Golf Caddy (2 Viewers)

[Cjw_55106]

Has anyone at FBG been or used a golf caddy? My 13 year old is going to a local course on Saturday for caddy training with the plan to caddy at the course this summer. I want to help him out with advice, but really, I have no real experience in this arena other than the basic etiquette. Any suggestions that might make him good at his first job assignment?

 

[jomar]

the 3 rules of caddying: Show up, keep up, shut up

 

[DCThunder]

The rules for a caddy are "Show up, keep up and shut up".

Basically get to the course on time, make sure you stay with the player you are caddying for and don't talk to the golfer unless he asks you advice or just starts the conversation. You aren't his buddy, you are working for him.

I'd also think your kid will be taught some gold course etiquette and rules, how to rake a trap and tend the flagstick, etc. The other caddies will teach him how to shoot dice, drink beer and smoke weed out back of the caddy shack.

 

[Parrothead]

make sure he has 50 cents, or he don't get no Coke

 

[Patriotsfatboy1]

The rules for a caddy are "Show up, keep up and shut up".

Basically get to the course on time, make sure you stay with the player you are caddying for and don't talk to the golfer unless he asks you advice or just starts the conversation. You aren't his buddy, you are working for him.

I'd also think your kid will be taught some gold course etiquette and rules, how to rake a trap and tend the flagstick, etc. The other caddies will teach him how to shoot dice, drink beer and smoke weed out back of the caddy shack.

This ^^^

Be respectful. Over time, learn the course (distances, breaks of the greens, etc.). That takes a while and it will only come in handy if asked for advice.

 

[Deepster]

When you sleep with the waitress that has a bad Irish accent, make sure you wear a rubber.

 

[Johnny Bing]

The rules for a caddy are "Show up, keep up and shut up".

Basically get to the course on time, make sure you stay with the player you are caddying for and don't talk to the golfer unless he asks you advice or just starts the conversation. You aren't his buddy, you are working for him.

I'd also think your kid will be taught some gold course etiquette and rules, how to rake a trap and tend the flagstick, etc. The other caddies will teach him how to shoot dice, drink beer and smoke weed out back of the caddy shack.

Over time, learn the course (distances, breaks of the greens, etc.). That takes a while and it will only come in handy if asked for advice.

Some of your golfers will really appreciate this. it is something he should be doing as he is working even if people are not asking questions. Don't just be watching the birds, be thinking where do you want the ball to be on the drive and where on the approach shot. Of course the other side is where do you definitely not want to be on a hole, and the water or sand is not a caddy tip.

At age 13 some golfers will not ask him, but you need to be prepared because if someone asks where to play the ball and his answer is "I don't know"...that isn't good.

 

[Mookie]

NEVER set foot within the line between a golfer's ball and the hole.

Bring a damp towel and clean off irons after every shot.

Set the bag down, with clubs facing up, next to golfer before every shot. After golfer selects club, take bag away, and stand out of golfer's view (a few steps behind).

Stand still and don't make a sound whenever someone is playing a shot.

Watch every shot and try to follow the path/distance that the ball travels so that you can find it quickly.

 

[Mookie]

Also, when caddying for the uptight judge, don't tell him what the club clown shot earlier in the day. It will just upset him.

 

[swirvenirvin]

the 3 rules of caddying: Show up, keep up, shut up

yep

 

[Timmay]

Tell him to constantly rub his 2 fingers and thumb together like Johnny Manziel, but just on 1 hand so his golfers get the hint to give him a tip.

 

[Brony]

NEVER set foot within the line between a golfer's ball and the hole.

Bring a damp towel and clean off irons after every shot.

Set the bag down, with clubs facing up, next to golfer before every shot. After golfer selects club, take bag away, and stand out of golfer's view (a few steps behind).

Stand still and don't make a sound whenever someone is playing a shot.

Watch every shot and try to follow the path/distance that the ball travels so that you can find it quickly.

Rare is the golfer that expects golf advice or help reading greens. But every golfer expects the caddy to know all golf etiquette that they should teach them at the training class.

The damp towel is used to clean the golfers' ball on the green (at least it used to).

Also, don't sit on the job.

 

[arrow1]

Throw a baby ruth in the pool

 

[Cjw_55106]

So, as with most things in life, common sense will take you in the right direction. I figure at 13, if anyone asks for advice, they are just testing him or messing with him.

