Roles of a Caddie

Golfers at every level of the game – from those who just play for fun on weekends to those who play in tournaments with millions of dollars on the line – use caddies. Some caddies are high-school students looking to earn some extra money, while others are professionals. No matter what their status is, all caddies serve similar roles.

  1. Carrying the Bag

    • Caddies must carry their golfers' bags. Caddies walk alongside their golfers with the bag on their shoulders (rather than pulling the bag on a cart, or riding in an electric or gas-powered cart) and hand them the clubs, balls, tees and towels they need during the course of the round.

    Cleaning Balls and Clubs

    • Caddies should carry a towel and use it to clean the heads of the golf clubs after each shot. Many golf courses also feature club washers -- caddies should use them to clean clubs that are particularly dirty. If ball washers are available, caddies should use them to wash the golf balls, even if they don't seem dirty. If the golfer is on the green and needs his ball cleaned, the caddy should clean it with the towel.

    Tending the Pin

    • Caddies must tend or remove the pin on the green. If the golfer's positioning makes it hard for him to see the hole, the caddy should stand close to the pin and hold the pin with one hand. He should pull it out of the hole after the ball is struck. If the balls are close to the hole and tending the pin isn't necessary, the caddy should remove the pin and place it beside the green. The pin must be replaced once all the balls are holed.

    Course Maintenance

    • Whenever golfers create divots on the fairway, caddies must replace them. To do so, watch where the divot landed, retrieve it and put it back into place. Caddies must also rake the sand whenever the golfers hit their balls into a sand trap and have to walk in to hit their balls out. By the time they are done raking, the surface of the sand trap should be smooth.

    Figuring Yardages

    • Golfers choose what club to hit based on their distance from the green. Many golfers want their caddies to help them determine the distance of shots. If you have an automatic range finder, use it. Otherwise, locate the nearest distance marker, which will be a metal or plastic object that shows the distance to the green. Pace off the distance between the golf ball and the marker and either add or subtract that figure from the distance written on the marker.