Working with a caddy

The recent news about Tiger & Steve Williams parting company prompted a couple of fairly lengthy threads however none of them really brought out what essentially makes a great caddy. It's actually got me (mid to high single figure) thinking about exactly what to expect and how to benefit from having a caddy.

Where I'm going with this is that a week tomorrow I have my Trilby Tour heat at The Oxfordshire. Caddies are compulsory on the day and I'm taking my regular doubles partner with me. Apart from my pro he knows my swing better than anyone else. My on-course temperament he knows quite a bit better than anyone else,my Pro included. We do work well as a pair having won both 4bbb and 4somes matchplay tournaments (he is around the same handicap usually 1 or 2 shots above me but he seems to just instinctively know when to have a word and when to just cut me loose during pairs matches). I know this is a completely different kettle of fish though. We're going for a practice round Sunday but I've got him playing rather than caddying, I want him to get a feel for the course as well.

So...has anyone else used a caddy (at whatever level) and are there any basic guidelines?

I've had pals caddy for me in the past. I find it works best when they are similar length hitters to me. Often it's quite useful to get a 2nd opinion on a club selection. Also very useful if they can read greens. Biggest benefit of all though that I've found is when playing in the rain. Having someone to keep your grips and equipment dry is invaluable.

But of course, you're playing in the summer so the weather will be fab

Have fun and play well

Hi Jas
It is sometimes difficult having a golfing pal act as a caddy.
They tend to try too hard for you which ends up with some 'daft comments' which can be irritating.
My brother caddied for me occasionally when I could play at a decent level. He was a very good caddy, paid his way through college, but I think I would have done better with a neutral caddy.

Shut up and keep up, I believe is the best instruction to an 'amateur ' caddy.
If you ever get a good pro caddy best advice is to do as you are told.

Hmmm, I can see that. I know if I was caddying for him I'd be sticking my nose in all over the place. To be honest though he is probably better that way than me (i.e. he instinctively knows when to STFU!!).

Obviously I, like everybody else, just have to play the best I can. I'm just mindful of trying to make the most of having a caddy in terms of helping me play to my best. I honestly think the caddy/player relationship at our level is worth 2-3 shots if we get the balance right.

Where I live, caddies are compulsory. I have one course I play where I use the same caddy because she knows the greens and usually saves me a couple of shots a round. At most other courses I take a caddy off the que. I might ask them their opinion for the line of a putt on the first or second hole. If I disagree I don't ask them anymore. From then on their there to pull the cart and give me the club I ask for.
If your friend isn't familiar with the course by all means ask his opinion but don't let it over rule your own gut instinct. If, on the occasions I've been undecided on a club and asked the caddy, I reckon about 75% of the time I should have gone with my opinion and not theirs.
When it comes to putting, only you know how firm your going to hit it. It's no point your caddy saying 3 holes left if your going to blast it through the break when he's talking about dead weight.

Have used a caddie on a few occaisions in 36 hole comps and usually get someone that knows my yardages to do so for me. In my opinion I don't want them to know my swing or it's flaws as thats advice I think that when on course you end up concentrating more on a flaw that someone says is there that may actually not be.

Something I found useful at my old place was getting one of the juniors to go out for a practice round with me and teach them my yardages and then let them caddy for me, that way they had no pre-conceptions of what to tell me do do or what shot to play, they simply give me the yardages and if I ask how they would play the shot they volunteer advice that you can say good idea or just ignore. It also helps take the mind off the game as you can talk about their game what they enjoy so all you end up focusing on is the shot your playing at that time.

The worst caddy i've ever had is my dad. He knows my game inside out and all he could focus on was what i should do or should have done instead of the shot in question and talked about the next shot or what I needed to score in order to compete. Sometimes you can know someone to well when caddying for them.

On the other side of the coin when i've caddied for anyone I find the best thing you can do is what is asked literally, give yardages if you know how far they hit each club. Make sure their equipment is clean and ready fur use when needed and if asked for advice on what is required be honest with your opinion and remember to say afterwards "but remember your the one making the swing so commit to whatever you decide to do"

Sound advice Mav. We (my caddy & I) both played the Oxfordshire on Sunday. He did take some yardage notes and i annotated the course guide with some additional info. did learn a few dos and donts about what to attack and what not and best angles to come in from etc.
Im now pretty happy with the preparation we've done and am looking forward immensely to the day

You better go for the 17th in two!!

