted everywhere you went. "Come to my shop!" Even physically being pulled. "Come look at my watches!" So you couldn't just kind of walk around and observe. It was hard. It wasn't very comfortable, if I could say that.
Collins: What do people need to know about this golf course?
Caddie: Coming in, there's a lot of great risk-reward holes. It finishes up with a reachable par 5, a driveable par 4, a tough par 3, and reachable par 5. So given the conditions and some good tee locations, you have a chance to make a few eagles coming in. But at the same time, they're definitely risk-reward. It's not like [on No. 16] it's a "no-brainer I'm gonna try and drive this par 4" because all along the right of it is this barranca that if you don't carry you're [out of bounds]. I think the excitement on that course comes at the very end -- those last five holes where you've got three eagle opportunities. It's a lot of fun.
Collins: Is there one hole that gives players fits?
Caddie: No. 16, which is odd because it's that driveable par 4. But's it's not a no-brainer. Even if you lay it up with a 4-iron, you have to be pretty precise with it. There are risk-rewards and there are ones you just gotta hitch up your pants and say, "I'm taking it on, and I'm gonna try and hit a great shot." [On 16] you can't be good, you have to be great.
Collins: In Malaysia it's the heat. What makes caddying in Shanghai difficult?
Caddie: The thing that makes it hard over there honestly is sometimes, especially when the weather is good, there's so much smog and congestion even on the days when it's mostly sunny, you get home at night and you really feel your lungs worked hard that day. Because Shanghai can get some really bad air [quality] conditions. That wears on you as the week goes on, you know? You tend to get headaches and cough and a sore throat just because you're dealing with that every day. Every time I go over there, it makes me thankful we have something called the EPA over here.
Collins: The Steve Williams book, where are you on it?
Caddie: Um, I understand why he's doing it, but to me when you get hired by a player, that's confidential locker room material. If you get the OK from your player, say I want to write about these competitions and these decisions we made, that's one thing. But I just feel like we're paid an awful lot of money by these guys, and not that they're buying our silence, but to me it's just not something you should do. It's locker room material, and that stuff should just stay in-house. My opinion.
Collins: Last thing. People would be surprised to know what this week?
Caddie: Most guys don't want to be there. You can write that, and I swear to God it's true. It's the time of year that guys are ready to be done and take a break, but they're not allowed to anymore because of the wraparound schedule. You get an event that's free money, no cut, and world ranking points, other than a handful of guys, you have to go. But the truth of the matter is, most guys would rather be home and not playing right now. They just feel like they have to. I know, all due respect to the sponsor and the tour, most guys don't want to be there.