Caddying for a golfer is not a lot of work, and could be quite enjoyable, especially if you hook up with a good golfer. Like the old saying goes. Watch and learn. There are 8 main job tasks that a caddie must do. We will try and take a look at them briefly.

Carrying golf clubs

This task could very well be the toughest of the eight, especially if the golf bag is heavy. Knowledge is not a factor hears, but carrying them properly is. Try resting the golf bag on the small of your back, may be the most comfortable position. Adjust the strap of the bag to accomplish this position. When you carry a golfer’s clubs, you should hold the irons steady with your hand. Try to prevent them from clanging together by placing your wrist at the edge top of the bag and reaching over them with the palm of your hand.

Placing the golf bag down around greens, fairways, and tee boxes, should be done gently. By doing this routinely, will prevent noise of the clubs around golf greens, tee boxes, and other players. Do not drop clubs.

Washing players golf clubs

This is a fairly simple task, but you have to stay on top of it. Keep a wet towel with you at all times. You may want to keep half of it dry, if you want to carry it with you. Make sure the golfer’s clubs are clean and dry at all times. Do not hand your golfer a dirty club. Keep a tee in your pocket to clean the grooves of the clubface and wipe clean with the towel. Make sure golf clubs are dry and clean before every hole. When the golfer is finished with the club. Clean them right away and place in golf bag gently. If you do not put them back in the bag right away, you may forget them on the ground, and find out later the golfer may need that particular club. When you happen to remember leaving one behind. Mention it to your golfer immediately. He or She will give you instructions on what to do.

Washing players golf ball

Ask the golfer well in advance, if he or she would like their golf ball cleaned. Do not wait until the last minute before their shot. Have other golf balls clean and ready, just in case they decide to change golf balls. Do not pick up your golfer’s ball, when on the tee box, fairway, bunker, rough, and green to clean it. The ball must be cleaned before the tee shot, and after the ball is marked on the green. The golfer will know the playing rules. Let them give it to you to clean.

Replace golfer’s divot

Typically you will find divots on fairway shots. That is not always the case. Sometimes they will have to be replaced on tee boxes. Wait for all golfers to finish their shot, if they are behind you. When everyone starts to march out to his or her next shot. Simply run out and pick up the turf and place back in divot hole, and pack down with foot. Replace a couple of divots, if you have time.

Repair ball marks on green

The golfer should do this task. The golfer may ask you to repair the ball mark, if he or she is lining up their putt. Simply prop up the grass around the hole with a tee and pack down with a flat surface, such as a putter or sole of foot.

Tending the flagstick

Wait for the golfer to ask you to either pull the pin, or tend it. Be nearby to keep play up to speed. Stay off of all golfers’ lines to the hole, and keep the flag from waving in the wind if holding the flagstick for the golfer. Also keep your shadow away from golfers’s line. Make sure the flagstick is pulled when the ball is rolling towards the hole. The golfer may occur a penalty stroke, if they hit the pin when putting. The golfer has the option to leave the flagstick in when off the green. Some golfers like it out. Wait for instructions when another player is off the green. Try to stand still when a golfer is putting. After all golfers are finished putting, replace the flagstick and check for golf clubs left behind.

Club selection advice

This particular task is for the experienced caddie, and or caddie that has been with the same golfer for a while. Try to memorize the distance of your golfer’s shots and what club he or she used. They may ask you for advice on what club to use on any given hole. You may surprise them with your choice of clubs. Let’s hope it’s a good surprise. If your not sure, do not guess. Just remember. It’s only advice. When your not sure of the distance and club selection, encourage them on making the right decision.

Keep sight of golfer’s ball

When your golfer and other golfers are taking a golf shot, always watch where the ball lands. Always keep a marker, like a bush or particular size tree when it lands. This particular task is very important. Your responsibility is for the golfer you are caddying for. Try to look out for other players as well. This could be the single most important task. No golfer wants to lose a golf ball. When you can always find the golf ball, the golfer will almost always want you to caddie for them again.

A Caddy by definition is a person who carries the golfing equipment of the golfer. Having said this, it must be mentioned that the responsibility of a caddy does not just end over here. A Golf Caddy is also responsible for providing his advice and moral support to his player.

A Golf Caddy is a self employed person and a golfer can actually decide whom he wants to be his caddy. A caddy of merit has the knowledge of the entire golf yardage on which his golfer will play, the relevant pin placements that should be done and he is overwhelmed with the working mind which can make a golfer successful in a game of adversity.

