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Caddies - Worth It?

vthokies20

vthokies20

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I played a new course for the first time a few weeks ago. It was mandatory to take a caddie. However, my caddie was in his first few weeks at the course, and really didn't provide any valuable information. A lot of "Avoid the right side" when there is clearly water to the right. Or "Avoid missing left on your approach" when the pin is clearly tucked on the left side of the green.

For those of you that have played with caddies, do you ever walk away from the round thinking you could have navigated the course without your caddie? Were you unimpressed by the information you received from your caddie?
 
vthokies20 said:
I played a new course for the first time a few weeks ago. It was mandatory to take a caddie. However, my caddie was in his first few weeks at the course, and really didn't provide any valuable information. A lot of "Avoid the right side" when there is clearly water to the right. Or "Avoid missing left on your approach" when the pin is clearly tucked on the left side of the green.

For those of you that have played with caddies, do you ever walk away from the round thinking you could have navigated the course without your caddie? Were you unimpressed by the information you received from your caddie?
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I think it takes the right kind of caddie for me to justify the 'purchase' for a round on an unfamiliar course. Earlier this year I avoided taking one at Valhalla, and while it was awesome to carry my own bag around that course, it would have been immensely beneficial to have a caddie there reading the greens for me. There are subtle nuances that are impossible to see if you've not played there before and that would have probably saved a couple strokes.
 
The one's at the Hideaway were amazing. It is the only time I have ever had a caddie, but they were awesome.
 
I've had some great ones (I reuse the same guy at Bandon now) and some guys that gave me the exact wrong reads on the greens, which obviously was very maddening.
 
I had to have one at Cuscowilla both times I've played there and they were pretty helpful, especially when reading a putt that I wasn't sure about. They would walk down to the landing area and help find our drives if someone missed the fairway. I think it helped speed up play a little. Expensive, but I don't mind doing it on some occasions.
 
I've probably played a two dozen rounds with caddies at resorts over the years.

In almost every instance they were well worth the cost. Not only with their help on greens.

But the fact I was able to walk and enjoy the beauty of the courses was huge as well.

Also a little caveat. There's nothing like the feeling of hitting the green from say 150 out, and the caddie immediately handing you the putter for the walk to the green. Kind of feel like a pro for those few moments!!

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I have only had a caddie at a few places and they have been invaluable.

Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, Turnburry, Teeth of the Dog. Might have gotten lost on a couple without some help.
 
tequila4kapp said:
I've had some great ones (I reuse the same guy at Bandon now) and some guys that gave me the exact wrong reads on the greens, which obviously was very maddening.
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LOL

"YOUR left is MY right, you moron."
 
Played overseas and caddie was part of the price, I suppose not knowing the course, and the caddie had all the lay up yardages and know how greens break. It made the round much easier than it would've been.
 
I played Harbour Town several years ago, and we had a forecaddie that walked with our group. The guy we got had been there for several years doing that. He was extremely knowledgeable and didn't take him long to figure out our distances. There were several times he talked me out of hitting a club I was about to hit to keep me out of trouble. I think I ended up shooting upper 70s that day, but without him, I would have probably been mid 80s or higher. He was extremely helpful.
 
having a caddie that is knowledgeable about the course would help. it would suck to pay for a caddie who knows as much about the course as the player.
 
I've had both experiences. I've had caddies that were great, and one that was not worth the money. The one that was not worth the money simply helped locate my ball and then used a laser to tell me the distance to the pin. I could have done that.

I probably get less out of them than most people, since I'm a pretty decent green reader. They figure out pretty quick I can read greens and they stop offering advice unless I ask. A good one is certainly invaluable the first time you play a course though.
 
vthokies20 said:
I played a new course for the first time a few weeks ago. It was mandatory to take a caddie. However, my caddie was in his first few weeks at the course, and really didn't provide any valuable information. A lot of "Avoid the right side" when there is clearly water to the right. Or "Avoid missing left on your approach" when the pin is clearly tucked on the left side of the green.

For those of you that have played with caddies, do you ever walk away from the round thinking you could have navigated the course without your caddie? Were you unimpressed by the information you received from your caddie?
Click to expand...

