Golf is considered to be one of the most elite sports in the world. You won’t see an athlete being followed by a caddie picking up their equipment in any other sport. We often don’t remember the names of these caddies who play a major role in the golfers’ success. But it is not the case with Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay. Moreover, the man once revealed how he got his famous nickname.

How the nickname ‘Bones’ caught on

Golf fans have probably heard of the name Jim Mackay before. And if not, fans might recognize him by his famous nickname ‘Bones’. Phil Mickelson’s longtime caddie Mackay is currently the looper for Justin Thomas. But most of his fans are not aware of the origin of his nickname.

The credit for nicknaming the most-loved caddie goes to famous professional golfer, Fred Couples. There was a time when Couples called him Bones in his early career, and that nickname just caught on. However, there is a longer explanation for the situation. And Mackay talked about it in a recent interview on Golf’s Subpar.

Bones explained that he was in a tournament in Paris when he was caddying for Larry Mize. He said that all the players would go to fancy dinners with their wives every night. And during the fourth or fifth night, the crew went to a place that turned out to match Fred Couples’ taste. Before they started to eat, Couples realized that the utensils were 26 feet away from him. But Mackay was standing very close to the place.

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Bones recalled, “He sees a tall, skinny guy very close to said silverware and just starts screaming out these random names — none of which are mine. I’m so skinny, he yells out ‘Bones!’ I turn around, bring him a knife and fork and he calls me Bones the rest of the trip.”

When Mackay and Phil Mickelson parted ways

Jim Mackay caddied for LIV Golf legend, Phil Mickelson, for 25 years of his career. However, there was a time when the two agreed to a “mutual split”. “Bones and I have mutually decided to end our player-caddie relationship,” Mickelson said. Giving reasons for the same, Lefty said that it was the right time for a change for the two.

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