The Role of Caddies in Professional Golf
By Donna White, Keiser University College of Golf Professor, PGA and LPGA Member and Winner of Three LPGA Tour Events
What is a Golf Caddie?
Women’s and men’s professional golf tours require players to have a golf caddie. Oxford defines a caddie as ‘a person who carries a golfer’s clubs and provides other assistance in a match.’ Presently, I enjoy an encore career as a “golf professional” working in the business and education sector of the industry. Years prior, I played at the highest levels winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur and three LPGA tour titles with golf caddies of varying experience and golf skill on the bag. In my day, professional caddies traveled like a caravan of gypsies, sharing rides and hotel rooms with several others. Whoever’s player shot the highest score got the floor. Today, professional caddies travel on private jets, share Airbnb homes, have endorsements, insurance, and health coverage, and many make more than an exempt tour player. A hierarchy may exist amongst those employed by a leading money-winner versus a player-player caddie; however, the level of camaraderie is strong. While financial opportunities for today’s tour caddies and players have increased, the role, responsibilities, and involvement remain dependent on their player, the employer.
Caddie Responsibilities
Former PGA tour player Bradley Hughes now coaches tour players and feels the most important quality of a good caddie job description is the ability to “read” their player. Recognizing the human factors that influence optimal performance, focus, and style of play in the “heat” of the moment: player personality, psychological and emotional tendencies, wants, and needs. Identifying when to be assertive or passive requires keen interpersonal and communication skills. A successful caddie is mindful of the fact that caddie behavior influences a player’s mental state, routine, and flow zone. Thus, the old adage of a caddie’s job description is to:
- Show up! Some players arrive at the course and range several hours before their tee time, others less. Be it to play a round, attend a coaching session, or do any task the player requests, arrive early and be prepared to work.
- Keep up! Communicate and clarify player expectations. Some players are fast movers and thinkers; others are slow. Both require a caddie to collect helpful data to hit a shot before the player approaches their ball. The same goes for off-course responsibilities, such as maintaining and prepping player equipment for travel and transportation to and from events.
- Shut up! As Hughes purports, read the player, know when to listen, opine, and intervene.
Skills and Knowledge Required for a Caddie
There is certainly more to the caddie job description than show up, keep up, and shut up. Good golf caddies assist a player in course management, turf-lie assessment, wind conditions, yardage calculations, club selection, target designation, shot shape, rules, etiquette, and green reading throughout the round. This requires arriving at the tournament site ahead of the player to chart the course layout and conditions of play. Golf skill levels of caddies vary. Competitive experience helps understand a player’s game and mindset but is not always mandated. I won my first LPGA tour event with my pro-am partner’s young son, a non-golfer on the bag. Unfortunately, I had just fired my experienced tour caddie for showing up late one too many times!
The Importance of Caddies
How important is another’s opinion, experience, golf ability, attitude, and insight to player decision-making? To what extent does a tour player rely on the opinion or expertise of a caddie? The player hits the ball regardless of whether the caddie offers good, bad, or no information. Most players walk off their yardage, process shot data within minutes and have an established routine. An experienced caddie understands their role and respects the on- and off-course involvement their employer defines. Angelo Argea, long-time caddie for one of the greatest players of all time, Jack Nicklaus said his job boiled down to two things: “Remind him he is the best player out there and there are plenty of holes left!”.
Confident in their decision-making, champion golfers filter information from the trusted caddie and take responsibility for outcomes. They realize it is a team effort and remain accountable with no blame. The best caddies possess the same attitude. Unfortunately, some players are too reliant on their caddies and struggle to make decisions. In this setting, players cross the line between reliance and dependence, which becomes an annuity for a sports psychologist. If a caddie pulled a headcover off a club or club out of my bag before me, it would be the last hole they worked.
The Caddie–Golfer Relationship in Professional Golf
You won’t see a job posting for a tour caddie on Indeed.com. Getting hired requires networking amongst other players, caddies, agents, coaches, and family members. A caddie is an independent contractor who must understand the mission and vision of the “Company,” the “tour player,” and become a partner of the tour player’s team and family. As Brian Hughes, a PGA faculty member at Keiser College of Golf says:
“Caddie-player relationship is very important. You’re spending a tremendous amount of time with those people (caddies) on the course”
The caddie and player agree on the partnership’s role, responsibilities, and financial terms.
Although some players hire a different caddy every week, many long-term caddie-player partnerships exist on all tours. Consider the time a caddie spends with their player, on and off the course during the tournament week and season. Feeling comfortable, safe, and at ease with this person for extended periods, especially between shots, can be as important as experience or skill.
A split in a long-term caddie-player partnership can be breaking news on social media platforms. The agreement between Tiger Woods and caddie Joe Cava included him moving to Florida and being available on call during off weeks. Jordan Spieth has had one caddie on the bag throughout his professional career, Michael Greller. The trust, friendship, and shared success between the two are admirable. His caddie exemplifies mastery quality in “reading” his player. Jordan chats incessantly before and after shots as his caddie listens, nods, and continues doing his job.
Conclusion
Flip the scene and apply the old caddie adage to the player. A tour player grinds away knowing their performance, and standing on a money list affects the financial potential of everyone on the team. To “show up, keep up, and shut up” letting their work ethic and clubs do the talking, players must:
- Plan and prepare their body and mind to perform at the highest level pre-during-aft rounds both in and off-season.
- Learn to balance life: family, work, business obligations, agents, travel, and personal time.
- Aspire to be better today than yesterday, training with intent and passion instilling a belief they deserve to be there!
- Yearn for more. Surround yourself with people supporting the mission and vision and understand that you are not a score or number on a money list.
- Embrace the pressure, privilege, and joy of competing as a professional golfer inside the roped fairways of the finest courses in the world.
- Realize advice and input from others factor into risk-reward decision-making and outcomes. Still, the final decision is theirs, not the caddie, agent, psychologist, chef, fitness coach, or family member.
Extending far beyond carrying a golf bag, a caddie’s role in professional golf varies and ultimately depends on the player. It significantly influences a player’s performance, mindset, decision-making, and preparation on and off the course. The confluence of a caddie and a player in the above list aligns to make a powerful and successful partnership!
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