So is it this thursday then that your at the oxfordshire. Have to say I am a fan of the course having play it several times, hoping to compete on the trilby tour myself next year gammy leg permitting. My favourite is the 17th just something about that hole that really draws me in, don't think i've ever played that as a 3 shotter i've had success there and misery but I love that hole.

I'm sure you and your caddy willl enjoy the day out and feed off each other very well. The atmosphere should be good to for the event as it does seem very well run.

No its Friday Mav, i think theyre having a pre qualifier weds or Thurs.

Yep, 17th is a great golf hole, i think id have to make a space for it on my best 18 ive ever played. helped i must say by canning a big breaking 35 footer for birdie on Sunday. Too far back with the drive but did go across the water in 2 to leave an easier wedge in which I then pulled.

JAS wrote:No its Friday Mav, i think theyre having a pre qualifier weds or Thurs.

Yep, 17th is a great golf hole, i think id have to make a space for it on my best 18 ive ever played. helped i must say by canning a big breaking 35 footer for birdie on Sunday. Too far back with the drive but did go across the water in 2 to leave an easier wedge in which I then pulled.

Good man! That hole is very contrived but a lot of fun to play

Just get him to pull the cart. Don't let your caddy start telling you what he'd do or you'll end up with a cricket score and he'll end up thinking you are a plonker.

It is a great hole - even off the yellows which is the only way I've played it.

For short hitters like me it's still a helluva test to go the long way around too!

What about that other par5 (is it 5th or 6th? something like that). Off the "normal" tees it's just a long, straight par5 with the lake all down the right (nightmare for slicers) but I seem to remember the black tees were back across a bridge with a long carry needed just to get the ball back to the "normal" fairway

I've had a caddy for a few important competitions (regional qualifiers and Opens when they were allowed) and each time I've used LordPutt! He's brilliant. Knows my game very well and also my temperament. He might not be a great player himself but understands what clubs I should be using and can keep me going when I start to get a bit negative. As a result, I won one Open thanks to him and came 3rd in a regional qualifier. Several of the Seniors have their wives on the bag and it seems to work for them - having the other half on my bag works for me, too.

I can just imagine the reaction Id get if I asked my other half to caddy for me. Would be a fairly interesting response Im sure. Probably involving some kind of violence.

Diggers wrote:I can just imagine the reaction Id get if I asked my other half to caddy for me. Would be a fairly interesting response Im sure. Probably involving some kind of violence.

I feel that Diggers, if I asked Mrs Mav to caddy for me it'd cost me a world of pain and it would probably cost me so much in shopping trips to bluewater that it'd be cheaper to bag Steve Williams for the day and probably less painful, well for me anyway as i'd be liable to plant one on williams!

Maverick wrote:

Diggers wrote:I can just imagine the reaction Id get if I asked my other half to caddy for me. Would be a fairly interesting response Im sure. Probably involving some kind of violence.

I feel that Diggers, if I asked Mrs Mav to caddy for me it'd cost me a world of pain and it would probably cost me so much in shopping trips to bluewater that it'd be cheaper to bag Steve Williams for the day and probably less painful, well for me anyway as i'd be liable to plant one on williams!

What about Mavette? That might be a nice thing to do sometime. She would see first hand how you cope with pressure situations etc...

NST good point about Mavette and once I'm fully recovered I plan to take her out regularly and will get her caddying so she can see how I do in scratch comps when its going well and when its going bad. We have a little mini tour in our area which is played on the local muni's in our area four events over four weeks which I plan to play next year amd plan on paying her for her caddying services

Mav.
I usually caddied for my daughter in her County Ladies Championship [but never when she was a junior]
We got on surprisingly well. There was a kind of mutual respect thing going on the golf course that was not always there at home!
Mind you she was the eternal bridesmaid. I think she lost five finals and umpteen semis.
She is playing in the Scottish county team championship finals in the Autumn so it might be her last chance to win a biggy.

What do you mean last chance to win a biggie?? She monopolised the ladies champs at Broome for years, how big are you thinking Doon??

You jest Jas.
One of her club mates was British Age Group Champion two years on the trot and runner up in her final year.
When she won it the first time she was interviewed on the telly and the reporter said something like 'it must have been tough to win through against all the fine players in the region and national finals.'
'Not really, she replied, it was harder winning my club qualifier'

In these days of political correctness I've heard that a caddy is now going to be called a "measurement consultant".

Logistics analyst