Kashmir caddie who led celebrities play the 'rich man's game' driven to poverty

He has assisted famous cricketers like Kapil Dev, Ajay Jadeja and politicians and other well-known celebrities, who visited the valley over the years to enjoy the scenic beauty and play the game. Taking to ETV Bharat, Bashir said that a caddie contributes “75 per cent" to a golfer's win. A caddie, he said, was more than just a person who carried the golfer's bag and club.

Srinagar (J&K): It is said that behind every successful golfer, there is a caddie, the golfer's assistant. In Kashmir, one such caddie, who brushed shoulders with some top names in politics and sports while helping them play the 'rich man's game', however, finds himself slowly slipping into oblivion. For the last 25 years, Bashir Ahmad, a caddie from Srinagar's Batmaloo area, has worked at all the three golf courses in Srinagar--Lake View Golf Course, Kashmir Golf Course, and Royal Springs Golf Course.

In the process, he has assisted famous cricketers like Kapil Dev, Ajay Jadeja and politicians and other well-known celebrities, who visited the valley over the years to enjoy the scenic beauty and play the game. Taking to ETV Bharat, Bashir said that a caddie contributes “75 per cent" to a golfer's win. A caddie, he said, was more than just a person who carried the golfer's bag and club.

“He provides his advice and moral support to the golfer. A good caddie knows the challenges and obstacles of the golf course as well as the best strategy to play the game. This includes knowing the overall yardage, pin placement and club selection,” he said. While his love for the game has kept Bashir within the scenic golf courses, he complained of the meagre returns despite the hectic job profile.

"You get 250 rupees for nine holes and Rs 400 for 18. Sometimes a generous golfer pays more. Our job is to walk with the golfer and lead him. When a player wins, that's 75 per cent of our work. But nobody cares about us," he remarked. "I have seven people in the family to look after. Winters are more difficult as people don't play golf in view of the inclement weather," he said.

"During winters, we sit idle. We come to the course and wait for golfers to come but no one turns up. The same happened during the (Covid) lockdown, we would come and wait," he said. Bashir said that the special tournaments that would be held for caddies are not happening anymore. “Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Bank and other institutions used to organise tournaments for us with prize money of up to Rs one lakh but that doesn't happen anymore," he said.

"Now, we organize tournaments at our level but the prize money is about Rs 2,000," he added. Bashir has participated in many such tournaments and has seen caddies become golfers with hard work and patience. Golf equipment, he said, was very expensive which they could not afford forcing them to borrow it from a golfer or take it on rent from the pro shop.

Despite all these difficulties, Bashir did not quit. "For two months I worked in a shop as a salesman and was paid Rs 4,000 per month. I didn't like it and returned to the golf club," he said. Mushtaq Ahmed, his fellow golfer, who too was a caddie once is all praises for Bashir. "There is nothing we can do without Bashir Ahmed. We have been playing together for a long time. His experience and advice are always useful. Given Bashir's hard work and experience, he can be a good golfer,” Mushtaq added.

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