Some people wrongly think caddies to be the assistants to golfers. It must be known that there are separate ranks for caddies. A Golf Caddy starts with the rank of the trainee and will then progress to the rank of Intermediate, captain and honor. Finally there is the rank of champion which is given to a caddy who excels in the game’s insight. To be a champion, a caddy must dedicate a minimum of 6 to 10 years to this profession.

Dressed in collared shirt, shorts/pants, golf shoes and a hat, a Golf Caddy equips himself with a towel, ball mark repairing tool, a pencil and a scorecard. In this attire, the caddy standing behind the golfer proves to be the angel at times when he gives is immaculate device to the golfer to be followed.

The earning of a Golf Caddy depends upon the rank of the match and the number of the successive wins of his golfer. For example, professional golf tours such as the PGA tour makes the caddy demand approximately 10% of the match winning fees from his golfer.

To conclude, it must be said that a Golf Caddy is of vital importance to the golfer as well as to the game of golf. His presence as well as his insight can be significant enough to make a golfer turn the tide of the match towards his side.

The word Caddie derives from the French word ‘le cadet’, meaning ‘the boy’ or the youngest of the family. The word ‘cadet’ appears in English from 1610 and the word ‘caddie’ or ‘cadie’ appears shortly after that in 1634. Adopting French terms was not unusual for the Scots. For example they adopted the term ‘Gardez-vous!’ as ‘gardyloo’.

This appears to be the origin of the speculative theory, promoted by some, that French military ‘cadets’ carried the clubs for the golfing royalty in France and this practice came to Scotland when Queen Mary Stuart returned in 1561. Of course the military term ‘cadet’ has the same origin, as these ‘cadets’ were often the younger sons of the aristocracy.

A Cady, Caddy, Cadie or Caddie became used for a general-purpose porter or errand boy in Scottish towns in the18th Century, particularly used for delivering water in the days before modern utilities. The Shorter Oxford Dictionary records this use from 1730. Caddies are often mentioned carrying golf clubs, but it was not until 1857 that the Dictionary ascribes the use mainly to those carrying golf clubs. In the early days there were no bags and the clubs were carried in bundle, which can be clearly seen in paintings of the time.

The first named caddie was Andrew Dickson, who would become an Edinburgh clubmaker, who caddied for the Duke of York as a boy in 1681 in the Duke’s golf match on Leith Links.

Golf is a game in which a ball is struck with a club from a prepared area, known as the “teeing ground”, across fairway and rough to a second prepared area, which has a hole in it, known as the “putting green”. The object of the game is to complete what is known as a hole by playing a ball from the teeing ground into the hole on the putting green in the fewest possible number of strokes. A “round of golf’ consists of playing 18 such holes.

There are basically two forms of play, one which is decided by holes won and lost (match play) and the other which is decided by the total number of strokes taken to complete the round (stroke play).

There are three important principles to remember when playing golf:

• Play the course as you find it. Play the Ball as it lies.
• And if you can’t do either, do what’s fair.
• To do what’s fair you need to know the Rules. Read the summary of the Rules of Golf.

Etiquette

Etiquette covers both Courtesy and Priority on the Course as well as Care of the Course. Whilst the following points are not Rules as such they are an important part of the game.

• Don’t move, talk or stand close to a player making a stroke.
• Don’t play until the group in front is out of the way.
• Always play without delay. Leave the putting green as soon as all players in your group have holed out.
• Invite faster groups to play through.
• Replace divots. Smooth footprints in bunkers.
• Don’t step on the line of another player’s putt.
• Don’t drop clubs on the putting green.
• Replace the flagstick carefully.

Definitions

The Definitions section of the Rules of Golf contains over forty Definitions which form the foundation around which the Rules of play are written. A good knowledge of the defined terms will help in the correct application of the Rules. These include:

• Teeing Ground – the starting place for the hole, defined by two tee-markers.
• Through the Green – the whole area of the golf course except the teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played and all hazards.
• Hazards – any bunker or water hazard.
• Putting Green – an area specially prepared for putting and containing a 41/2 inch diameter hole.
• Out of Bounds – ground on which play is prohibited i.e. not part of the course. A ball is out of bounds when all of it lies out of bounds.
• Loose Impediments – natural objects such as stones, leaves and twigs provided they are not fixed or growing, are not solidly embedded and are not sticking to the ball.
• Obstructions – any man-made object, except:
  • Objects defining out of bounds;
  • Any part of an immovable man-made object which is out of bounds; and
  • Any construction declared by the Committee in the Local Rules to be an integral part of the course.
• Casual Water – any temporary accumulation of water on the course which is visible before or after the player takes his stance (dew and frost are not casual water).
• Ground Under Repair – any portion of the course so marked by the Committee. Also includes material piled for removal and a hole made by a greenkeeper, even if not so marked.