RACHEL POLSON READY TO CADDIE AT TRUMP INTERNATIONAL

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Peterculter's Rachel Polson, pictured below, just home from the end of her second year at Florida Tech and playing in the Scottish championship at Longniddry this week, has paid £100 to join the pool of caddies on standby at Trump International.

As the standard payment - excluding tips - to a caddie from a player at the course is £40, that means she has to do two and a half rounds before she starts making money at the job!

I asked Heather Stirling, former Scottish amateur champion and past Curtis Cup player who caddies at St Andrews and Gleneagles, and in Florida during our winter, if it was a standard procedure for a caddie to have to PAY to get a place on a club or course's list of bag-carriers.

   "I would say different golf courses have different policies and also have different fees for caddies. We paid £40 when we started caddieing at St Andrews but that was about eight 

years ago and nothing at Gleneagles," said Heather (pictured left), who is a pro golfer and has played in all the Paul Lawrie Scottish Ladies Open Tour events so far.

Her base when she is home from Florida is at Dairsie, Fife. i.e. within easy reach of the Old Course at St Andrews.

Back to Rachel Polson who went close to winning an event or two on the US college circuit during the 2012-2013 season.

She had a round at the end of the Aberdeenshire girls field at Alford on Sunday and could not get her putts up to the hole, underlining the difference in conditions between Scotland and America.

"I kept leaving my long putts about 3ft short at Alford. I found the greens unbelievably slow. The last greens I putted on in America had a reading of 13 on the Stimpmeter, i.e. around the speed of the greens at the Masters," said Rachel who is based at Melbourne, Florida as a Florida Tech student. 
Melbourne is on the East, Atlantic coastline of Florida and, in case you are wondering, it was named after Melbourne, Australia because one of its first leading citizens spent his early life in the Australian city.