Types of a Caddie and Its Role in Golf

Everyone who plays golf agrees that golf is a very complicated sport, which not only needs physical strength but emotional as well, and to keep the game interesting, fun and light, caddies come into action and help a lot. A caddie is a person who provides assistance throughout the game. A caddie holds great importance in the game of golf.

Not only do they help the players with tasks like measuring the yardage, pin placements, marking the ball at the green but they also give insightful advice to make the players game better. They also help the players in carrying the golfer’s bags and equipment.

Types of Caddies

There are two kinds of caddies in professional golf; traditional caddie and fore-caddie. If you are aware with the game of golf then you must know that the kind of caddying where a golfer and a caddie are walking together around the golf course is called traditional caddying. The duties of a traditional caddie include carrying the golfer’s equipment, calculating total yardage to the pin, pin placements, and also locating the golfer’s ball. Most of the caddies in golf are traditional caddies.

The other kind of caddying is called fore-caddying. In this kind of caddying, the caddie walks around the golf course, while the golfers usually travel on golf carts. The first duty in fore-caddying is walking ahead and spotting the tee shots of the players. Afterwards the fore-caddie calculates the players’ yardage while the players ride the carts to their shots. The caddie then again spots the golfers’ next shot, by walking ahead. This continues till the players reach the putting green.

Duties of a Caddie

Now, there are different roles that a caddie plays in golf, from being the one who gives advice and helps the golfer play better to carrying around his/her bags and equipment so the golfer can focus more on the game.

Each kind of caddie has somewhat the same duty, which is to make the golfer’s round enjoyable by taking care of simple tasks for them, speeding up play and also to provide mental support, if asked. A caddie does so by helping the player with tasks such as selection of clubs for the game, observing the weather variables, marking the balls on green, ensuring companionship, replacing divots, holding the flag, informing golfers on how the game is progressing and also with cleaning the balls, if asked.

A caddie holds great importance in the world of golf. For the casual player, a caddie carries the golfer’s bags and keeps an eye on the ball being played. Whereas a caddie is a key member of a golfer’s team, when on a major pro tour, as he provides vital support as well as information that usually makes the difference between victory and defeat.

In conclusions, whether it is a beginner or a professional golf player, having a caddie by their side is very necessary, if the player wishes to enjoy his game and make it better at the same time.