Veteran caddie Hylton 'JJ' James, 79, shares stories from four decades inside the ropes

Hylton “J.J” James was a nightclub manager in Los Angeles in his early 40s when in 1985 he realized that he was tired of “working in the real world,” knew how much he loved being around people and the game of golf and thought, “Maybe I’ll just go caddie.”

Now, 79 years old, James will be back on the bag for the start of his 37th season next week when the Korn Ferry Tour tees off at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, hoping to take Ben Kohles, who currently sits 13th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points Standings, back to the PGA TOUR.

Not even open-heart surgery for a blocked artery two-and-a-half years ago could stop James from getting back on the bag and continuing the streak. Three months after having to be taken from Blue Hills Country Club in Kansas City to the local hospital, James was back on the bag for Kohles.

And that’s where he plans on staying with Kohles and the rest of the Korn Ferry Tour “youngsters” to keep him young for another season.

In advance of his 37th year, PGA TOUR Digital caught up with James to chat about the unbelievable support he received from the golf community and Blue Hills Country Club, his goal of getting Kohles back to the PGA TOUR, how long he plans on caddying and some of his favorite memories on the bag over the years.

Who all have you caddied for now, JJ?

I can probably remember every one of them. I started out with Mike Hulbert, and I went to Q-School with him. That was the same class that the Robert Wrenns, the Steve Pates, Chris Perry, Wayne Grady, David Frost and Jeff Sluman, they all came out of that class. But I got through working with Hulbert, and I knew I wouldn’t go far with him. I was new at the game, that was my first little tournament, but I had met a few players. I made friends, and I knew the type of personalities I wanted to be around, kind of chill personalities. I don’t like high-strung players. It’s a game. Don’t have cardiac arrest out here. You hit it over there, so shut the heck up and let’s go over there and find it and do the best we can.

So that got me away from (Hulbert), and then my first job was working with Robert Wrenn. Then I worked for Isao Aoki, I had Chris Perry for quite some time, Bo Van Pelt, Charley Hoffman, Charlie Rymer, Chez Reavie, Joe Ozaki, Steve Pate, Kelly Kraft, Tag Ridings, Ben Kohles, Chase Wright and that’s about it. I don’t think I left anyone out. I’ve had a few weekly jobs for a time.

As you near your 80th birthday in April, how long do you think you’ll caddie for, J.J.?

‘Til I fall out in the fairway and die! Just drop dead on the golf course. That’s the plan. Ben (Kohles) knows it. I tell Ben all the time, I say, “You ain’t going to kill me out here today! I’m not ready to die yet, but one day I’m going to drop dead right in the middle of your golf game, Ben, and just keep on doing what you’re doing.”

Ben says you’ve got stories for days. Run me down memory lane a bit. Any stories you look back on and particularly laugh at from the bag over the years?

We were playing on PGA TOUR Champions with Joe Ozaki, and Joe Ozaki is minus-1. We barely made the cut and go out first off, and he lips out for birdie on the first hole and then he birdies Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Well, on No. 8, he calls me over, and he says: “You come read the putt.” I looked at him and I said: “Joe, you have just made six birdies in a row; why would you want to ask me how to read a putt?” He said: “You’re right, you go away.” We ended up finishing third. He shot like 8-under. He just ran the table on that side.

Another one that stands out is I’m working for Steve Pate in Vancouver at the old Air Canada Championship, and we’re playing a par-3. It’s a very small tee, and the spectators are like really on top of us, so it’s like caddying in front of a crowd, and Steve and I are discussing a 4-iron or a 5-iron. I wanted him to hit a 4-iron because I’m thinking 190-plus, a little downhill, but it’s 1992 and there’s a little breeze coming in. I throw up the grass and said, “Steve, it’s a 4-iron. It’s so and so to carry that bunker.” He goes, “JJ, I think it’s a 5.” I said, “Steve Pate, I’m going to move the bag off the tee and just show me how smart you are and go ahead and hit your 5-iron.” It one-hops and goes straight into the hole for an ace. He looks at me and goes, ‘How smart am I now?’ I go, “Smartest guy I know.”

