Walking the golf course watching his son compete on the national stage is something Dennis Bruce has done on a number of occasions.
It was a pretty good vantage point to watch Andrew compete against the best in the country in the junior division for a handful of years before moving up to the men’s amateur pool of talent in Canada.
Now, he’s excited about doing something even more special.
Bruce, a Corner Brook economist, will caddy for his son for the first time at a major golf event when he carries the bag at the 2018 Canadian amateur men’s golf championship August 4-9 on Vancouver Island.
Caddies aren’t permitted at the junior level so Bruce didn’t have an opportunity to carry the bag. Andrew competed at the national men’s amateur golf tournament two years ago — his debut at the men’s level — but his twin brother was given a chance to be caddy for this particular event because he didn’t qualify for the tournament.
This time around, the timing proved to be right for the proud dad to embrace what he feels will be a special time spent with his son.
“It’s a thrill of a lifetime for me,” he said.
Walking the course as a spectator with a keen vantage point was a good experience for him, but being able to share the course with his son in a caddy role is something he’s thought about doing for a number of years but things just never lined up for him.
“It is a kind of a neat reward. Not everybody gets to enjoy a moment like this so I’m going to savour every second of it,” he said.
There is a certainly some responsibility that comes with being the guy on the bag, but Bruce doesn’t expect it to be stressful since he knows his biggest job will be to provide encouragement along the way and offer any tips or advice if asked.
“In my case, I’m going to try to stay out of his way,” he said with a hearty chuckle. “I’ll be there to talk to him a bit at the appropriate times to give him a bit of encouragement, but other than that I’ll just do what I’m told. If he asks my opinion on something I’ll give it, but otherwise I’ll stay quiet.”
He’s excited about being close to the action as Andrew goes about his business and it’s not really too weird for dad to have his son telling him what to do apparently.
“He’s been doing that for years,” his dad said as a big laugh followed his words.
It’s a comfort zone for both so this father and son should get along just fine.
