John Wood was managing a bookstore in Sacramento when PGA Tour pro Kevin Sutherland asked him if he’d like to caddie for him during the 1997 season. Wood figured why not give it a try for a year or two?
Fast-forward 26 years later and he’s still part of the traveling circus, having made a seamless transition from caddie to on-course commentator.
“I’ve avoided getting a real job my entire life,” he says.
Wood always has stood out for his ability to communicate his thoughts about a golf course and the inner workings of a caddie-player relationship, including a stint as a Golfweek contributor.
“A good caddie has the answers to 10 questions that never get asked,” says the 53-year-old Wood, who caddied in 14 Cups – seven each of the Presidents and Ryder Cups and was an assistant at the 2018 Ryder Cup.
He has been on a winner’s bag 10 times at PGA Tour events, working primarily for Sutherland, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar. (He came out of retirement for a one-week gig at the Fortinet Championship in September for Stewart Cink.) He joined NBC/Golf Channel in 2021, saying, “It was time for a new challenge,” and bringing a refreshing new voice and insight to the network’s coverage.
But it’s his off-course hobbies that may be the most interesting part of this Q&A. Wood is a music buff, who travels the Tour with a guitar, released his own album on SoundCloud and dragged his parents to an Elvis Presley concert in Tacoma, Washington, at age 7.
He’s also a passionate San Francisco Giants fan, but there are plenty of golfers and caddies who still rep the team that they grew up supporting. Wood is a lone wolf out on Tour in his main addiction these days, which is wolf watching. Wood makes frequent trips to Yellowstone to watch the wolves.
“Sometimes you see 50 wolves in a day and one is taking down an elk and other days you might see two or three jumping out of a bush, you never know,” he says. “I kind of feel like that’s my tribe now. I’ve become part of the community.”
Here’s more from Wood on the heartache of the 2017 British Open, why he thinks it’s time to roll back the ball, and more on wolf watching.
GWK: People may not know this but you played golf at Cal for a year. Who was on your team?
JW: The best players on the team were probably Steve McMichael and Ben Firth. We were just kind of transitioning from a club sport at that point and still getting established as a real team. This was 1987, 1988. So it wasn’t the powerhouse at all that it is now. But it had some good players on there.
GWK: What did Coach Desimone say when you quit?
JW: I think he understood I was just burnt out on school, on golf, on everything. And I just wasn’t in a place in my life where I should have been there. It wasn’t healthy for me to be there. I was not in a good place.
GWK: Ever kid him about having the most PGA Tour wins of all his players?
JW: No, I’ve been on the bag for 10 wins but I don’t think it’s gonna last much longer with Collin (Morikawa) and Max (Homa) doing what they’re doing.
GWK: What were you doing before you hooked up with Kevin Sutherland in 1997 for your first caddie job?
JW: I was managing Tower Books in Sacramento. I was playing golf for fun, but I had no thoughts of going any further in the game. It was Kevin’s second year on Tour. He had gone through four or five caddies his first year and wasn’t thrilled with any of them and just asked me if I’d be interested in coming out and trying it. So I thought about it for a week or two. I asked Kevin, I said, ‘Can you guarantee me one year no matter how bad I am at it?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, no problem.’ At first, I was probably pretty bad. I honestly didn’t know all that went into being a pro caddie. I really didn’t. And then a couple months in I kind of got a good handle and good idea what it took and you know, just took it from there.
GWK: You got started right before Tiger Mania, right?
JW: I think the same year, 1997. I always rough Tiger up and say it’s 50/50 as to why the Tour’s been really so successful because we came up the same year. Impossible to tell.
GWK: Any caddie hazing when you came out?
JW: It’s a lot different now than when I came out. I was Kevin’s friend so I was looked at as you’re taking one of my friend’s jobs. Most of the guys were pretty good about it. But there was definitely that sentiment from some guys.
GWK: Are you disappointed or relieved that your nickname is simply Woody?
