What does a caddy do?

Question

Pardon my ignorance because I don't play golf...I just watch those games on tv. I just find it interesting at times. But aside from carrying the golf bag, what does a caddy do for the golfer? Do they also get a share of the prize that the golfer might win? Must they also be golfers? Do they also have a 'reputation' around the golf courses or games? Is it a full time job?

Answer 1

A caddy is someone who carries a bag of golf clubs for a golfer to make money.

Answer 2

some times gives tips how he would hit it ect.

Answer 3

LMAO...your b*****s

Answer 4

when you play golf they are your b*****s

Answer 5

The caddy is one of the best tools a golfer has on the course.  Not only does he carry the bag, he knows pretty much every yardage on the course (how far to a green or how far they are from the green) . He knows what the weather is that day, he has to keep the player in the right frame of mind the entire round, he has to keep the fools in the crowd from bothering his player, and he has to know his players game as well as, if not better than, he does.  

It usually helps if the caddy is a player and a lot of people who didn't make it as players end up being caddies (many contestants from "The Big Break" on the golf channel are now slinging bags on tour)

They get 10% of the winning and the players decide whether they want to pay anything more.  They can also get their own sponsorships, but this is kinda rare.

It is usually a full time job and they travel from tournemanet to tournament along with their player (though they usually pay their own fare).

A good caddy will get a repuatation around the locker room and if he becomes available (his player quits or fires him) that reputation is what will probably land him his next job caddying for someone else.

Answer 6

Caddy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from Caddie)

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For other uses, see Caddy (disambiguation).



A caddy plies his tradeIn golf, a caddy (or caddie) is the person who carries a player's bag, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin placements and club selection. A caddy is often an employee of a private club or resort.

Contents [hide]

1 Etymology

2 Types of caddying

3 Duties

4 Caddy Ranks

5 Psychological Duties

6 Weekly schedule

7 Pay scale

8 Attire

9 Alternative names for a caddy

10 Notes



[edit] Etymology

The word "Caddy" is possibly derived from the French word "cadet". [1][2][3]

[edit] Types of caddying

Traditional caddying involves both the golfer and the caddy walking the course. The caddy is in charge of carrying the player’s bag and both the caddy and the golfer walk at the same pace. This is the most common method used in golf clubs and is the only method allowed in the PGA (Professional Golf Association) and LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association).

Fore-caddying is a type of caddying where the caddy is always ahead of the golfer, marking the golfer's shots where they land. The caddy will start out a hole by running to the landing spot of his/her golfer’s tee shot. The job of the caddy is to mark the ball with a towel, stick, etc. so that the golfer does not have to waste time searching for it. If the hole is long and requires multiple shots before the golfer can reach the "green" (the putting surface at the end of each hole), then the fore-caddy will go ahead to the next landing area and mark his/her golfer’s ball until the ball reaches the green. Once the golfer is on the green, the fore-caddy maintains regular caddy duties like raking sand traps and taking the pin out of the cup. After the golfer is finished putting on the green, the fore-caddy returns to his/her duties and heads out to the next hole’s landing spot. This routine continues for the remainder of the course. The main purpose of this type of caddying is to let the golfers ride in carts if they are unable to walk the course with a caddy.

Cart-caddying, a type of fore-caddying, consists of a caddy driving a cart for the entire round of golf. The main job of the caddy is to drive ahead of the walking golfer and mark the golfer's ball before they get there. Getting to the ball first, the caddy can determine what type of shot the golfer should play.

[edit] Duties

The main duty of a caddy is to carry the player's bag and find the player's ball. Other common duties include:

cleaning clubs and golf balls

raking bunkers and sand traps

obtaining yardages

replacing/repairing “divots” (chunks of the fairway)

tending and removing the flagstick

making small talk

Other duties which caddies are obligated to do if experienced enough are:

reading greens

helping with club selection

keeping track of any "salts" made by the golfer

Caddies must be alert at all times. Any penalty caused by the caddy is added on to his/her golfer’s score. The caddy should be aware of his surroundings at all times, especially when players are hitting. Standing in other golfers’ lines of putting or lines of sight while they are hitting a ball is strongly discouraged. Also, the caddy is expected to know the rules and point out any rule-breaking on the part of the golfer, such as knowing the maximum amount of clubs a player is allowed to carry. A caddy on the PGA Tour, Miles Byrne, became famous when he forgot to count the clubs in Ian Woosnam's bag (only 14 allowed) before the final round of the British Open. His mistake cost Woosnam two strokes and possibly the championship.

[edit] Caddy Ranks

At many clubs, caddies are ranked as Pro, Honor, A, and B. "Pro" and "Honor" caddies are the most experienced, carry two bags, and are generally considered the best caddies. "Pro" and "Honor" caddies are generally given the privilege of caddying in club tournaments such as member guests, most notably 4-Days, team matches, or team competitions. "A" caddies carry two bags and are less experienced than the Pro and Honors. "B" caddies carry a single bag and are the least experienced and youngest caddies.

