Hailing from the Christchurch Golf Club, Tatom holds a handy 7-10 handicap and has spent years spectating at the New Zealand Open wondering what it was like to be inside the ropes and rubbing shoulders with some of the best golfers to grace our shores.
“I have been to a number of New Zealand Open tournaments previously just to watch and enjoy the tournament, and when a friend built a holiday home in Arrowtown we decided to make a week’s holiday of it and have done so each year for the past six years,” said Tatom.
“After spending years just spectating and talking about what it would be like to be part of the tournament, we finally decided to register to caddy and have our own inside-the-ropes experience”
Tatom has had some great experiences on the bag in Queenstown including Auckland-based Dong Woo Kang (2015 & 2016) and Australian Corey Crawford (2017) and Daniel Nisbet (2018 & 2019).
“Being part of the action at the tournament is by far the best part of the experience. It gives you a different perspective on how a professional tournament is run, and I love the added atmosphere from within the ropes” said Tatom.
When asked about his favourite memory from caddying in at the tournament, the 2018 tournament with Daniel Nisbet instantly jumped to mind.
“By far the best experience was being on Daniel Nisbet’s bag when he won the 2018 New Zealand Open title” Tatom continued “He shot a 63 on the final round and won with a record 27 under par. That week he was on fire, and it was awesome getting to witness his play from his side”
For those thinking about giving caddying a go, Tatom has one simple piece of advice.
“Don’t be afraid to give it a go”
“All you need is a good general knowledge of golf and a reasonable level of fitness. Andrew the caddy master great to work with and willing to share some of his vast knowledge to help you into it.”
The New Zealand Open Caddy Registrations for the 2023 are now open via nzopen.com.