You’ve done a lot of things in the game … What’s left on your caddying bucket list?

I would like to work one more Open. I’ve done 10. I’d like to do one more U.S. Open. I like the Open. The Open is tough. You see some serious golf at the U.S. Open. If you’re a badass, you’ll do OK. I’m blessed, though. I’ve got the perfect player – laid back, he’s respectful, well raised and a very good golfer. He’s going to be one that I’ll be out of here dead and gone but two or three years from now, (people will) walk up and tell him, “JJ told me you were going to be a great one.” Oh yeah. Oh yeah. That would make me happy to get him back to the PGA TOUR and get a good year out there and stabilize him. But he’s ready. He just got spanked a little bit, but that stuff happens to golfers (for whom) success comes easy or early for them, and you kind of lose track.

How are you doing after open-heart surgery a couple years ago?

Fine. I had open-heart surgery. They couldn’t do a stint, so they had to go in and open me up and took a piece of something from one part of my body. I’m fine. Short end of the story, I’m great! My energy is back. I had great care there and the people of Kansas City, I’ll never forget any of them. They took me right in, and I stayed up there the whole time through recovery. There was a gentleman out there that was a member of the club, and he traveled a lot and had a home and grown children that weren’t there and he said, “You can just come on and stay with me. You can house-sit for me because I’m never here anyways.” I was there with him 66 days, and I think I saw him maybe 12 times.

Was there any hesitation getting back out there after the heart surgery?

No, I was ready to go. My cardiologist told the rehab people, I was going to do treadmill, bicycles, little 5-pound weights and stuff, and walking around a little track. They monitor you while you’re doing it. The lady came down one day and I had the treadmill at 3.5 when they wanted you to have it at 1.5, just barely moving. I told my cardiologist, I said, “Buddy, I’m not here to die. I’m here to get myself well and get out of here.” So he went up there and told the nurse, he said, “Leave JJ alone. Let him go.” I got my legs strong and went to the golf course to simulate caddying, made friends with the members at Blue Hills. I’m like a member there. They’re beautiful people, the people that run it. General manager, it’s like a second home.

I know the GoFundMe for you raised over $51,000 … How was it seeing all the support you got from the golf community and all the people you’d inspired or touched during that time?

Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Because as a caddie, the golf community or golf world, they know the caddies that they see on TV or the players that they play with, but it shocked me how many players, people I somehow touched or became friends with them, that stepped up. They raised close to $60,000 in like nine days on a GoFundMe, with players writing checks with four digits on it from the TOUR, the Charley Hoffmans, the Lovemarks, the Postons, I just can’t think of all of them. It’s scary. I’m going, “Wow!” Caddies were concerned. The thing that kicked it all off, made it really easy for me to get back to work was the fact that Ben sat there in the hospital and told me, he said, “I know that you’re concerned about your money and the bag. Don’t worry about the money and don’t you worry about the bag. The bag is yours when you get well and you can do this again.” That inspired me too. It made me want to work. I would probably say 90 out of 100 professional players that had a caddie that’s 78 years old that has a heart procedure wouldn’t wait around for him to get better. They’d say, “Man, we’ve had a good run, but I think I’m going to have to do something else. But If I can ever do something for you, give me a call.” That’s just the way it is. But Ben didn’t give me that. Ben guaranteed me that I would have a job and they were going to take care of me as far as money problems with the hospital and health issues. That’s enough to make you want to go. I mean, damn, a guy’s telling you this is your bag, I want to hurry back there and get my bag. I’ve been told it’s mine. So why not? Let’s go!

I know Jason Bohn was the one who spotted your symptoms coming up the 18th hole … how grateful are you that he was there and what is you two’s relationship like?

