![\"\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2010\/07\/Ocean.Dunes_.caddies.jpg\" "\\"Ocean.Dunes.caddies\\"")
<\/a>You forgot the gloves<\/p><\/div>\n
Yep, Duncan, the caddies there, about 80 percent young women, really are<\/em> flirtatious, although that\u2019s pretty much like female Vietnamese bank tellers, wait staff, flight attendants, you name it. Taking it seriously can (I\u2019m told) get a guy in a lot of trouble, but it\u2019s otherwise one of the antic aspects of playing golf in Vietnam, as well as most other Asian nations. What caddies here lack in caddying expertise \u2013 a lot, generally \u2013 they almost always make up for in earnestness and, for lack of a better term, cuteness.<\/p>\n The only weird caveat when it comes to caddies, though, is that you seldom actually know what they look like. That\u2019s because they cover up from head to foot \u2013 including, usually, long gloves and face masks \u2013 to prevent exposure to the sun.<\/p>\n Not a matter of hygiene, it\u2019s an aversion to darkened skin tone, especially for women, as indicative of class, family history, etc. They\u2019re dedicated to the practice, too: It\u2019s not uncommon to see Asian women shielding their faces from the sun just to cross the street in Saigon.<\/p>\n This is, in turn, congruent with another facet of the mainstream perception of beauty: Judging by billboards and other promotional material, the Caucasian, fair-skinned version is preferred.<\/p>\n Eclecticism reigns in caddie couture at Paradise Resort Golf Club, in Vung Tau, Vietnam<\/p><\/div>\n And while I\u2019m hardly the first to note it, this will nonetheless come as a major shock to Western guys who have spent time in a large, Asian city like Ho Chi Minh City.<\/p>\n Caddies at Danang Golf Club<\/p><\/div>\n Caddie-fashion reform is, however, in the works at Danang Golf Club, a Greg Norman-designed course that opened in April to considerable acclaim. As conceived by Howie Roberts, the general manager, and created by an expat designer from its sister course, next-door Montgomerie Links, the caddie uniform consists of form-fitting slacks and a moisture-wicking microfibre, long-sleeved top. An oversized, wide-brimmed visor provides plenty of sun protection, and most of the winsome caddie staff opts not to go with the \u201cBedouin look.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>