What Does It Take to Be a Golf Caddy?

Thinking you want to be a golf caddy is about more than deciding you enjoy walking golf courses. This job is a unique blend of physical endurance, deep game knowledge, and a little bit of on-course psychology. This guide will walk you through exactly what it takes, from the fundamental skills you need to master to how you can land your very first loop on the course.

What a Caddy Actually Does (Hint: It’s More Than Carrying the Bag)

Let's get one thing straight: if you think caddying is just about hauling a 40-pound bag for five hours, you’re missing the bigger picture. A competent bag-carrier is the absolute minimum requirement. A great caddy, a *professional* caddy, is a player's on-course partner, strategist, and confidant. They make the game smoother, less stressful, and a lot more fun for their golfer.

On any given day, your core responsibilities will look something like this:

• Manage the Equipment: Yes, you carry the bag, but you also a lot more to the experience of a round. Part of a wonderful golf outing means keeping all of the clubs clean after every shot, organizing them in the bag so the player can grab them easily, and making sure nothing gets left behind.
• Find the Ball: A player's focus on a tough shot can be narrow so at it's most simplostic, you'll feel like just an extra set of eyes. You watch every shot like a hawk, noting where it lands and where it bounces to minimize the time spent hunting for lost balls.
• Provide Yardages: You are the human GPS. You’ll be responsible for calculating the distance to the hole, as well as to hazards like bunkers and water, so your player can choose the right club.
• Maintain the Course: As a golf course caddy, your mission will also be about protecting an asset. In order to keep the course in it's best possible playing condition it'll mean a group effort. Part of this role is about taking on the resonsibility of replacing player divots, raking bunkers properly, and fixing ball marks on the green.
• Offer On-Course Intelligence: This is where you elevate from a simple bag carrier to a great caddy. You’ll point out the wind direction, note how firm or soft the greens are, and even read the subtle breaks on a putt.
• Act as a Moral Compass: Some of your players may have good days and others will have bad days. Some may also try to make a round-saving putt that's an inch from the hole a little sooner becore it fully drops with a tap-in "that's-good" putt. Part of a caddie's role is also being the on-the-spot referee to uphold the good name of the game of golf by making sure a bad habit of a "finishing" putt the rolls passed the a hole, isn't counted just "because". Not to meantion, bad habits that break the rules, won't make your friend or the amature, a pro, so it means having the integrity to also teach a good game. Another important to bring that calm emotional support during their round. You’re there to celebrate great shots and brush off bad ones, keeping the player’s head in a good space.

Mastering the On-Course Essentials

To perform those duties well, you need to develop a specific set of skills. This isn't about having a perfect golf swing yourself, it’s about understanding the game inside and out, from the ground up.

Physical Stamina and Preparedness

A round of golf, or a "loop," is a serious walk - often five miles or more, up and down hills, sometimes in sweltering heat or windy conditions. You’re doing all that with a heavy bag on your shoulder. Don't underestimate the physical demand.

• Break in your gear: Before your first day, make sure you have extremely comfortable, broken-in shoes. Blisters are a caddy’s worst enemy.
• Hydrate and fuel up: Always carry water and a snack. Dehydration can sap your energy and your ability to focus, which is just as important.
• Learn to carry the bag correctly: Most bags are double-strapped. Learn to adjust them so the weight is distributed evenly across both shoulders, not digging into one. A good caddiemaster can show you tricks to make the bag feel lighter.

Deep Golf Knowledge

You have to be a student of the game. Players will lean on you for advice, and your credibility comes from knowing your stuff.

• Rules of Golf: You don't need to memorize the entire rulebook, but you absolutely must know the common ones. What 's the ruling for a ball in a penalty area? How do you take relief from a cart path? A player will almost certainly ask you at some point, and "I don't know" isn't a great answer.
• Course Etiquette: The Unwritten Rules: This might be the most important knowledge you can have. It’s what separates amateurs from professionals. Learn where to stand when your player is hitting (somewhere they can't see or hear you), never to walk in someone’s putting line, when to be quiet, and how to stay ahead of the group to minimize delays. The classic advice for new caddies is solid: "Show up, Keep up, and Shut up." Master these, and you're already doing great.
• Pacing Yardages: While handheld rangefinders are common, the best caddies can pace yardages with their eyes and their feet. Start by learning your stride. Go to a driving range, find the 100-yard marker, and see how many steps it takes you to walk it. Once you know your number of paces per 100 yards, you can confidently calculate any distance on the course. You'll also learn to account for uphill (plays longer) and downhill (plays shorter) shots.

