Are caddies needed?

[drdel]

A caddy was, I thought, merely a 'slave' for golfers too lazy to carry their clubs!

Later, I think, they provided local course knowledge. Today we see them lining up the golfer and every decision takes an age.

I think present day professionals have enough off-course experts surrounding them that there should be no on-course assistance during a match.

I'd let them use any technology they wanted but no-one else should offer on-course assistance.

Never happen I know but I wish it would.

 

[snell]

I think sometimes the caddies are there to calm the players down/massage there egos rather than any actual golfing knowledge

 

[Tongo]

Nope. Would love to see how the pros would get on without em.

 

[njc1973]

No, give them a trolley and a rangefinder and let them crack on

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Part bag carrier, part psychologist, mathematician - all caddy is very important and many major winners have acknowledge the input of their caddy in the success. I'd like to see them allowed to use rangefinders but aside from that, carry on as normal

 

[Maninblack4612]

I hate it when the ladies have their caddies check their lining up before they play. Don't remember seeing it in the men's game & think it should be banned.

 

[Tongo]

Part bag carrier, part psychologist, mathematician - all caddy is very important and many major winners have acknowledge the input of their caddy in the success. I'd like to see them allowed to use rangefinders but aside from that, carry on as normal

I dont think anyone could deny their influence but as a notion and a concept i think they are rather outdated in the modern game.

 

[mcbroon]

Do they not use range finders on practise days before tournaments anyway? I thought they were allowed to now.

Regardless, watching pros without caddies would be very interesting. Could speed the game up a bit, too.

 

[njc1973]

I think the pros rely on the caddy too much and the constant discussions must slow down the rounds. They seem to manage without caddies on the lesser tours so it makes you wonder whether they are really necessary. I don't think there's any doubt that they help the pros but do they do anything that the players can't do themselves.

 

[user2010]

I hate it when the ladies have their caddies check their lining up before they play. Don't remember seeing it in the men's game & think it should be banned.

You obviously didn`t watch Brandon Stone, the winner of the SA Open this weekend then?

 

[Three]

Do they not use range finders on practise days before tournaments anyway? I thought they were allowed to now.

Yes, absolutely the caddies do,players can, always have been allowed to in practice.
The player with a caddy probably won't though, he'll go off the yardage book and whatever the caddy tells him to keep everything calibrated.

 

[mcbroon]

Yes, absolutely the caddies do,players can, always have been allowed to in practice.
The player with a caddy probably won't though, he'll go off the yardage book and whatever the caddy tells him to keep everything calibrated.

That's what I meant. I figured the yardage book was created/updated with the input of range finders on practise days i.e. caddy goes out with range finder and lasers different pins etc., then updates the book for use in tournament conditions.

 

[Three]

That's what I meant. I figured the yardage book was created/updated with the input of range finders on practise days.

Certainly created with dmd's. And as you say, each caddy/player will update throughout the week as they see necessary.

 

[delc]

I am sure that the pro game would be much quicker without caddies, as no shot seems possible without a 2 minute discussion between the player and the caddie these days!

 

[jasondransfieldgolf]

I think the pros rely on the caddy too much and the constant discussions must slow down the rounds. They seem to manage without caddies on the lesser tours so it makes you wonder whether they are really necessary. I don't think there's any doubt that they help the pros but do they do anything that the players can't do themselves.

The working day for a top caddie is unbelievable, being friends with a couple I have seen it first hand. Open championship week as an example, 6am walking the course to check pins, back for breakfast and then watch the coverage making notes on shots played and the outcomes. Then to the course to meet the player for an hour/hour and half warm up, follow this up with 18 holes followed by an hour cool down afterwards. The only reason guys on the lower tours manage without caddies, is purely down to the cost involved before contemplating employing a caddie. A good caddie is invaluable.

 

[Three]

The working day for a top caddie is unbelievable, being friends with a couple I have seen it first hand. Open championship week as an example, 6am walking the course to check pins, back for breakfast and then watch the coverage making notes on shots played and the outcomes. Then to the course to meet the player for an hour/hour and half warm up, follow this up with 18 holes followed by an hour cool down afterwards. The only reason guys on the lower tours manage without caddies, is purely down to the cost involved before contemplating employing a caddie. A good caddie is invaluable.

I play at a lower level than you Jason, but nothing stopping players doing all that themselves..
I often walk the course each morning early, barely ever see another player doing it and we don't have caddies.

Caddies will always be there and do a great job , but as a spectator it would be interesting to see a top tournament without them.

 

[richart]

I am sure that the pro game would be much quicker without caddies, as no shot seems possible without a 2 minute discussion between the player and the caddie these days!

I agree. Get rid of caddies, and make players carry their own bag.

Hopefully I will not have the caddies union telling me I am putting their members out on the street.

 

[delc]

I play at a lower level than you Jason, but nothing stopping players doing all that themselves..
I often walk the course each morning early, barely ever see another player doing it and we don't have caddies.

Caddies will always be there and do a great job , but as a spectator it would be interesting to see a top tournament without them.

I went to watch the Ladies European Masters at The Buckinghamshire last year, where quite a few of the lady pros were pulling their own clubs around on a trolley without a caddy. Although all the top players did have caddies, I didn't get the impression that the middling pros without caddies did any worse than those with caddies! :mmm:

 

[jasondransfieldgolf]

I play at a lower level than you Jason, but nothing stopping players doing all that themselves..
I often walk the course each morning early, barely ever see another player doing it and we don't have caddies.

Caddies will always be there and do a great job , but as a spectator it would be interesting to see a top tournament without them.

Granted there is nothing stopping a player doing this themselves. However a tournament week can be tiring, when you factor travel at the start of the week plus straight into a practice round, followed by the pro am the next day, then another 2/3/4 days of tournament golf. Plus the hours on the range/short game plus gym work each day, followed by travel again to finish the week. To walk the course each day beforehand, will limit the amount of events you would play due to burn out and time needed to recharge away from tournaments. I know this first hand as I tried doing this for a period, but I couldn't physically keep this up.

On another note getting rid of caddies would definitely speed up the game.

 

[ruff-driver]

Granted there is nothing stopping a player doing this themselves. However a tournament week can be tiring, when you factor travel at the start of the week plus straight into a practice round, followed by the pro am the next day, then another 2/3/4 days of tournament golf. Plus the hours on the range/short game plus gym work each day, followed by travel again to finish the week. To walk the course each day beforehand, will limit the amount of events you would play due to burn out and time needed to recharge away from tournaments. I know this first hand as I tried doing this for a period, but I couldn't physically keep this up.

On another note getting rid of caddies would definitely speed up the game.

Jason, do you think that scores would drop for the top end players without caddies ?