JW: The one that I actually wish would have stuck was from – do you remember Squirrel (Alistair Matheson, who caddied for Geoff Ogilvy during his prime)? He gave me the best nickname and it just never stuck. I wasn’t a guy that went out a lot. I go to concerts every once in a while, but I wasn’t one of the guys who went out. It was just my personality. It just wasn’t my thing. So he called me once the ‘eternal flame’ because I never went out. I wish that one would have stuck. I thought it was pretty good. But yeah, Woody is the only one that’s ever really stuck. But I love it. ‘Eternal flame’ was a great one.
GWK: What’s your favorite caddie nickname?
JW: Oh man that’s a good question. You know, I never knew the guy, I only heard stories about him because he was before my time. I don’t even know his actual name but the nickname was Penitentiary Larry. I can guess how we got it. I think that’s probably my favorite.
GWK: Who was your biggest role model as a caddie?
JW: I would say Bones and Joe LaCava equally. I got to know both of them pretty early in my career and we’re still friends to this day and you know, I just learned a lot from both, not necessarily asking them questions, but just watching them work and listening in on their conversations with players. If you pay attention, you can learn a lot.
GWK: How confident were you that Hunter was going to win a major?
JW: I thought it was a really good chance but I mean to be confident you’re going to win one, it’s so hard to win any event much less a major. But there was a four- or five-year stretch where I really thought the U.S. Open, that fit his game best, I think. He was such a good driver of the ball and he had a couple of really good chances and I thought he would come through with one but it’s like I said it’s just so hard to get everything to go right; it had to be your week, you know, he had his chances and you know he put himself in position enough it just didn’t happen.
GWK: How long did it take you to get over the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale when Jordan won and Kuchar finished second?
JW: I don’t know if that is something that you ever really get over. The fact that Kuch played well. You know, it made it easier. It wasn’t like we gave it away. Kuch played well, and Jordan did Jordan things at the end to take it away. That made it probably a little bit easier that you know, it wasn’t given away. We did almost everything we could. But yeah, I’m fine with it. I don’t think about it every night. But you know, to this day it’s a disappointment, sure. That was a great chance for Kuch to win a major and for me and it made it easier that it was Jordan and Michael, who were both really good friends and great people. You look back and think that we had a good chance, a really good chance.
GWK: Did you think there was any chance Jordan was going to make bogey after blocking his drive right of right on the 13th?
JW: We didn’t know what was going on for a good portion of the time. We were sitting in the fairway and I didn’t think it was going to be found. It was on that big hill in the weeds and, you know, once they found it, I had no idea what they were going to do and then we’re watching on the big screen. But yeah, when I saw that he was gonna be able to drop it on the fairway and get it up near the green with his short game I thought there was a chance. I still thought most likely he was going to make six but certainly did not think it was out of the realm of possibility for him to make five.
GWK: Anything you wish you had done differently in that 30-minute stretch?
JW: No, Kuch took it all pretty well. He was easygoing. We were just sitting in the fairway talking and laughing and he didn’t get tight. He hit a good drive on that hole and a great second shot. Hit a great putt that crawled right over the edge. And then he played the next four holes in 2 under. You got a one-shot lead, you play the next four holes in 2 under you’d think you’d have the lead still, but you know, we didn’t. It was just a case of we got blitzed. But I don’t think it would change anything we would have done. I mean, it is what happened. And it was unfortunate. And Jordan was apologetic about it. It wasn’t like he was doing sort of gamesmanship. It’s just that’s what happened. So, no, I don’t think there’s anything different we could have really done.
GWK: Hunter Mahan vs. Matt Kuchar at their peaks, who wins?
JW: Well, I’ll say this, at the (WGC) Match Play they played each other back-to-back years. Hunter beat him the first year, Kuch beat him the next. That’s a great question. Man, I don’t know that I can pick because when they were both on their game they were both so good. Hunter was probably a little bit longer and a little bit better ball striker but Kuch’s putting and short game were better. I can’t go out on a limb. It would go extra holes.