Refined Observational Skills

A caddy has to be hyper-aware of everything happening on the course. You need to see things your player might miss when they are focused on their swing.

• Become a Ball-Hawk: When your player hits a shot, don't just watch the ball. Pick a reference point near where it lands - a specific tree, a bunker edge, a different-colored patch of grass. This simple habit will save countless minutes searching in the rough.
• Learn to Read Greens: This is a true art form and takes years to master, but you can start with the basics. Look at the overall slope of the green as you walk up to it. Where does the water drain? That’s usually the direction the putt will break. Crouch behind the ball and look down the line to see the subtle contours. Note the grain of the grass - if it's shiny, it's down-grain (faster), if it's dull, it's into the grain (slower). Your initial reads might not be perfect, but showing the effort and learning from your mistakes is what matters.

The Soft Skills: The True Art of Caddying

Once you have the technical skills handled, the next level is all about how you interact with your player. This is what truly earns you respect and builds your reputation at a club.

Subtle Communication

Learning your player is half the battle. Some golfers want a constant stream of information and friendly chat. Others prefer stone-cold silence to focus. It's your job to figure this out quickly.

• Listen More, Talk Less: On the first couple of holes, stay quiet and reserved. Let the player initiate the conversation. This will give you clues about their personality.
• Give Information Simply and Clearly: When giving a yardage, be confident. "You've got 150 yards to the flag, a little breeze helping from the right." That's all they need. Avoid wishy-washy language like, "I think it's maybe around 150-ish."
• Know when to offer advice: Don’t give swing advice unless you're explicitly asked. Your job is strategy, not swing coaching. Stay in your lane, but if you notice that the wind switched directions just as they are about to swing, it's good to speak up.

On-Course Psychology

Golf is a frustrating game. A great caddy is a calming presence who knows how to keep a player grounded, whether they're playing the round of their life or having a total meltdown.

• Stay Positive and Neutral: Your job is to have a short memory. After a bad double-bogey, don't dwell on it. Hand them the driver on the next tee and say something simple like, "Alright, fresh start here. Let's find this fairway." Your calm demeanor can be infectious.
• Be an Echo, Not an Opinion: When a player is deciding between clubs, they often talk it out. "I'm thinking 7-iron, but with this wind, maybe a 6..." A safe, effective response is just to reinforce their own good logic: "A 6-iron sounds smart, it'll hold its line better in the wind." You're giving them the confidence to trust their own gut.

How to Get Started: Your Path to the first tee

Ready to give it a shot? Getting started as a caddy is usually a straightforward process, focused on proving your reliability and willingness to learn.

1. Target Local Private Clubs: This is the most common path. Many private clubs have established caddie programs. Call them or look at their website to see who the Caddie Master is. This is the person in charge who handles scheduling and training.
2. Inquire About Training: Most clubs won't just throw you out there. They'll have a training program where they teach you the specifics of their course, their rules, and their standards of service. You’ll walk the course, learn the layout, and often take a test on etiquette and basic knowledge.
3. Start at the Bottom and Prove Yourself: Your first few loops will likely be with junior golfers or in a less formal club tournament. The Caddie Master is watching. Your goal isn't to be a world-class green-reader on day one. It's to show up on time, have a great attitude, hustle for your player, and avoid mistakes. Do that, and you’ll start getting more and better loops.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a great caddy involves a blend of physical stamina, deep golf knowledge, and sharp interpersonal skills. It's about being a silent partner who makes the game easier and more enjoyable for your player, a role that goes much further than just carrying the bag.

As a human caddy, your job is to provide that expert guidance – reading lies, suggesting strategy, and building confidence. We built Caddie AI to give every golfer that same level of support, even when they don't have a professional caddy right there with them. From instant answers about how to play a tricky lie to smart course navigation for every hole, our goal is to put an expert golf brain right in your pocket, making sophisticated advice accessible to everyone.