Channel with 33,600 Subscribers Grows in Popularity
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Caddy Seungwan Yang is better known by his nickname than his real name. He is known as ‘Caddywani.’ It is a YouTube channel he has been running since August 2019. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 22nd, Caddywani proudly said, "Being a caddy is an attractive job," adding, "The advantages are working in nature and meeting new people every day." He continued with a bright smile, "A caddy just needs to do their job well," and "I think it’s even better because it’s a job that can be connected with golf, which I love."
Caddywani started his career as a ‘field helper’ after completing his Air Force service and receiving caddy training in 2013. He began YouTube three years ago and has gained quite a bit of popularity. The number of subscribers has steadily increased, now reaching 33,600. Caddywani explained, "At first, I simply uploaded vlogs of my daily life," adding, "I once made content about a caddy’s daily life, and since it got a response, I started it in earnest." His channel features various golf information such as a caddy’s daily life, golf rules, and etiquette. He smiled and said, "My YouTube channel contains the reality of golf courses that ordinary golfers cannot know at all," and "I think people like it because it has differentiated content from others."
While working as a caddy, he met various customers. He is especially popular among mother golfers. Caddywani said, "All mothers are the best to me," and "It was rewarding when we ate delicious food together and talked while working." He recalled, "There is one mother golfer who left the strongest impression," saying, "When she gave me a caddy tip in an envelope and said, ‘Today was so happy. I don’t think I will ever meet a caddy like this again.’" Of course, there were also worst customers. He recalled, "There was someone who spoke informally from the start and spoke in a quarrelsome tone."
Caddywani has been playing golf seriously for seven years. He picked up golf clubs to understand the golfer’s mindset. He also gave advice for weekend golfers who want to lower their scores. Caddywani said, "Don’t just watch YouTube lessons; you must go to the practice range, and you have to see the putting line on the green yourself," adding, "If you practice just these two things, your score will definitely improve." He continued, "Sweet snacks that give energy to the body and brain also help," and said, "If you eat snacks like chocolate bars on par 3s, your play will be much different."
After COVID-19, golf courses experienced a boom. Caddy tips rose from 130,000 won to 150,000 won. There were many voices criticizing that it was too expensive. Caddywani expressed his clear opinion on this. He said, "Many golfers think the green fee is 200,000 won and the caddy tip is 150,000 won. The caddy tip is not paid alone," adding, "The accurate expression would be a green fee of 200,000 won and a caddy tip of 37,500 won." He also said, "Considering the inflation rate and the work caddies do, it is not expensive at all," and added, "Maybe when there are no caddies, people will realize the value of caddies."
He also spoke harshly about golf courses that hire caddies. Caddywani said, "Domestic golf courses treat caddies as independent contractors when it is disadvantageous to them, and conversely treat them as employees when it is advantageous," and pointed out, "There needs to be a change in perception about special employment positions like caddies." Regarding news that multinational caddies are being hired to fill the shortage of caddies, he argued, "It will be difficult to prevent caddy shortages and caddy tip increases," and "There will be many handicaps for foreign caddies to work."
He has great pride in being a caddy. Caddywani emphasized, "Because there are caddies, accidents involving carts and balls are reduced," and said, "I feel truly rewarded when I think that a golfer’s score improved or their day was better because of me." He believes that being a caddy is a job that can be sufficiently compensated economically. A caddy’s monthly income is about 6 million won. He also gave advice to fellow caddies working in the field. He said, "I hope many caddies play golf. Only then can they understand the golfer’s mind," and "A caddy is both a professional and a service worker. Words and actions should also be appropriate for a service job."
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