Oh yeah, absolutely. We’re good buddies. I’ve always been friendly with him. I’m a chatter. I have a personality and I know it. I just kind of mess with people. What comes out of my mouth is funny. I don’t have a mean bone in my body. I really don’t, but I’m a mean person because I don’t like bull crap. I’ve been on this earth too long. I’ve been here since 1941. All the stuff you’re seeing now, I saw that when I was in high school. I’ve gone way past where I thought I’d be. I’ve lived this long, first of all. I didn’t think I’d caddie this long ,secondly. And I’m happy. Keeps me doing what I love doing. I love getting up and going to the golf course and being out there, hanging out and watching good golf.

Changing subjects back to Ben Kohles a bit … How rewarding was it to see the year that Ben had last year?

Oh, very cool! I mean, unbelievably cool. It’s great. He performed well. He’s growing. I have a thing I say to him every week, “If we don’t have a six and we don’t have a three-putt this week, buddy, they’re in trouble.” And if you watch and look at any player that finishes in the top-five, I bet only one of them made a six the whole week. A six is a stupid number, and a three-putt is really, just, what are you doing?

With Ben, I think of him like I’m caddying for my grandson, and he’s respectful enough that he treats me like, “I’ve got a granddaddy that can caddie!” Doesn’t matter how fast I walk. I have my own pace, and I learn how to do shortcuts when I’m on the bag. I pay attention so when I see Ben at a sprinkler head, I have my book out and I look down and I see he’s beside that 145 head there and I watch his steps. By the time he does his own steps and looks through his own yardage book anyways, he gets back to the bag and I tell him he has 138 to the front, right? He goes, “Yup.” It’s not a hero job. It’s just something I enjoy doing. I enjoy talking about him. I would probably put him as the best bag I’ve ever had to succeed with. There’s such a disparity in age and generation gap and nationality. Nothing you would say in common, but we have a great time. He’s one of the most enjoyable guys I’ve ever caddied for.

You’ve seen a lot of guys come through the Korn Ferry Tour … Who is the best player you’ve ever seen come through over the years?

That Will Zalatoris. He’s dangerous. He has that eye. He has that smile. He’s lean and mean. He’s tough. He’s my little buddy. I like him. He’s a good kid, too. I kept on telling him when he was making enough money that he could play out (on the PGA TOUR), I saw him at one of the Korn Ferry Tour events and I said, “Good. Now goodbye. I don’t want to see you anymore because you’re one less we’ve got to beat every week. Top-five every week. Get on out of here.” I’ve seen some other ones come out, but I would say overall because he’s earned his stripes out on this Tour too and dominated. He’s very good, very good. Enough good can’t happen to him. He’s just that nice of a young man.

What separates a great caddie from a good caddie in your estimation?

A great player (laughs). I mean, I do not think that Tiger Woods would have won any less tournaments with me on the bag than he won with Steve (Williams) on the bag. That’s what I believe. I do the same job – add, subtract, pick up my feet and know which way the wind is going. I know if it’s cold. I pay attention on the driving range, and when you’re ready to go, I see what’s going on. If it’s blowing left-to-right, we deal with that. Sure, there are some guys that probably don’t do well, but 80 percent of the guys, I don’t care who you give them, if that player’s on time and taking care of the left side of the bag, and you’re taking care of the right side of the bag, there will be no problems if it’s a great player. Caddies just have to know when to say something. You can’t just flap your lips at players. You say, “OK, he’s a little pouty right now,” but you’ve got to find a way to ease in and say something to get him back. You’re always one bad word away from being fired. That’s what happens. Caddie will just say something, but if timing is wrong, he’ll snap.

You’ve caddied a long time on both the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour. What separates the guys on the Korn Ferry Tour from the PGA TOUR in your estimation?

There are no differences. There are just only so many jobs on the PGA TOUR. You have to go somewhere to work if you love doing this. If they didn’t have a Korn Ferry Tour, I wouldn’t be working. I’d be in the parking lot every week at a PGA TOUR event, and that’s no fun. The players have become so good on the Korn Ferry Tour that the caddies are probably going up, too. And the caddies are down here because the player loses their card or they get fired and they come back down here and have to start all over again. You have to be patient. I’m patient because I have nowhere to go and I figure I’m way past my time anyways, so I’m very patient.