The art of caddying: What makes a good golfing companion? | Hacker News Reader

The art of caddying: What makes a good golfing companion?

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39 pointsTomte21 comments

The relationship between caddies and golfers is unique and I can't think of any equivalent in any other sport. A caddy is not a coach (golfers also have coaches although they don't follow the golfer within the ropes like caddies do). At the same time, caddies might give some advice to the golfer that could be classified as "coaching" in a broad sense.

Some caddies become really successful, for example Billy Foster is very famous in golf circles and has caddied for many golfers including Seve Ballesteros https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrP5R3gFAgo

While working as a developer for a golf website, I was lucky to become friends with an experienced caddie-turned-golf-journalist, he introduced me to many aspects of the game that I had ignored until then.

If caddies are so smart as to give advice, why aren't they in the tournament?

Maybe it's because they are smart; they get paid, win or lose.

Just like the hedge fund manager who makes money whether or not you lose yours, or the consultant who gets paid whether or not your business flops and so on.

Tour caddies get paid generally about 5-10% of the winnings. If their pro gets cut there is no money. And the winnings are heavily weighted towards the top few positions. When the player wins (which is rare even for elite players) it’s well understood the caddy is going to get a big bonus. Caddies have a huge investment in their pro and the difference between winning and losing is huge for them too.

There is so much money on the pga tour now that being a caddy on the bag of a top 10 player is highly lucrative, but it’s not true caddies get paid win or lose, especially on the lower tours.

A great example is Jordan Speith and Michael Greller. Greller took a huge chance on a very young Jordan while he was still an am and therefore making no money. Speith was a highly touted young golfer, but that doesn’t always translate to elite tour player. Greller was along for the ride as Speith got his card, started winning, won major championships, and then got lost in the woods for a few years. Greller could have left for many other bags but didn’t and now Speith is back to winning.

Can you clarify as to what you mean by "why aren't they in the tournament?"?

They are in all the professional tournaments, if you haven't noticed all the professional golfers have caddies. If you are implying why aren't they professional golfers that is a different story and has a great deal to do with skill. I have known a few professional caddies on the PGA tour and they are very good golfers just not at that upper echeleon that it takes to make a good living on the tour.

In the course of the PGA tour, can a golfer be replaced by another one who plays for him or her?

Can a competing golfer's caddy be replaced?

The answers to these questions (I don't know what they are) should speak to who is actually registered as a competitor in the tournament.

Because knowing where you should try to put that ball, and being able to do it, are different skills. Golf is not purely a mental game, unlike investing.

But my analogy says, essentially, that investing has "caddies" too, not that it doesn't.

It's not purely a mental game, because you have to bring money to the table, and the ability to absorb the consequences of risk.

Someone who has the mental wherewithal can practice that, using other people's money and risk.

Caddies aren’t smarter, they just have more detachment in a high pressure situation, and reduce some of the player’s preparatory burden.

So, that's like investment. The investment broker has detachment because it's not their money.

Think of the golfer as LeBron James and the caddy as an NBA analyst.

The analyst knows that a specific defender is weak when driving to their left, but the 43 year old 5'2" overweight analyst will never score a point against that defender regardless of how well he knows him. However, the analyst can feed that info to LeBron who turns it into an extra 3 points per game.

Wow, you've clearly never played.

Even if I did, how would it help?

I'd have to play with a pro caddy to understand.

Because then you'd realize someone who's crazy and skilled enough to make this godforsaken sport his livelihood would sacrifice anything to be the "man in the arena."

So we can look at it from the perspective of the caddy needing someone crazy and skilled to do that sacrificing.

These takes are extremely poor.

Someone who plays to an expert level. Someone who knows your capabilities intimately. Someone who can walk hilly terrain 8 km in searing heat carrying 20 kg of gear for seven days in a row. Someone who is such a good, passive communicator that you'd think they were an LMFT.

Me == ex-serious golfer/Philosophy major => given this much thought

The best caddies are like crew chiefs in racing. There are a lot of great athletes in golf, but many rely on athleticism instead of intelligence and therefore underperform when playing. Course management and proper planning can lower your score more than hitting the ball another 15 yards.

There is a college scholarship program for gold caddies: https://wgacaddieacademy.org/the-evans-scholarship

They have to be willing to work for minimum wage for much richer (up to ultra rich) and not talk back on any BS demand and being treated badly. Bonus points if they're black.

Not a golf person...this reads like an article from The Onion to me

You nailed it: e.g.

> "You try and get the club out, then another three appear, then there's 18 clubs in the bag, you get rid of them and another five appear! It's the caddie's worst nightmare."

I don't think I would have clicked on this were it not for your comment promising an Onionesque reading experience.

Just remembered this, by the way: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddyshack

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