GWK: Who were the biggest helping hands as you transitioned into TV?
JW: Tommy Roy. He hired me. He always felt like that baseball coach you don’t want to let down because he’s so good at his job. And he encourages you and wants you to be so good. But he’s also very honest with you about this was good, this was bad. He was probably the biggest influence.
GWK: What part of doing TV replaces that adrenaline rush that caddying provides when you’re in the thick of it on the back nine on Sunday?
JW: The preparation is a blast to me. As a caddie, I’m looking at a course when I’m walking and studying it, I’m doing that for one player for Matt Kuchar or Hunter Mahan and how are they going to best play this course. But now, when I go out on Tuesday and Wednesday, I have to look at it for the whole field, which is so interesting to me. How does a short hitter play it versus how does somebody who can hit it forever play it? How does the right-to-left guy play this hole compared to a left-to-right guy? So just that aspect is thrilling.
And coming down the stretch, especially on Sunday, it feels very similar because you really want to, as a caddie, give the right information. And it’s the same thing as a commentator, you want to get what’s important about this shot, and communicate it well and concisely and you don’t want to let those opportunities go by where you give a rote, ‘132, this is pitching wedge,’ you want to say this is why they’ve chosen to hit this shot. You want to know where the miss is. So when they come to you and you know you’ve got 15 or 20 seconds to get that information in it’s a big adrenaline rush trying to get it right and not stumble over your words. So, it’s very similar.
GWK: How did you get into watching wolves?
JW: They always were my favorite animal. I’ve read a lot about them and always had an idea that I wanted to go to Yellowstone and watch wolves but I had it in my head that it was gonna be a big production, and I need to hire a guide and all this stuff. I had some time off, gosh, seven years ago now, and I just said, forget it, and I threw all my camping gear in my truck and drove to Yellowstone and got my spotting scope out and saw them that morning and was hooked ever since. I just got back from an international wolf conference in Minneapolis, actually last week. I love watching them. They’re fascinating to me. And it’s probably my favorite thing to do in the world right now.
GWK: How close do you get to a wolf?
JW: You can get pretty close. Typically, when you’re watching them, you’re watching through a spotting scope. You know, it can be anywhere from a few hundred yards to a mile or two out. You can see them pretty well still through a spotting scope. You don’t want to get too close because it bothers them. They’re no threat to us whatsoever. But occasionally, they’ll come closer to you, you know, within 50 yards or so. And you try and move away – as long as you’re not bothering them and affecting their life, it’s OK. You don’t ever want to approach them and get too close, just because you’re scaring them off and changing their natural routine.
GWK: How many people attend a wolf conference?
JW: I would say probably 500 people or so maybe a few more. It was from people from all over the world, though, so, it was pretty cool.
GWK: Is there an equivalent to St. Andrews or an Augusta for watching wolves?
JW: Yellowstone is definitely the best wild wolf watching in the world because they are visible so often in open areas. And there are other places like Isle Royale in Michigan or Denali up in Alaska. But much harder to see, not as consistent. I think Yellowstone has gotta be the Augusta National.
GWK: How far do you live from Yellowstone?
JW: A 15-hour drive or so. I’ll go three or four times a year. November 21 is my next trip up there. And when I go I stay for almost a whole month.
GWK: You're also a big music buff. Do you still travel with your guitar?
JW: Yep. Every week. I put it in the overhead. Yeah, I write my own songs and I’m very much an amateur. But I had a stretch of four or five years where I was super-creative and I was writing a ton of songs and I still write not quite as much as I was but I did put together an album on SoundCloud. It’s there. It’s sitting there. I think I just called it “American Town.”
GWK: What does your perfect day look like?
JW: I would say wake up in Yellowstone, get out there at dawn and watch wolves in the morning. And then around 11 or 12, they kind of bed down for the day and won’t be active again until night. So let’s say have a nice morning of wolf watching. Maybe take a nap. And then Wilco and The Replacements are playing that night in Gardiner (Montana). Go watch them. That would be a perfect day for me. And then the Giants win the World Series that night.