 

[heckmanm]

Good to see the FFA showed up for batting practice today

 

[Zow]

NEVER set foot within the line between a golfer's ball and the hole.

Bring a damp towel and clean off irons after every shot.

Set the bag down, with clubs facing up, next to golfer before every shot. After golfer selects club, take bag away, and stand out of golfer's view (a few steps behind).

Stand still and don't make a sound whenever someone is playing a shot.

Watch every shot and try to follow the path/distance that the ball travels so that you can find it quickly.

All this is great. Aside from the etiquette stuff, I'd stress him learning the particular nuances of the particular course he's caddying at. I'm sure nobody is going to ask a caddy how a particular putt breaks, but the caddie should know if there's a general break direction (i.e. if there's a mountain or large body of water in the area) and should be able to describe the layout of the blind shots.

Other than this stuff, really it's all about not doing anything to inhibit the player's round. Pretty much the worst thing a caddy can do is create noise during a player's shot, step in the putting line, etc. Have him focus on this stuff first well before the game improvement stuff.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

Always caddy stoned

 

[jomar]

No Fighting

No Spitting

No Drinking

No Gambling

No Barefeet

 

[fantasycurse42]

http://www.eagleoaks.com/Club/Scripts/Home/home.asp

I caddied here for almost 7 years... Very high end, very uptight group of golfers. As a caddy at the right spot you can make serious

Here are some cliff notes:

- The caddy master is The Lord of the universe to your kid. He should learn about this man and brown nose as much as possible. This man determines if he makes big money or little money. Besides knowing who the good tippers are and the bad tippers, the caddy master knows who are #######s and who are good guys. My caddy master was named Jack Cox, he was a real **** I kissed his ### for 7 years. I'd like to join now and make him my ##### at this point.

- if players ride, he can also fore caddy, basically holds putters, gets out in front of the group, spots balls, makes less money, but it is easier. Fore caddying for a 3 some is getting ####ed.

- Your son needs to learn the course and learn it quick. Know where all the distance markers are and how all the greens break. He learns this quick, he'll make golfers happy quick. A golfer wants his ball spotted, then to know the distance, wind, pin location within seconds of getting to his ball. If your kid can deliver this info quick, he'll do good. Then clean the club after the shot & get ahead.

- At the right spot, your kid could make bank... By the time I was 16, I'd take 2 bags (walkers), & 2 putters (riders)... Ultimate foursome but a #### ton of work... $30 for each putter and $50-$60 per bag... $180 cash for 4 hours of actual work... You do a double, you can make over $300 in a day.

- Caddy master likes the early risers... Course opens at 7:00am & he sees your kid there at 6:00am everyday, he'll become a fan. Obviously it'll take 2-3 summers for a 13 year old to climb the ladder and he'll wind up with the bad groups at first, but it will pay off if he sticks with it.

Mookie offers good advice too.

 

[Mario Kart]

I was a caddie for six summers at a local country club. Other than normal golf stuff that the kid should pick up from you and others, tell him to keep his ears open at all times. Never know what kind of business advice, life knowledge and other information the guys talk about on the course. I learned plenty of stuff about business and how to make money from the old white guys at the club I was at. It has worked out well for me overall.

Be quiet and know the course. This goes a long way. Caddie on the women days because someones wife will talk good about your kid to her husband and if he can make a connection with the wife/husband... he could keep a looper for his whole time there. As the years passed, members will get to know him however if he can have that one or two that "want" him to caddie for him each time they have a tournament or special event... $$$$

- My best caddie story was in my third year. I get a bag and everyone was telling me how stuck up he was and to ####. I did just that. Talked only when he did and didn't stray from the conversation. By the end of the round he wrote down on the caddie card I should be promoted. An average year for me, I would caddie ~80 rounds but my 3rd, 4th, 5th years I had over 100. In those years, I caddied for this guy at least 25 times a year. That third year he was an underdog to win the club championship. They set up 24 guys I think in the bracket with some getting byes. He asked for me to caddie for him to the dismay of a few older caddies that were banking on being his caddie. He lost in the round of 8, which he was not expected to get to. Had a blast for two weekends caddying for him (3 rounds total). This was 1994 and he paid me $150 total for those rounds.

