HOW DO I PREPARE TO PLAY WITH A CADDIE?
Recent goings on at Pebble Beach have brought caddies up into the national news - for those unaware, the caddies there voted to unionize after the company running the caddie network there changed a variety of things that impacted their pay, among many other things. But the fact that caddies were in the news made us think of how caddies come up in discussions with trips so often.
Premium courses like St. Andrews, Muirfield, Erin Hills, Whistling Straits, Royal Portrush and so many others either require a caddie or are almost impossible to conceive of playing without one. (It’s not mandatory to play Erin Hills without a caddie, for instance, but we would beg you to not even think of it.)
And Royal County Down with it’s numerous blind shots, epic history and your lack of knowledge of where to miss - you truly want a caddie.
But … so many times, people travel to these places having rarely - if ever - played golf with a caddie. And that’s okay! The caddie is there to support you and if things go well, it’s going to be one of the more fun rounds you’ll have on your trip. The camaraderie you can have with your caddie, the way he will be rooting for your success and be invested in your shots - it’s so rewarding when you make your shot. Your caddie is your teammate, that 15th club in your bag. He’ll keep you grounded, focused and aware of where to hit it and where to miss.
Here are our top pointers:
IF YOU ARE NERVOUS, SAY SO. Just tell your caddie you’ve never played with a caddie before. He - they are usually guys, but not always - will appreciate the honesty, and it will usually break the ice. It will also help him know to not use shorthand when he’s giving you lines on the greens, etc. And critically, they have definitely looped for worse players than you.I once played Pebble Beach with a forecaddie, and was so embarrassed at how I was playing. I said, “I bet I’m the worst golfer you’ve ever looped,” and he started laughing, saying he’d carried bags for people at Pebble Beach who had never swung a golf club before! They’ve seen it all, and whatever you think, they’ve seen worse. Just focus on your next shot.
Worried about playing with a caddie for the first time? Don’t panic.
YOUR CADDIE WANTS TO HELP YOU. USE THAT HELP! When you get to your ball on the green, unless you are dead certain you know the read, you should probably ask for his read. At the very least, use the first few holes to see if you agree with what he is seeing, and then judge that against how the ball roll. The same is true for club choices. A typical exchange will go something like this - the caddie will say, “You’re 155 yards out, but there’s some wind up there. Play your 170 club.” If it’s early in the round, he might just look to see what you reach for. If it’s towards the end, he might grab what he’s seen you consistently reach for in that scenario. Or, they’ll say, “The green is 155 yards away, but you want to land it 15 yards short as it’s going to run for a bit.” The language will take some getting used to, but you’ll start to figure each other out, and ideally it won’t take long before you’re just nodding halfway through each others sentences. This is teamwork, and most importantly the two of you need to be on the same page.
Jordan Spieth and his caddie, Michael Greller, may seem to be at each others throats at times, but they are a TEAM, and have been together since before Spieth turned pro for a reason.
TIP THEM LIKE THEY’RE YOUR TEAMMATE. Tipping is one of the things that stresses many first time players out a lot, and sadly there’s no consistency at courses. The first thing to do is determine what the standard is. (If you’re booking through us, please just ask us - we will let you know so you don’t have to ask. Sometimes the course takes a portion of the “caddie fee.” We’re not a huge fan of this, but … we don’t make the rules! But places like Bandon Dunes, Streamsong and others - everything goes straight to the caddie. We like that! And tipping is different overseas than it is here in the United States. But when in doubt, be generous. You’ve just spent hours with this person. They’ve raked your bunkers, carried and cleaned your clubs and read all the greens for you. If you’re fretting over an extra $20 or £20, don’t. You should go into a round with an idea that the expectation for a good round is a certain amount - for instance, $150 all in. Any more than that means your caddie really exceeded expectations. Anything less than that means something went poorly. And $150 on the nose means you had a really good day.
Don’t go looking for a tip jar - make sure you hand the tip directly to your caddie, and unless your experience has been horrible, be generous.
CADDIES AREN’T ROBOTS, THEY’RE REAL PEOPLE TOO. Almost every caddie I’ve had the most fun with have some of the greatest histories. One worked in some of the better restaurants in Napa Valley until the burnout got too real. His fiancee (soon to be wife) is also one of the best caddies I’ve ever had as well as someone who almost certainly never thought this would be her career. And yet another caddie I’ve had a great round with was an Army Ranger for years and found caddying as a second career. And every caddie has a story about the most famous person they’ve had on the bag, or the craziest thing they’ve ever seen on the golf course. But you won’t usually hear about any of that if you don’t ask. Most caddies abide by the rule of speak when you’re spoken to, which I get - most of us are talking with our buddies who we are there golfing with, but we do want to talk to our caddies, not just about our shots, but I truly do want to get to know the person I’m walking with for the next four-plus hours. I keep in touch with a few people I mentioned above and consider them friends. That only happens if you actually have real conversations.
They might be cute, but we guarantee they can’t read greens very well. Your caddie is a LOT more interesting.
PREPARE IN ADVANCE. You might normally carry an absurd amount of golf balls in your bag, especially if you normally take a cart. Before you head to your round with a caddie, remember that someone has to carry that bag - and maybe another one - on his shoulder for over four hours. Cleaning out your bag is not only helpful, it’s therapeutic. You won’t need your rangefinder, your caddie has one. You don’t need three boxes of golf balls - be realistic what you actually need for this ONE round. I once played a round of golf where on the fourth or fifth hole, a friend whose bag was the other bag on my caddie's shoulder reached into his bag and pulled out a six-pack of beer and asked us all if we wanted one. We all stared at him and our caddie said, “I thought that bag was sort of heavy.” Don’t be that guy. (We made him carry the six-pack himself until it was gone, by the way.)
If you have more than one golf bag, bring the lightest one you can on your trip - you’ll appreciate it when you’re traveling, and your caddy will absolutely appreciate it. If you show up with something like the below, a lot of courses may swap you out for a bag in their caddyshack that is significantly smaller and more lightweight.
These bags were released for the 2023 Open in Liverpool. And they’re fine! But … don’t, if you can help it, bring a bag like this to a caddie.
AGAIN, BE GENEROUS. This extends to the whole round. When you stop at the halfway house, or if you are playing at a course with cart service, etc., even if you’re not getting yourself anything, ask your caddie if you can get him anything - and pay for it. Don’t worry about them taking advantage of you - it’s not going to happen. (For one, most courses have strict “no alcohol” policies for caddies while they work, and also, your caddies aren’t jerks, they’re professionals.) Ask them if they have a favorite restaurant you should eat at in town, or if they want to join you for a post-round drink. (They probably won’t, and don’t take it personally - they have whole lives, too.) If you belong to a private club back home and you get along with your caddie, it’s not crazy to offer to host your caddie if they’re ever in your neck of the woods, etc. In other words, be a good person - you never know, that karma could come back at you and result in a great round. And even if it doesn’t, it never hurts to be a good person, right?
Just be cool.
