Sporting helpers, of course (7)
I believe the answer is:
caddies
'sporting helpers' is the definition.
'caddies' can be an answer for 'helpers' (caddie is a kind of helper). I am not certain of the 'sporting' bit.
'course' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'course' could be 's' and 's' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'caddie' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of clue (or it may be nonsense).
'of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for caddies that I've seen before include "man seen carrying clubs" , "Tea cans" , "Golf clubs carriers" , "They carry golf clubs" , "Golf attendants" .)