Ive played with a caddie a couple times and have loved it every time. However this was at a private club where I was only responsible for the tip. The feeling of being treated like a pro is pretty cool. However I am torn with paying a caddie fee and then the tip because idk if that feeling is worth an extra $100-$120. I am playing Erin Hills in Wisconsin in a couple weeks and this is the debate I am currently having. Pay for the caddie and have inside information on the course. Or save the $120 and grind it out. Decisions, decisions
 
One of my most enjoyable rounds was with a caddie. He knew the course, know what to club and was enjoyable to talk to.

Caddies need to be optimist and point out what you should do, not what you shouldn't do. Golf is a visual game. If the caddy says "don't hit into the pond on the right", your brain visualizes a pond on the right. That is not good.
 
Unfortunately taking a caddie is compulsory at virtually all courses in Thailand. Whilst there are good ones there are a awful lot of bad ones. Some of the lower end / cheaper courses will employ teenagers on holidays if you are unfortunate to get one of those it can be shocking how bad they are. We had one young lady who spent half a round just standing on the back of the cart handing what club she thought was required to my wife. When my wife was searching for a errant ball, the young lady was stood behind the cart munching on a sandwich and texting on her phone. A gentle reminder about no tip (your expected to tip between 300 - 500 baht / 10 - 15USD) had her appearing to help.

On the flip side the more expensive courses have great ones, they are also encouraged to play golf and have a yearly tournament between clubs all over the country. They are really worth the money, after a couple of holes they know which club you should be using not what you think you should, can read greens, give accurate yardages and can make a round of golf really enjoyable on new courses. Part of their "job" is to also make the customer relaxed and enjoy their round through encouragement and praise all mental but it makes a difference.
 
I've had really good experiences with caddies for the most part. The best was a guy that could basically club me after watching me on the range and playing the first 3 holes, it was awesome. The most recent time I had a caddie was back in May, and he didn't do much other than carry the bag and give me some recommendations on distances. The recommendations on distances weren't great, and he barely gave me any help on the greens which wasn't great. The worst part is that the caddie gratuity was already included in the round rate, and then he hit me up for more money at the end of the round....the silence was AWKWARD. But for the most part, I love having a caddie. Everyone has to make the decision for themselves on whether it is "worth it" from a monetary standpoint, but if I'm going to a special place like the Old Course, there's no question in my mind that I'm taking a caddie.
 
If the course recommends a caddie, I take one. I like having someone assist on the course
 
I played a round with two caddies from FirestoneCC and came away with a handful of tips to help my game. Their ability to read the greens was pretty awesome. Changed my perspective all around.


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I've had a caddie once and it was a great experience. Took less than a hole to get comfortable with having someone else watching all my shots. They gave great advice and it felt kind of cool walking down the fairway with a caddie next to me, felt like a tour player for a round.
 
I'd rather ride.
 
A good caddie is a huge help on the course. They should give distances to green as well as know layup distances. They'll also be able to club you after a few holes of observations, as well as read the greens if you need it. I caddied as a summer job when I was in my early 20's. After about a few hundred rounds on a course, you know it better than some members.
 
I rather have a GPS cart

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Can't imagine why anyone would want a damn caddy (unless they give massages).
 
In my country caddies are always part of golf. Some are good, others not so good. Bottom line, the caddies can help out, but I still need to do all the thinking. I can't blame them for misreading breaks on the green, although for the good ones, their green reading is usually spot-on.

In some courses, they're allowed to drive the golf cart, so I can focus more on my shot than ferrying my partner around. Some courses have female caddies, I usually get better service from the females than the males.

I think good caddies speed up play and help ease the burden of lugging bags in the tropical heat, especially because I prefer to walk.

Some courses also have umbrella girls, whose job is to hold up your umbrella to keep you shaded when you're walking. I don't get them though.
 
No. I played a new course about a month ago with a fore caddie. He carried our putters and tried to read greens. He gave yardages, but not as accurate as our GPS, and he wasn't as good as we were in finding our errant golf balls. For four hours "work" he made $200! If he had carried our bags he probably would have made double that. It wasn't the money, but when you figure the value we got for our money, it was not worth it.
 
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