-- He would mark his ball and give it to me. First thing I would do is read the putt from front and back. He would to and we'd discuss it briefly. He didn't need to ask me to do it during those matches. I just did. Also, I knew his club selection before he would. I'd tip an iron his way before telling him the yardage, wind and everything. He'd ask and I'd go down the list... yardage, wind direction, pin placement and an option or two as to where to land.

Second best caddie story. If we caddied enough during a week we could play the course on Thursday morning. Never really missed a golf day unless we were out of town. One Thursday, my brother and I are just about to leave the shack to go tee up and this guys Porsche comes rolling in. Members knew it was caddy morning and it was rare that they would show up. If they did, we'd let them play through. Anyway, he gets out and sees both of us. Walks over and asks if we want to work instead of golf. It was him and one guest so we'd go off as a twosome. We both figured we'd like some money so we put our clubs away and grabbed their bags. Us four practically ran the course that day. The two were playing $50 a hole. We teed off at 7:15 and had 27 holes completed by 11:15. They went in to get lunch and came back out 30 minutes later. Played another 18 and it was about 2:00. Neither had won any money as they were tied through 45 holes. Course set up to play 1, 2, 3, 17, 18 so we went back out for five more holes. Were in by 3:00 after playing 50 holes. This is 1995 or 1996, walked away with $80 that day. Crazy day.

Be nice, cordial and observe. Kid might be nervous but there's nothing to worry about. Don't talk when others are golfing, don't steal, don't swing clubs, and don't mouth off. Get him there early and let him socialize. Don't be a helicopter dad either.

Also, if there is a PGA tournament around your area, he might be able to caddy for members if they play in the pro-am of those tournaments. I caddied at the GMO (Greater Milwaukee Open) when it was here for three years for members from the club. Got to eat lunch with them in the tents and had a great time. Free tickets to those events as well. I forget one golf pro I was with but one was Steve Pate and my last year doing it, the pro was Payne Stewart. Talked with him for one hole but it was cool that is was a somebody rather than some no name golfer. That year, Tiger Woods turned pro at the GMO. Didn't think much of it than, but pretty cool looking back now.

 

[Brony]

OK, I'll bite. Can you remember any specific "plenty of stuff about business" from caddying? I learned that making good $ in business empowered you to drop big $$$ on a country club membership that would allow you to then complain about everything at the club that you spent big coin on.

 

[Mario Kart]

OK, I'll bite. Can you remember any specific "plenty of stuff about business" from caddying? I learned that making good $ in business empowered you to drop big $$$ on a country club membership that would allow you to then complain about everything at the club that you spent big coin on.

Sure, it may not sound big now but back at that time I learned plenty about business and economics. This was 93-97 so the Clinton boom hadn't hit yet. Business guys were talking about their companies and what products they were expanding on and so forth. Guys would talk about the market, investing and if you throw them a question or two, they would expand on whatever they were talking about.

Stocks, investing, a business mindset that you heard from someone other than family really put things into perspective... or maybe some things you never heard from family. Also, gave me a practical application on how to act and behave if/when in the business world.

Again, it might sound big now but put yourself in a teenagers shoes. Hearing about money, investing, business, college, life was a game changer in my life. Compare these types of conversations to having a job at a fast food restaurant or park or something like that and the golf course was the place to be. Learned plenty.

 

[Zow]

OK, I'll bite. Can you remember any specific "plenty of stuff about business" from caddying? I learned that making good $ in business empowered you to drop big $$$ on a country club membership that would allow you to then complain about everything at the club that you spent big coin on.

Sure, it may not sound big now but back at that time I learned plenty about business and economics. This was 93-97 so the Clinton boom hadn't hit yet. Business guys were talking about their companies and what products they were expanding on and so forth. Guys would talk about the market, investing and if you throw them a question or two, they would expand on whatever they were talking about.

Stocks, investing, a business mindset that you heard from someone other than family really put things into perspective... or maybe some things you never heard from family. Also, gave me a practical application on how to act and behave if/when in the business world.

Again, it might sound big now but put yourself in a teenagers shoes. Hearing about money, investing, business, college, life was a game changer in my life. Compare these types of conversations to having a job at a fast food restaurant or park or something like that and the golf course was the place to be. Learned plenty.

Yeah, I'd imagine that there's got to be plenty of positive impact for a teenager working with the guys who have experienced success and how they got there. Even if they don't retain actual business tips, just the sentiment that getting into school and paying attention, investing, caring about the market, etc. pays off.

 

[IC FBGCav]

He should never suggest they putt from the rough.