“CADDYING FOR MY BOYHOOD HERO WAS SUR REAL”
Caddies tell the best stories. It’s a fact. And Billy Foster is one of the best storytellers of the bunch. It’s hardly surprising when you look at what an amazing journey his career has been. Foster has travelled the world caddying for and against the best players of the last four decades, worked at 15 Ryder Cups and won numerous prestigious tournaments with each of his employers. Standing alongside Seve Ballesteros, Darren Clarke, Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick, he’s had a front-row seat to – and been a part of – some of the greatest shots and moments in golfing history.
We met up with Foster at his long-time home club, Bingley St Ives, to chat about the defining relationships and moments of his incredible 40-year career.
How much has caddying changed since you started?
It’s changed immensely. When I first started, a caddie couldn’t afford to get on a plane, certainly couldn’t afford to stay in a decent hotel, so you were getting your way round on trains, buses, hitchhiking; sleeping in tents, £2 a night horrible places and backstreets with rats and stuff. There were no range balls, no phones, no credit cards. Not much decent food and you weren’t really allowed in clubhouses. It was a tough existence, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. It was a great learning curve, and it keeps you humble and makes you appreciate what you have today. Now we’re flying around on private jets or in
