Augusta National caddie, president formed friendship while fishing

A golf club, a fishing pole and good food – these three things brought together the 41st president and a caddie who grew up poor in Augusta.

Augusta National Golf Club was the birthplace of a remarkable friendship between President George H.W. Bush and Charles Hat­ney Williams, known on the course by his caddie nickname, “Bull.”

The ties began with Williams carrying the bag for Bush, and grew stronger at the fishing hole.

Williams started caddying at the National in the 1960s, when he was a student at Lucy C. Laney High School. He was reared by his grandmother at Gilbert Manor, a New Deal-era housing project near downtown Augusta that was torn down in 2009.

“Charles liked golf. He was just a fanatic about golf,” said his first cousin, John Hatney.

Williams died June 19 after several years being sick. He was 70.

For decades, the National hired local black men from poorer sections of Augusta for its caddie corps. Young men growing up in the Gilbert Manor and Sunset Homes housing projects and the Sand Hills section of Augusta celebrated the opportunity to be caddies and worked hard to perfect their craft.

For several years after high school, Williams lived in Brook­lyn, where he performed R&B music – his other love after golf – and caddied in upstate New York and Atlan­tic City, Hatney said. He moved back to Augusta and found his way back to the National in the 1980s.

Williams was the longtime driving range supervisor at Augusta National, handing out golf balls under a large oak tree. That’s where Bush met him.

“We began a casual friendship and we seemed to get along fine,” Bush said in comments provided to The Au­gus­ta Chronicle. “What I remember about Bull the most was his propensity for friendship. Bull became a legend – everyone knew him, respected him and liked him.”

Most caddies had colorful nicknames. “Bull” got his for two reasons, his cousin said. Williams was a large, stocky man, and he was headstrong and obstinate, Hatney said.

After Williams’ death, Bush called Augusta Na­tional to offer his condolences, his cousin said. The caddie left behind memories of his fishing adventures with the president and memorabilia of their friendship.

Hatney said: “One time, President Bush came down and asked him, ‘Charles, where are the bass?’ Charles had promised him there would be bass in one of the lakes. (Bush) didn’t catch them, so he wrote him a letter.”

A photo of Williams holding fishing poles with the president’s arm around him hangs on the wall in Hatney’s home. The fishing buddies are standing of the edge of Ike’s Pond.

Sometimes, Williams would help fry the fish for a good meal, Hatney said.

Bush and Williams exchanged letters and Christ­mas cards for about five years. Bush also sent fishing lures,
rods and reels, Hatney said.

In a 1995 letter, Bush wrote, “Bull, some day I hope we can fish again. Meanwhile, don’t let those pros rip off your range golf balls, and don’t let anyone catch all the bass in the ponds near the par three.”

Bush thanked Williams for a Christmas card in a 1998 letter: “I haven’t been back to your place in a long, long time and I miss it. I miss the days when you and I did fish together.”

On Williams’ retirement in 2011, the president wrote, “Who’s going to go fishing with me? Who’s going to help me get around the links down there?”

Williams was treated well by golfers at the club, Hatney said. Some members lent him keys to access their private fishing ponds across Georgia and South Carolina.

“Individual golfers took very good care of the caddies. They knew them well,” Hatney said.

Augusta businessman Low­ell Dorn said Williams was unforgettable.

“If he knew you real well, you might get a second bag (of golf balls). He also considered himself somewhat of an expert on golf equipment. He would also critique your club and your bag,” Dorn said. “He was one of those personalities that was bigger than life. He was one of those guys that would always smile and laugh and he was fun to be around.”