In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is a companion to the player, providing both practical support and strategic guidance on the course. Caddies are responsible for carrying the player’s bag, managing clubs, and assisting with basic course maintenance like repairing divots and raking bunkers. However, their role extends well beyond these physical tasks, going into emotional and behavioural moral support. In the general golf environment—whether at local clubs, public courses, or prestigious tournaments—caddies offer valuable insight on course strategy, advising on everything from club selection to reading greens and evaluating weather conditions. They often serve as a steadying presence, offering encouragement and helping players maintain focus under pressure.
Caddies are trusted for their course knowledge, adaptability, and close understanding of a player’s game, and their role is integral at every level of play. In professional and amateur golf alike, caddies often build lasting partnerships with players, developing a rapport that contributes to overall performance.
Other nicknames for the position is a looper or jock.[1]
Etymology
editThe Scots word caddie or cawdy was derived in the 17th century from the French word cadet and originally meant a student military officer. It later came to refer to someone who did odd jobs.[2][3] By the 19th century, it had come to mean someone who carried clubs for a golfer, or in its shortened form, cad, a man of disreputable behaviour.[4]
History
editThe first recorded use of a caddie was in Edinburgh in 1681 by the future James VII of Scotland when taking part in the first international golf contest.[5][better source needed]
Earnings
editCaddies pay is variable and is usually based on an allocated percentage share of prize money. At a professional level, caddies work in a high level partnership with golfers, some work as contractors to individual players in events. In 2020, caddies on the PGA European Tour became eligible to earn bonuses through sponsors' logos on their gear.[6] In 2024, Golf Digest reported that Scottie Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott earned $2.6 million over the season with the world number 1.[7] Caddying fees range throughout courses across the world, however is a popular role for low handicap golfers which can provide opportunities to work with a variety of people.
In popular culture
editCaddies have been depicted in television, films, and books, including:
- The Caddy, a 1953 musical comedy film starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
- McAuslan in the Rough, a 1974 short story by George MacDonald Fraser in which a disreputable Scottish soldier caddies for his regimental sergeant major
- Caddyshack, a 1980 comedy film featuring Bill Murray
- Brown's Requiem, a 1981 crime novel by James Ellroy, who worked as a caddie while writing his first books
- The Legend of Bagger Vance, a 2000 film based on the 1995 book by Steven Pressfield, The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life, features Vance as an angelic caddie.
- The Greatest Game Ever Played, a 2005 film about 1913 US open where Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) wins with his caddie Eddie Lowery (Josh Flitter).
- Loopers: The Caddie's Long Walk, a 2018 documentary narrated by Bill Murray[8][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Undercover Caddie: A longtime resort looper's friendly advice for all golfers". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ "caddie, noun". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Caddie". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "The Strange Route from 'Cadet' to 'Cad'". Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Golfer's Land". Atlas Obscura. 13 March 2015.
- ^ "Why a Golf Caddie Group Set Up a Sponsorship Program for Its Members". Associations Now. 2020-01-15. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
- ^ "Scottie Scheffler's caddie made more money this season than almost every PGA Tour pro". Golf Digest Now. 2024-09-03. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
- ^ Beall, Joel (23 January 2019). "Bill Murray narrates new film that explores the lives of caddies". Golf Digest. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ Howell, Andy (15 February 2019). "Loopers: The Caddie's Long Walk". Film Threat. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
External links
edit- European Tour Caddies Association
- "Caddies making a comeback", The Seattle Times
- "Notes from the Caddieshack" – a McSweeney's Internet Tendency column about being a caddie in the Chicago suburbs