Colin Byrne/Caddie's Role We arrived at a warm and windy Miami International airport last Tuesday. What I felt is what they refer to as the heat, it was 80 degrees and mildly humid.

As we left the airport terminal with our golf clubs I had to sidestep three very sturdy and athletic marines in full army fatigue armed with their weapons. They were on their way to the Caribbean to try to keep the peace in Haiti, we were on our way to Doral to try to tame the Blue Monster.

Miami with its constant warmth and sub-tropical foliage is very exotic. With the majority of the population of Latin origin the chances are you will be greeted in Spanish first, then English and if you overhear conversations you are likely to hear sentences that glide in and out of English and Spanish. More Spanglish than bi-lingual.

We were met at the airport by Pat, one of the many retirees that volunteer to help out at golf events on the US Tour. She found out where I was from and immediately claimed ancestors from Monaghan. I know that many Americans claim Irish heritage, but they are genuinely warmed by speaking to a "real" Irish person. So enthused was Pat that she somehow produced a preferred parking ticket for me which made parking my rental car a lot easier than it should have been. It's great to be Irish.

The caddie's lot goes from the sublime to the ridiculous for no logical reason. Last week we had access to the clubhouse facilities - there was a barbecue area on the lawn that was reserved for players, their families and caddies.

The choice of fish, meat or chicken was complimentary. It was shockingly civilised for a regular US Tour event. A caddie party was hosted by the tournament director on Thursday, those caddies who attended received a watch that you can hang off your golf bag. I couldn't figure out if this was a gift or a subtle hint.

The sponsors were also offering us a very generous discount on the purchase of a new Ford car, truck or SUV. They had arranged an autocross for Wednesday last, where we had the opportunity to race around a track in high performance Ford vehicles. We also received a carry bag as a gift when we registered.

It seems to be all or nothing over here and last week was certainly the former.

Apart from wanting to make us feel welcome at Doral, the problem for the tournament is that they are suffering from a lack of big names at the event. So they are certainly trying to lure everyone to their event with some extra perks. The players and their wives were given a police escort down to Miami Beach so that they could dine in a private room in arguably the best restaurant in town, Joe's Stone Crab. The tournament paid the bill.

With Doral being the first event on the east coast after a long trail out west, it comes at a time when many players want to take a break. It seems that many outside observers have difficulty understanding that playing golf professionally at a high level takes its toll on the body and mind. I know, it's not rocket science, they are only hitting a golf ball. But with virtually non-stop tournaments all year long, planning your schedule can almost be the toughest decision of the year.

So the date for Doral is not ideal. Despite the lack of big names last week it is important to remember that there is a wealth of very talented golfers on the US Tour. But the crowd craves stars and fame, they don't really care what they do once they turn up. There has been a local air of discontent in Miami about the weakness of the field, maybe it's time that they recognise how good a field they had by actually looking at what they do?

We got to play with the main man of the event, Phil Mickelson, and naturally got the largest crowd as a result. Mickleson has an interesting way of dealing with the unfamiliar Bermuda greens at Doral, he lets "Bones" his caddie read them for him. He reads the green, tells his boss what he likes and then Mickleson tries to see the line that has been suggested to him. He grew up playing on Bent grass and Poa Annua in southern California and has struggled to come to grips with Bermuda. I grew up putting on none of those types of grass so thankfully Retief doesn't seek my advice on these short grass matters. Phil was very courteous and relaxed to play with, it's a pity the crowd that follows him don't have the same manners.

As it happened, Retief wrapped up play last Saturday with a 15-foot birdie putt. It seemed that as his ball was just about falling into the cup the instructions were given to Oscar D'Leon and Albita to strike up their first song of the evening alongside the first fairway. Cuban hips were already shaking to the beat in front of the stage, as the crowd around the 18th were still applauding my man's birdie putt. It was time for Salsa on the green and no form of golf was going to interrupt it.

We didn't tame the Monster but certainly got its attention for three rounds.