[edit] Psychological Duties

A duty of a good caddy often overlooked is the ability to keep their golfer focused and not waver psychologically from the task at hand. This is clearly the toughest of all caddy skills to learn and it requires a great deal of experience and understanding of the game of golf. A caddy that can positively impact the psyche of their golfer, especially if the golfer is not consciously aware of what the caddy is trying to do, can be extremely valuable. Golf arguably relies on mental aspects of the body more than any other sport in today's world and if the mind is not comfortable, calm, and focused, disaster is likely to occur. A crucial factor in performing the psychological duties of a caddy is that to be as effective as possible, the caddy must know the golfer very well. This is typically only possible if the caddy is on the pro tour, a family member/friend, or works regularly for the same member at a country club. Psychological caddying can be as simple as distracting the golfer as you walk down the fairway after a poor tee shot by talking about something the caddy knows will make the golfer be happy or laugh. While this may sound superficial, it can have an amazing effect on the mental state of the golfer as they enter into their next swing. The caddy might also try talking out exactly how the golfer wants to hit the next shot because positive visualization can be the difference between a birdie and a bogey.

Other psychological duties that a caddy may partake in would be slight swing corrections. Obviously out on the golf course is not the time to completely change a golfer's swing but if the caddy has seen the golfer shoot multiple rounds under par and multiple rounds in the 80's, it is likely that there are slight tendencies that change within the golfers swing which drastically effect their scoring ability. If the caddy is skilled enough, discussing these changes can often make the golfer aware of something they did not even realize they were doing. Good examples of slight changes in a golfer's swing that could make an enormous difference in their score would be the speed of their take-away, early hip movement, a shoulder dip, too much wrist action, a retraction of the arms, poor balance, and a rushed or sloppy follow through.

It should be noted that all psychological duties should only be acted upon by the caddy if he/she feels very comfortable with their golfer and believes that their knowledge and experience is sufficiently reliable.

[edit] Weekly schedule

Caddies are most frequently employed at clubs on weekends, when the majority of country club golf takes place. Some (but usually not as many) opportunities to caddy exist during the week, as well. Additionally, caddies are often allowed to play the course at which they caddy for free, usually on a Monday (the day that most private clubs choose to close their course for maintenance). On pro golf tours, professional caddies accompany their player to all events, which usually take place from Thursday through Sunday. Additionally, the player may hire their caddy to carry their bag for them during training sessions and practice rounds.

[edit] Pay scale

At most clubs, caddies are paid at the end of the round by cash, or receive a payment ticket for which they can redeem their wages in the clubhouse. Generally, the player will tip the caddy based on their performance during the round, with extra money given for exemplary work. Most American club caddies earn between $40 and $60 per bag, though newer caddies will often earn less and more experienced caddies or caddies working during a tournament, high-stakes match, or 4-Day member-guest will often earn significantly more, upwards of $100 per round, per bag, at times. It is considered acceptable to ask a professional at the course what the average pay for a caddie is, as courses differ.

In a professional golf tour setting, a player often pays their caddy a percentage of their winnings, which can be as high as 10%. A common pay scale is 5% for making the cut, 7% for a top 10, and 10% for a win. The caddy also usually receives a salary, as the player may not be guaranteed to win money at every tournament the player enters.

[edit] Attire

Collared shirt

Khaki shorts or pants

Gym shoes or golf shoes (lots of walking and standing)

Smock

Towel

Hat

Divot tool

pencil, scorecard, and pin sheet

small amount of sand (used to fill in divots)

[edit] Alternative names for a caddy

Bagger

Bag-carrier (sometimes used pejoratively)

Jock

Looper

Lugger

Noonan

Weekend Warrior

Note: Caddy is used near the southern border of the United States and in Mexico in reference to a person that is very lazy.

[edit] Notes

^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/c...

^ Scottish Golf History

^ http://www.businessballs.com/clichesorig...

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddy"

Categories: Golf terminology | Caddies | Sports occupations | Personal care and service occupations

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Answer 7

I will simply explain since some people have gone a little overboard.

A pro caddy needs to know everything about the course, from the distances to hazards to the exact slope and speed of the greens. A caddy will usually keep a detailed book of notes about each hole. He will advise the golfer to hit the ball toward a certain section of the fairway that will give them the best angle at the green. The caddy should be able to tell you exactly how far you are from the hole and what club to hit. Some of the caddies have been around for a long time, like Tigers old caddy "Fluff", and know every course in the circuit like the back of their hand. So there are alot of golfers who wish they could afford him. I think they usually get a percentage of the earnings as an incentive.

Answer 8

During practice rounds, they are measuring distances from typical driving spots, checking out the pin locations.  Before rounds, they are on the range cleaning clubs and getting them ready for the pros.  During rounds, they are working with the pro to pick clubs and read putts.  When I've marshalled tournaments, they are the first up the fairway, finding the ball, getting the distance and the wind.  After the round they get the clubs cleaned and the bag restocked.  They have a flat fee and share in the prize.  They can also get endorsements, and win prizes (Nature Valley - see if they have a logo on their cap).  They do not need to be golfers, but many are / were very good golfers.  Some have a very good reputation.  Full-time during the season, with off weeks during the season just like the pro has to go home.  Off-season depends on the pro and agreement.

Answer 9

nothing just carry the bag and determine what club to use.

Answer 10

they carry the golfers bag gives them advice and make a ton of money doing it

Answer 11

It is a full time job to be a caddy on the professional tour.  In addition to carrying the bag and keeping the clubs clean, they replace the divots on the fairway, rake the sand trap after a bunker shot, but most importantly they scout out the golf course.  They get there a day or two early and walk the course making note of distances to various portions of the green from many points in the fairway, also how far to reach or carry hazards from the tee.  They must provide accurate distance information to the player on every shot, this is their most important job.  A professional golfer on tour can hit very precise distances, but he must know precisely what distance his target is before hitting it - this is the caddies main job.

Answer 12

they carry your bags.. etc..