Would you trust a 15 handicap caddie?

[MWard]

The question was asked by a friend when it comes to taking a caddie. Would you take the advice of a 15 handicap? My answer was it solely depends on how long they’ve worked at that course. Less than 3 years? That’s a bit of a tough call, cause they’re probably not working every day. 20+ years? I’ll take his word way more often than not.

If I disagree, I’ll tell them what I see, and I’m really just wanting to hear the how and why. Tell me it looks that way, but the complex is tilted and things funnel to your direction. Let me know about everything always breaking towards a certain part of the property. That’s stuff I’m not gonna see or know, and I’ll believe that all day. “It just looks that way to me?” Do you have one shoe on? Now it’s a coin toss, and I really hope I’m not first to putt cause this is gonna take a sec.

 

[MtlJeff]

15 I guess is more semantics but I've used a friend who is an 11-12 many times

 

[mikeg_74]

I would trust them bc a handicap isn’t an indication of knowledge or the ability to give sound advice. If they sucked they wouldn’t be a caddy for long imo

 

[Jman]

I would trust them bc a handicap isn’t an indication of knowledge or the ability to give sound advice. If they sucked they wouldn’t be a caddy for long imo

This!

 

[BigMac]

The question was asked by a friend when it comes to taking a caddie. Would you take the advice of a 15 handicap? My answer was it solely depends on how long they’ve worked at that course. Less than 3 years? That’s a bit of a tough call, cause they’re probably not working every day. 20+ years? I’ll take his word way more often than not.

If I disagree, I’ll tell them what I see, and I’m really just wanting to hear the how and why. Tell me it looks that way, but the complex is tilted and things funnel to your direction. Let me know about everything always breaking towards a certain part of the property. That’s stuff I’m not gonna see or know, and I’ll believe that all day. “It just looks that way to me?” Do you have one shoe on? Now it’s a coin toss, and I really hope I’m not first to putt cause this is gonna take a sec.

Bill Belichick never played even one down of professional football, and is arguably the greatest coach ever.

I might not turn to a 15 handicap as my swing coach, but if they knew their stuff I'd certainly listen to them as a caddie.

 

[MWard]

I would trust them bc a handicap isn’t an indication of knowledge or the ability to give sound advice. If they sucked they wouldn’t be a caddy for long imo

I don’t quite agree with that. You can be a solid tee to green caddie, or have great conversation/confidence inspiring talk and miss nuances here and there and get away with the player either completely missing the intended read or just plain dumb luck. “That’s never done that before, what did that bump off of?” is a popular line.

 

[thewilderside]

Yeah I'd have no issue with it.

 

[mikeg_74]

I don’t quite agree with that. You can be a solid tee to green caddie, or have great conversation/confidence inspiring talk and miss nuances here and there and get away with the player either completely missing the intended read or just plain dumb luck. “That’s never done that before, what did that bump off of?” is a popular line.

But if they are deficient they won’t be caddies much longer right? I have a friend who’s an 18 right now and has the best course knowledge/management I know and can read greens amazingly. He just doesn’t have the “golf talent” to put it all together and score

 

[BuffaloPlunger]

Yeah for sure! I’m sure there are guys on tour who use caddies that aren’t that great at the game but just have a really good understanding of it

 

[brians]

Yes. Especially if they’ve been at the course for a while. The course knowledge is their greatest asset. “Aim just short of that bunker so you can approach from that side” is priceless.

 

[Sean]

How one plays golf is not indicative of how one would caddy.

 

[MWard]

But if they are deficient they won’t be caddies much longer right? I have a friend who’s an 18 right now and has the best course knowledge/management I know and can read greens amazingly. He just doesn’t have the “golf talent” to put it all together and score

Not necessarily. If you take a caddie on a course you know like the back of his hand (member of a caddie only course for example), do you necessarily ask him for the read every time? Probably not.

Maybe you like a caddie, but like to read your own putts but like the caddie for everything else.

 

[BigMac]

One of my golf buddies is currently a 16.8 handicap. We've played many hundreds of rounds together, and there's nobody in the world who knows my game like he does. He knows how far I hit my clubs, how I think, what my tendencies are, the strong and weak points of my game, and how my mental game works. He has a very mellow demeanor and is a calming influence on the course. His handicap has more to do with his age and extensive history of injuries than his playing ability and knowledge of the game. If I was going to play in an event where I needed a caddie he would be my first choice, his handicap wouldn't even enter into the decision process.

 

[tequila4kapp]

If the caddie is good, absolutely.

 

[Templet0n]

The question was asked by a friend when it comes to taking a caddie. Would you take the advice of a 15 handicap? My answer was it solely depends on how long they’ve worked at that course. Less than 3 years? That’s a bit of a tough call, cause they’re probably not working every day. 20+ years? I’ll take his word way more often than not.

