When you think about caddies in golf, most club golfers assume they are just for tour professionals. But in fact, many of the competitive women I play with in club and county events choose to use a caddie when allowed.
Certainly for the big competitions like the club championships, which is often a 36-hole strokeplay tournament played in one day, an extra pair of hands is invaluable. Your caddie can help to speed up play by raking bunkers, repairing pitch marks, keeping your clubs clean, keeping you dry under an umbrella in the rain, or even just making sure you eat and drink enough to maintain good energy levels.
For single-figure handicappers like me, that’s often enough. Just having someone alongside you for moral support, a friendly face to chat to, distracting you from the pressure of the scorecard and a helping hand. We call these caddies ‘trolley pullers’ at our club, as they aren’t really there to offer advice - they’re just helpers.
For other players though, having a caddie on the bag who is allowed to offer advice (not a professional golfer - as an amateur this is against the Rules of Golf) can be a completely legal, allowable cheat. I witnessed this a lot growing up playing junior golf when dads on the bag would guide their daughters around the golf course, reading every putt, helping them to select the right club, the right shot to play, aim correctly and much more.
Part of me thought it was ridiculous that these young girls were clearly clueless without a ‘daddy caddie’ and often fell apart, shooting horrifyingly high scores when a parent wasn’t allowed on the bag. Yet another part of me realises now that at the elite level of the amateur ranks having a caddie is a natural progression from club to county to college then onwards as preparation for life on tour.
After all, every tour professional uses one. This is where having the right caddie is literally worth their weight in gold. Get the player/caddie combination correct and players often become unstoppable.
Take World No.1 Nelly Korda, for example. She and her caddie Jason McDede have been together since 2018, winning Major after Major. Likewise England’s Charley Hull has had Adam Woodward on the bag since 2015, a seriously successful decade for her.
For other tour players, it takes a few attempts to find the right fit. There are also many stories of dramatic fall-outs, players blaming their caddies for poor results and sacking them in controversial circumstances.
Remember the infamous ‘extra driver’ left in Ian Woosnam’s bag accidentally by his caddie Myles Byrne during the final round of 2001 Open Championship that caused him a two-shot penalty and ultimately the Claret Jug?
At club level, I see lots of funny situations where the caddie/player relationship goes wrong. Particularly husbands and wives who bicker and criticise each other for bad shots, doing more harm than good. Every club has that couple - the Mr & Mrs “argue-all-the-time’ Jones!
In some ways, finding the right caddie is like finding a real life partnership - and we don’t always get that right the first time either! You have to get on, know each others’ boundaries and what makes you tick. Ultimately, a caddie is there to be helpful, not hinder you.
I know women who refuse to use a caddie in an interclub match for this reason, because they feel that having an extra pair of eyes watching their shots adds too much pressure. Or because these glorified trolley pullers get ahead of their station and insist on being involved in decision-making, coming on the greens to read putts and have an opinion, which can interfere with your focus and cast doubt in your mind. After all, we all read putts differently.
This has happened to me several times when playing holiday golf in countries like Morocco and Thailand where caddies are compulsory. I love to support the locals and have no qualms paying for a caddie to carry my clubs, however they don’t know my game and their level of knowledge of my ability and skills is surprisingly somewhat lacking.
Even at world-renowned golf resorts, like the Old Course, St. Andrews, I have found the caddie gets offended when I tell them I don’t need help reading my putts or choosing my club. They want to tell me what to do on every shot and I just want to play the course ‘my way’ and enjoy it.
Ultimately, there’s no doubt that having a caddie can give you a huge competitive advantage on the golf course, but equally it can also cause your scores to spiral in the wrong direction, from over-analysis and confusing information. So if you’re going to use one, make sure that you set some ground rules before you tee off. Ask them to do what suits you, and choose them wisely.