GWK: What sporting event would you like to go to that you’ve never attended?
JW: Mavericks surf contest, big wave surfing off Santa Cruz (Mavericks is a surfing location in northern California outside Pillar Point Harbor, just north of the town of Half Moon Bay). That would be fascinating. I’ve been to Ryder Cups, been to the World Series, the Super Bowl. Yeah, I think watching big wave surfers at Mavericks to me would be fascinating because it’s so far out of my realm or comfort zone.
GWK: Where do you keep your Olympic medallion?
JW: It’s home in a safe place. I don’t have it on display or anything. But I have a safe at home and it’s in there.
I had no idea. I mean, just having Kuch play great on Sunday and move up to a bronze was such a thrill for me. I’ve always been a huge Olympics buff, especially as a kid I loved it. So, we were done. He had gotten his medal and I was in the locker room packing him up. And he said, ‘Hey, come out to the 18th green with me.’ And I thought we’re just gonna take some pictures or something like that.
I had no idea that there was going to be anything happening. And there was somebody from the USOC there, and Kuch and Sybi (his wife) were there and the woman from the USOC explained the story of the Order of Ikkos medallion. And he was basically one of the first coaches in ancient Greece and any U.S. athlete who wins a medal gets this Order of Ikkos medallion and they can present it to anybody who helped them earn that medal. Kuch presented it to me on the 18th green after everybody’s gone and it was just kind of us and the sun was setting and really, really emotional for me because I love the Olympics. I love team events. And just the experience was way enough for me. I was so emotional for that and then to actually be presented that as a keepsake, I’ll never forget that.
GWK: What do you consider to be your best post-victory celebration?
JW: I would say the 2008 Ryder Cup. I had worked at that point in two Ryder Cups and we’d lost both and, you know, wanted so badly to be on a winning Ryder Cup team. And I think everybody who’s worked one or everyone with the team event wanted to because we hadn’t had much success. Being in that team room and the celebration afterward to me it was not only fun, it was just special because it was, like I said, we had been so trounced in recent memories in that event. To win one on home soil, it was so special.
GWK: Rank the four majors in your mind.
JW: Masters. (Long pause) I’d say a T-2 between the Open Championship and the U.S. Open. And I don’t mean last but PGA is probably, you know, fourth.
GWK: What are your top three non-major courses to go to?
JW: Riviera. Colonial, which I think is as good as it gets, and TPC Sawgrass.
GWK: What’s your personal fifth major?
JW: Players Championship. It feels exactly like a major to me. I love the course. I think it’s the fairest course we play all year long. Anybody can win on it.
On the range on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday it felt like a major, coming down the stretch it felt like a major. I think it’s hard to just declare something a major obviously but to me, the Players Championship feels just like a major.
GWK: You’ve been a vocal proponent of rolling back the ball. Why?
JW: A lot of the courses that are classics aren’t played the way they’re supposed to be played. I don’t think these courses were ever built for a guy to carry the ball 340 yards. I’m all for somebody hitting it 300-310, even 320, but when you can carry it 330-340 yards I think it takes a lot of the strategy out of golf. I think it takes the indecision out; it’s just driver, find it, flip a wedge from wherever you are. So that’s, that would be my opinion as to why.
I mean the equipment is great, the ball is great, and they can swing hard now because the clubface is so forgiving. Now back in the day when you had persimmon they used to call it hitting it on a dime, because that’s how much room you had. You missed that dime and the ball was going to do something funny. Now the sweet spot is so big, you can swing as hard as you can on every drive and get away with it even if you miss it.
GWK: Bones had his list of players that he’d come back for. Not asking you to name yours, but do you have a list?
JW: Sure. I mean, of course. I think anybody would have a handful of guys that they would think about coming back for but it would take a lot to get me to come back. I love what I’m doing now. I’m enjoying the heck out of it. But yeah, there’s a handful of guys who would pique my interest, for sure.
