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In golf, where did the term caddy come from?

31 May 07

Like all good sport history, opinions differ. Many point to Mary Queen of Scots, who some call the first female golfer. They say her highness coined the term “caddy” in 1552 when she called her minions cadets.
Of course, le cadet is French for youngster of the family. So, the argument goes French military ‘cadets’ carried clubs for golfing royalty and this practice came to Scotland when Queen Mary Stuart returned in 1561.