Tips for a first time pro caddie

Last week, I received a familiar DM. Steve, a member at Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids, Michigan, had picked up a bag for the week. Steve is a good golfer and knows the course well, but had never caddied. A couple weeks before, I received the same DM from Gabby Herzig, a journalist with Sports Illustrated, who was going to caddie for Brianna Do in an LPGA Monday Q. The week before that, it was for a friend of a KFT member who had been called in at the last minute. 

They ask me for my advice because I often talk about being a semi-pro caddie and I've been in their position before. Basically, I have made a ton of mistakes and they want to avoid those. They call me, we chat for 15-20 minutes and I give them my advice. It might be interesting for people to read some of the things I tell them. 

This is my advice on how to be a semi-pro caddie in no particular order. 

• Count the clubs before you head to the first tee. Some players work with a new driver, or two putters, during practice rounds. There is a small chance a player forgets to take the extra clubs out before the tournament round starts, but you can never be too sure. Make sure the club count is 14 before you walk to the first tee. A good time to do this is when the player finishes up at the range. If you don’t think it happens, Ian Woosnam was in 2nd place during the final round of the Open Championship in 2001, when his caddy told him some of the worst words in golf: "We have too many clubs in the bag." 
• Let your player lead the conversation. If they talk a lot, talk a lot. If they don't, shut up. 
• Pros don't play the holes the way you (or I) do, so much of the advice you have is irrelevant. If they ask you something like, "what is right of those trees?" Tell them, but don't offer things unless you know it's relevant. 
• Don't remind them of trouble. Instead of, "Don't forget there is OB right here," say things like, "Remember, we want to hug the left side of the fairway here." 
• Wet the first third of the towel and squeeze it out pretty good. If it is too wet, it will drip on your leg (been there). There is often a bucket for just this thing on the first tee. 
• Walk half a step behind your player so they control the pace of walking between shots. Trust me, you are going to be nervous. Nervousness usually translates into walking fast, which a player might not like. By staying just behind them, you let them control the pace of the walk. 
• Know where the wind is at all times. If you are like me, a "northeast" wind doesn't mean shit because I don't know where northeast is. I always make sure I know the wind's direction on the last hole and relate it to the hole we are currently playing. 
• Also wind-related: each round (even practice round) put an arrow in the yardage book with the wind direction on each hole. Players often remember a previous round and what club they hit. If they say, "I hit five yesterday," but you know the wind direction was the opposite, you can offer that information. 
• Be honest…kinda. If a player calls you in for a putt and thinks that the putt moves a cup right, and you think it moves two cups, say that. But instead of absolute truths, say something like, "It's definitely going right. Do you think it might go a little more than a cup?" 
• If your player hits a ball that might be in trouble and asks if it is ok, only say "yes" if you are certain it's ok. Same if they ask you, "Did that go in the lake?" Only say yes if you are sure it went into the lake. Nothing is worse than telling a player their ball is fine and walking up to find it directly behind a tree. 
• Know when to shut the hell up. This is their living and there are some really shitty times. Players ranting is part of the deal. 
• Take the towel to every green no matter how short of a putt your player has. Players are weird; they might want their ball wiped off no matter what. I caddied in a group with Matt Every in a Monday Q, and he doesn't let any other caddie wipe his ball off (he was very nice about it, just something he doesn't like). 
• You are going to be nervous, likely more nervous than the player. That is fine; make sure to control your breathing, how fast you walk and how much (and how fast) you talk. 
• Veteran caddies will help you out. At least, most of them will. In the first Nationwide (KFT) event I caddied in, I stood Ryan Yip's bag up on the first green. It was a bit windy, and Alex Cejka's caddie approached me and said, "if that falls while my guy is putting, I'm going to kill you.” He was half-joking. Lesson learned. Trust me, as soon as you step on the first tee, they know you are a rookie. They will often help you. 
• Be aware of the through line. Most of us never think about this in our casual play. The through line is the area beyond the hole where a player's ball would end up if they miss. You don't want to step there, so take your time while taking the flag out…With three balls on the green it takes some thinking. 
• Don't try too hard. Don't offer a bunch of information the player didn't ask for. 99% of players with an amateur caddie won't ask for yardage or club selection thoughts. I usually took the approach of speaking when spoken to when it comes to matters of clubs, reading putts, wind, etc. 
• It's ok to make mistakes (not Ian Woosman-sized). If the player trusts you on a read and it's wrong, that’s ok. The best in the world get reads wrong.
• Secretly stash an extra towel in the bag. There is an excellent chance you are going to lose one. Calmly pull out the backup when the player isn't looking. 
• Have fun! It is the closest us mortals will ever get to the pro game, so soak it up. 

The last one is the most important. Caddying has given me the best experiences I've had in golf. I'll always remember the walks up 18 in the three Tour events I've been lucky enough to caddie in. If it's Pebble Beach, or a Monday Q at some muni, enjoy the hell out of it. 

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