Gallser

Hole 6, Hogan's Alley. Hogan played in the Open once. It was here at Carnoustie in 1953. This was after the car crash that almost killed him. The doctors weren't sure he'd ever walk again, never mind play golf. But here he was, and one of his most famous holes at Carnoustie was the 6th, which now carries his name. The 6th is a long par 5 with what's rumoured to be the longest OB fence in Europe running up the left. 4 bunkers in the fairway, 2 in the middle and 2 further up the right. There was rough all up the left, and a small 15 yard wide slither of fairway between the bunkers and the rough and OB. Everyone hit right of the fairway back then. Enter Ben Hogan. All 4 rounds he hit the ball up the OB fence with a baby fade, landing on the slither of fairway. They say you could have thrown a blanket over all 4 balls, the grouping was so good. When I started caddying the older caddies would say that in the afternoon he drove into the morning's divot 🤣 He birdied it in both rounds on the final day, when they played 36 holes. He played the hole so well that in 2003 the course renamed the hole after him. A bench and a plaque now sit at the tee box, and it's one of the most popular spots to get a photo taken. So post them in the comments. Let me see you and the plaque on Hogan's Alley.

Where it all began for The Carnoustie Caddie. Martin was a giant of a man. As we say in Scotland, a well kent face. If you were in the Scottish golf industry there is a high chance you met him or knew him. He caddied for some famous names, from former presidents to astronauts. But for me he's the man who started it all. He gave me my start in 1998 at 14 years old. I was always a worker as a kid. I had 3 paper rounds, and in the summer I was setting alarms at 12 years old, off my own back, to go strawberry picking. My parents worked hard but money was tight. If I wanted something I had to work for it. When the opportunity came to start caddying it felt like I won the lottery. £20 per round as a bag carrier. It was Martin that gave me this chance. Martin was a character. Loved a laugh and always had a new joke for you. He thrived off his caddies. He loved the stories, the people coming to play. He had some of the best stories, many of them not repeatable in polite company 🤣 Being a caddie master is a stressful job. Lots of moving parts, people asking last minute for a job, and he'd almost always manage to find a caddie. Was he a saint? Absolutely not, but show me a man who is. I was talking to a friend the other day and he was saying how he was sacked by Martin, or Teeny as he was locally known. But usually within the hour Teeny was back on the phone with a new caddie time because he needed you. As a youngster this happened to me a few times. He did not suffer fools gladly. At times he was tough and he'd give you a proper telling off if you needed it. Back then there were less caddies, and we'd often be off the 18th green and running up the first to catch our next loop. I remember one day I was the only caddie in a 4 ball. These guys were all high handicappers and it was a slow day. I'm maybe 17 years old. My guy was in the Spectacles. Eventually getting it out the side after 4 or 5 attempts. And I see Martin on his push bike, his slacks tucked into his socks so they didn't catch the chain. Shouting at me, "Now David, this is unacceptable. I have you on the tee in 45 mins. You need to get moving." Giving me a bollocking in front of the players because they had been struggling and slow. But the truth is he had a heart of gold. When you needed him he was there to support you. As I say, he gave me my start, and he'd put me with his top caddies to learn the job properly. He wanted to see his boys doing well. I was away from the job for a couple of years, and life was getting tough for me. When I came to ask him if I could come back there was no hesitation. I had a time for the next day. He built the caddie pool at Carnoustie. He brought organisation and changed the game. Before Martin, caddies would turn up in the AM and wait on coach loads of players turning up, and they'd ask if the player needed a caddie. Martin built a system where he'd contact the tour companies and find out if players needed a caddie. And I'd get a call to say tomorrow you are 9.45 for a 10 tee time. His systems are still in use today by his daughter and current caddie master, Ailsa Roy. He's a man I had great affection for. I owe Martin and his family a great deal. In truth, without him there is no caddying, no books, no social media. And my life would have been considerably harder than what was already a considerably hard life. The friends I have today. The men who taught me the job. My ability to get myself out of a homeless unit and rebuild a life for my kids. It all started with 1 man. Sadly Martin passed 11 years ago September past. But you will often hear my colleagues talking of him, the stories, the man. It will be a long long time before Carnoustie and her caddies forget his name. To me he was a boss, a mentor, a friend, and Carnoustie is what it is today in part because of what he built, the standards he set and demanded. As his remembrance bench says, a true legend of the links.

The pubs and bars in Carnoustie are something else. Walk into the Station Hotel and the walls are covered in Carnoustie history. All sorts you will not see anywhere else. Including this, the 18th flag from the 2018 Open, signed by 27 of the players who fought it out here that week. Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Lee Westwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose, the lot. That flag is just hanging on the wall of a bar in my town. You can walk in, order a pint, and stand and look at it. This is what people miss. They play the course, jump back on the bus, and they are in St Andrews by dinner. They never cross the railway line into the town, and the town is full of this stuff. So here is the ask. If you are planning a golf trip to Scotland, tell your tour operator you want a night in Carnoustie. Not just the round and straight back on the bus. A night, or at least a few hours before or after you play. Walk the High Street, have a pint in the Station Hotel, and go and find that flag.