ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- The statue outside the front door of the World Golf Hall of Fame depicts one of golf's most iconic duos.
Francis Ouimet stands alongside his caddie, Eddie Lowery. The pair took down two of the game's greats in 1913 -- Harry Vardon and Ted Ray -- in one of America's first golf triumphs. The statue is called "America's First Golf Hero."
Only one of them, however, is enshrined in the building.
The hall is filled with the game's greatest players, both men and women. No caddies allowed, though.
Would Jack Nicklaus have won the 1986 Masters without son Jackie Jr. on the bag?
"No," said Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer of all time.
When asked about caddies being included in the hall of fame, his answer was blunt.
"No. I think the hall of fame is for golfers that played the game, played with distinction, and handled themselves well," he said.
Nicklaus attempted to phrase his answer just right.
"Same thing as they tried to get," he said, but caught himself, then finished. "I guess they probably have a teacher or two in there."
In Nicklaus' mind there should be only golfers in the World Golf Hall of Fame, which would eliminate 31 of the current 146 members. Sorry about that, Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush, but we're going to have to ask you to pack up your lockers.
Maybe that's a bit harsh.
Speaking of harsh, Johnny Miller should have a no-brainer answer on whether caddies have a place in the WGHOF, right?
"I think they do actually," he said.
What?
Miller continued.
"Maybe it's a small little room," he said as the giggles started. "You could put a lot of the great caddies in there. Might be fun to see some of their quotes from the bags they had. I think actually ..."
Then he got serious.
"I think it wouldn't even have to be a small room," he said, speaking slowly and thoughtfully.
Miller went on to name a couple of the older caddies who worked for him and some of the greats, including one of Nicklaus' loopers.
"[There are] guys who've won a lot of tournaments besides the Steve Williamses of the world. So yeah, I think that's a good idea actually."
Surely Hall of Famer Lee Trevino, who got his introduction to the game carrying clubs, would see the need for including caddies in the hall.
"Well, I think [caddies] have a hall of fame," he said. "But you've gotta understand, they've already got some 'caddies' in the hall of fame."
In Trevino's mind, the people in the hall of fame that he doesn't believe belong there, are "caddies."
"People that don't qualify to get in there [are already in there]," Trevino said with a belly laugh. "And if you don't believe that, just look and see what the qualifying criteria is to get into the hall of fame, and then look at the names that are in the hall of fame, and there's a lot of them in there that don't [meet] that [criteria]."
Sounds like the hall of fame is kind of a joke to the Merry Mex. That's probably why he hasn't donated anything to his hall of fame locker.
"A lot of people in here started as caddies," said Tony Parker, historian at the World Golf Hall of Fame.
There is an impressive exhibit called "Honoring the Legacy: A Tribute to African-Americans in Golf."
Did you know the first American-born golf professional was an African-American? John Shippen was a 16-year-old caddie who finished fifth in the second U.S. Open played in 1896 at Shinnecock Hills. He earned $10.
Many of golf's famous and enduring names started as caddies, yet in the place pegged "a celebration of the game," there is no place for those who carry the bags. Even the oldest known piece of golf artwork includes caddies.
Comedian Bob Hope, writer Dan Jenkins, television director Frank Chirkinian and those two former presidents all loved and promoted golf. But the professional game did not necessarily require their help. And yet, a pro golfer is not permitted to play in a tournament without a caddie.
In the four major sports, a coach is not required in the rules of the game, but that position exerts enough influence to justify inclusion in each sport's hall of fame.
There are 22 NFL coaches, 23 MLB managers and 95 basketball coaches enshrined in their respective halls, and sure, some have played their sport professionally, but let's stick to the reason they are in their HOF. No one argues their inclusion, though their induction was not based on their exploits from the field of play.
While it's easy to joke about some of the shady characters who have walked the fairways of history carrying the golf bags of the men and women now enshrined, it should not take away or belittle the importance of their role.
Count hall of fame member Nick Price as a proponent of putting caddies in the hall.
"Absolutely, I think there are guys that have just excelled winning majors with [many] different guys," said Price, reminiscing about his old caddie, Jeff "Squeaky" Medlin, and Williams' on-course feats.
The WGHOF even includes a member who made a comment so racially insensitive, that by today's standards he would have to make a public apology and would lose his job.
That man got in the hall 26 years before Charlie Sifford, the only African-American enshrined, was voted in. The prejudice against the professional caddie is not blatant like the racist and sexist remarks made publicly by some. This is why it has been allowed to fester.
Change the name caddie to coach, manager, woman or African-American and that thing you snicker at so easily is no longer cute or funny. If that makes you uncomfortable, good.
What do you call it when a specific group of people is categorically excluded from something? Can we truly celebrate the game of golf at a place that excludes one of its most important historical elements?
The World Golf Hall of Fame remains an incomplete place without a caddie as a member.