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.
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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
The 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
The 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
Caddies 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
Caddies 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
References
External links
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