AOL User's Please Note: *CaddyBytes is best viewed in Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Netscape or any browser other than AOL's!

Charles Frank 'Grady' Williams 'Haul' of Fame Tribute - On the Passing of Tour Caddy in 2007 of 30 plus years of service on the PGA Tour. 

by Randall 'Hollywood' Watts


Charlie Frank "Grady" Williams passed away one year ago today - (August 15th, 2007) - in Augusta Georgia. Williams was a long time and well known PGA Tour Caddie.  (Story continues after the video that follows:)


Video is with Kevin James & Ray Romano and 'The Doc' filmed at the 2009 AT & T Pebble Beach Pro Am.  It's about Grady - who caddied for Kevin James at the 2005 AT & T Pro Am and appeared in the HBO Documentary 'Making the Cut' - starring Kevin James, Ray Romano, and Grady ....

The player will show in this paragraph

 
Wait a minute....this sounds like an ordinary obituary for an ordinary person and "Grady" as he was affectionately known was in no sense of the word ordinary.
 
So let me try again.
 
Charlie Frank "Grady" Williams was a caddie on this rock known as the PGA Tour for 27 years. Grady exuded a rough, gruff, tough exterior but beneath that existed a heart of gold. That big heart finally gave out on him roughly one year ago today.
 
Now...that is better.
 
The mere fact that it has taken a year to properly write an obituary/tribute for this PGA Tour fixture speaks to the wonderful complexity of this most unusual character. Personally I grieved his passing a long time, reminisced for a while longer , and have finally decided to undertake the honor of trying to write up a tribute to his life and memory. It is an honor that I'd rather not have but at the same time am grateful for the chance to eulogize a man who was like a favorite uncle or even a father.
 
For those of you who are caddies or players on the Tour, you will all no doubt have a favorite Grady story or memory. Keep this in mind, we will come back to it later. For you civilians who are kind enough to read and patronize this web site I hope in a few short paragraphs I can give you some sense of what a marvel Grady indeed was.
 
Any caddie who passed would deserve and probably receive tribute on these pages. But I seriously doubt anyone who was ever acquainted with Grady would deny the fact that he was special, set the bar, broke the mold, name your cliché'.
 
First and foremost he worked and followed the Tour in the years before it became a possibly lucrative thing to do. He did it because he loved the game and the participants and he was damn good at it. During his career he stood in the winners circle at least five times. Any Tour caddie will tell you that to stand there even once is a thrill beyond words and an accomplishment many of us never achieve. Grady had most of his success with Tim Simpson but was also on the bags of such hall of famers as Ray Floyd, Hal Sutton, Richard Zokol and many other long gone and forgotten pros. In his later years he humbly caddied for many younger, newer pros who had no idea what a legend and genius they had on their bag. T
 
So that little bit is the golf and caddying part of Gradys life and has been duplicated and exceeded by many of our caddie brethren. The thing that made Gardy be Grady was the other stuff.
 
Grady had the rare and unique ability to begin any sentence with a verse of scripture and end it with a string of profanity a mile long. For some reason which I never understood the most vile epithets that Grady could utter never really sounded bad when they emanated from Gradys mouth. It was pure Grady and if he ever offended anyone I am not aware of it. Grady lived life on his own terms, doing as he wished when he wanted and at the same time never letting his own wants, needs, and desires interfere with his job. This is no small feat for a caddie but Grady pulled it off with grace, style and nonchalance. No pro ever needed to furtively scan the parking lot looking for Grady who might not be there. He would be there, dressed to the nines and ready to go and, in his own favorite term, "get money."
 
My own Grady story concerns my own genesis into the world of Tour caddying. Playing in a Skins game at East Lake of Atlanta's Charlie Yates Course in the summer of 1999 I noticed Grady in a cart loudly and profanely betting with anyone on any shot or any other occurrence within sight of the golf course. At this time I was wearing my official East Lake caddie shirt which Grady noticed and commented upon. In my typically clumsy fashion I patronizingly asked Grady had he ever caddied there as a youngster or whatever at which point he cursed me good and proper and informed me that he was a PGA Tour caddie. I must confess that I no more believed this than I believed that pigs could fly and told him so which earned me another first class cursing. The round ended and all went their separate ways. A couple of weeks later during a golf telecast Mike Brisky was in the hunt and had the cameras trained on him as he attempted a 60 foot lag putt. Tending the flag was none other than Grady who was working for Brisky at this time! I was stunned and resolved to apologize next opportunity which came during his next break at the next skins game at Charlie Yates Golf Course. This was the first time I saw his big heart as he laughed and forgave me and asked me why didn't I give this gig a try. Grady later took me to my very first PGA event, the now defunct 1999 Buick Classic at Callaway Gardens where he pulled strings and set me up with a young rookie named David Seawell. From that point I was afforded the opportunity to see the country and watch the best in the world ply their trade from inside the ropes. Thanks Grady for this once in a lifetime opportunity. I love you and will never forget you.
 
Grady is survived by friends, family and any caddie who ever toted a bag and is missed by all.
 
Now back to the part about us all having a favorite Grady story. As you read this, take a moment to reflect upon your memories on this sad anniversary, tip a toast of your favorite beverage to this wonderful man sometime during this week and share your stories so that his memory lives on and on. And know that he is looking down upon us from the big caddie lot in the sky and urging us all to "caddie hard and get money" while probably affectionately calling you some four letter word.

Randall Watts, - "Hollywood"!

Randall 'Hollywood' Watts covers basketball for a local paper in his native Alabama in the winter, caddies for Spike McRoy on the PGA Tour and spends his summers as a caddy at Bandon Dunes Resort in Oregon.

Click Here back to our 'Haul of Fame tribute page:

The Virtual Golf Tours are great visual golf tours of some famous courses...

Our Resource of Caddy Books provides you with a bibliographical resource of all the books ever written on, about, or by golf caddies! (*Now with Book Reviews added!)

Tiger Woods 2007
PGA Championship
(Southern Hills)
Highlights DVD!
Click Here:

Now in 2008!
The Sonocaddie
Personal GPS
Yardage Caddie
Click Here:

2008 Ryder Cup 
Official Leroy Neiman
Tournament Posters 
& Commissioned Art 
Click Here:


The Smart Stick 
Revolutionary 
Swing Trainer
2008 PGA
Merchandise Show!
Click Here:

Personal Golf Simulator 
- Play the World's best courses
at home on 
your XBox or PC! 
Click Here:

Signup for the CaddyBytes Newsletter Here: When you Submit your email address you will receive information about how to get a collectible BC PTCA Caddy Doll, as well as upcoming CaddyBytes News, Golf Product Specials and Giveaways! CaddyBytes.com will not share your email address with Anyone, Ever! (Also: We've recently updated our Email Security!)