If I disagree, I’ll tell them what I see, and I’m really just wanting to hear the how and why. Tell me it looks that way, but the complex is tilted and things funnel to your direction. Let me know about everything always breaking towards a certain part of the property. That’s stuff I’m not gonna see or know, and I’ll believe that all day. “It just looks that way to me?” Do you have one shoe on? Now it’s a coin toss, and I really hope I’m not first to putt cause this is gonna take a sec.

I absolutely would. Just because someone can’t play the game does not
Mean they don’t understand it. Do you need to be a major winner to coach a tour pro? Or even have played on tour??

 

[Tywithay]

Tiger Woods has a swing coach. Just because you're better than someone at a skill, doesn't mean you're more knowledgeable at every aspect.

 

[Just_Brad]

I think you can have great knowledge of a course and still be a terrible golfer.... in fact in some ways I think a terrible golfer might have better knowledge.

Better ideas of where to go if you are in the trouble, where the bailouts should be, etc.

I don't think shooting good scores necessarily means you know a course better. You might know it better from the yardages you are playing, or the trouvkes you are navigating.... but that could be specific to your own way around the course.

 

[BigMac]

How one plays golf is not indicative of how one would caddy.

I mean, is there anybody on Tour whose caddie is as good or a better golfer than they are?

 

[Slowmo]

If I were playing in something that needed a caddy I would be asking my buddy who is probably somewhere between 13-15. I’ve played with him for 24 years. We probably won’t win, but we will have a hell of a lot of fun.

 

[tucsoncacti]

One of my golf buddies is currently a 16.8 handicap. We've played many hundreds of rounds together, and there's nobody in the world who knows my game like he does. He knows how far I hit my clubs, how I think, what my tendencies are, the strong and weak points of my game, and how my mental game works. He has a very mellow demeanor and is a calming influence on the course. His handicap has more to do with his age and extensive history of injuries than his playing ability and knowledge of the game. If I was going to play in an event where I needed a caddie he would be my first choice, his handicap wouldn't even enter into the decision process.

Love this

 

[BigMac]

I think you can have great knowledge of a course and still be a terrible golfer.... in fact in some ways I think a terrible golfer might have better knowledge.

Better ideas of where to go if you are in the trouble, where the bailouts should be, etc.

I don't think shooting good scores necessarily means you know a course better. You might know it better from the yardages you are playing, or the trouvkes you are navigating.... but that could be specific to your own way around the course.

As a struggling mid-cap myself, I think a caddie with a similar game would probably be more help to me. Having a scratch golfer on the bag who tells me "We got this, just aim at the middle of the pond and bring in a big draw over that bunker to the back left quadrant of the green" isn't going to end well for me. He might be able to pull that shot off, but I most certainly can not. The 15 'cap on the bag is going to say "Dude, be smart - aim away from trouble and hit the fat part of the green, let's just get a putter in your hand", and that's going to make a lot more sense for my game.

Low caps and mid/high caps don't play the game the same, and they don't see shots the same - or at least they shouldn't. Maybe that's the reason some mid/high caps are mid/high caps in the first place.

 

[MWard]

.

I absolutely would. Just because someone can’t play the game does not
Mean they don’t understand it. Do you need to be a major winner to coach a tour pro? Or even have played on tour??

That coach though is irrelevant when you’re standing over a 12ft putt for a win and you’re not sure if it’s a straight putt or if it’s a right center. That caddie though sure as heck is relevant. They kinda need to be really good at that if you’re gonna take a read from them no?

 

[Templet0n]

That coach though is irrelevant when you’re standing over a 12ft putt for a win and you’re not sure if it’s a straight putt or if it’s a right center. That caddie though sure as heck is relevant. They kinda need to be really good at that if you’re gonna take a read from them no?

My point is being able to read a putt and tell you the line is not the same and being able to hit it. Different skills.

Just like being able to break down a swing and ball flight is different from actually making a swing..

I always go back on things like this. I remember a football documentary when I was in high school about how the most used place kicker coach at the time was paralyzed.

 

[PPFour12]

I caddied for a long time at Mystic Rock, 8.8 handicap right now. I’ll be honest - I was one of our highest regarded/most requested.

I actually think sometimes elite players can do a bit too much. The longer I did it the more I realized two things:

1. Most people are intimidated by playing with a caddie.

2. Most people aren’t going to do what you tell them.

So, my goal was always just to help the player have fun. It didn’t take long to get the vibe of a group. Like I said, elite players can go a bit overboard. Most people can’t hit a spinny cut from 175 to a pin tucked back right. Less is usually more. I caddied for some excellent players and they usually already know what they’re going to do.

Important sight lines. Better spots to miss. Keep clubs spotless. Read a putt if they ask. Stay out of the way. Make sure everyone has fun.

 

[kiwichris]

Having never used a caddie ever (I'm ignoring the 'caddie' I had in Vietnam) if it was a course that I've never played before and has caddies, I'd totally take their advice as they've seen more of the course than I'd ever have seen.