Would You Use A Caddy At Your Home Course?

For the purposes of this debate nobody at the club is going to pull your leg or laugh you off the course, this is just from a performance standpoint. Would having a caddy by your side help or hinder you? Would you want someone to give you a steer on the greens with the lines of putts and what club to hit or are you more happy to do things on your own?

We asked our online community what they think…

Yes 24%

I have never had a caddy so it would be an interesting experience. In terms of my own course they will not know it as well as me but maybe they will see things differently, suggest different lines in etc? Whether I can hit those shots is an entirely different matter of course.

I would try it out. I can't see it being worse so I will either score better or the same. They would certainly make me concentrate more. Lord Tyrion

As it's a hypothetical question and there is no fall-out socially, then why not - have someone carry/push your cart, hand you your clubs and give you yardages etc. No brainer really in my opinion. Sats

I used to caddy in my teenage years at my local course. It was common for the members to use caddies or bag carriers, especially in monthly medals and matchplay comps. Although the members knew the course pretty well, it was surprising at how bad a lot of them were at club selection and reading putts. In the rain, the caddies were a big advantage as they would keep the player and their clubs dry. I felt bad for guys without caddies as it was a real struggle for them to keep everything dry. It helped with the pace of play too, as bunkers were raked and flags were tended, plus there were extra pairs of eyes to find lost balls and also a forecaddie on the blind tee shots. SyR

I'm terrible at reading the wind, and struggle with reading putts (even at my own course), and of course I often under club. So if someone is able to help, I'd gladly accept it! JamesR

If they could save me even one stroke then that's added value and I truly believe they could and probably should save me three or four. Even if it's just stopping me having a head-case moment. One of the last medals I played this year I took a nine on the first, if I had someone caddying for me I most likely would have made a six at worst. DeanoMK

As there would be no backlash in terms of banter, then of course I'd have one, assuming they are doing a proper caddy’s job and not just carrying the clubs around. At our club champs last year we did have one person use a caddie, 36 36 holes in one day, so I can kind of see why he did it, but I think it was literally just one of his mates to push his clubs around for him. Given he had an electric trolley I'm not sure it was needed. He didn’t win either. SteveW86

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I'm surprised how many people have said that they wouldn't want a caddy to be honest. There's a reason why everyone on the pro tour has a caddy and their benefits are even more transferable to the average club golfer. If nothing else, not having to carry/push clubs around is likely to save a few strokes just through having more energy and not being tired. When you then add in help with strategy, observations, green reading, keeping clubs dry and someone to have a quiet word when required, surely it's a no-brainer? Assuming you are in the competition to do your best, why would you not want all the help you could get? (Also assuming that the caddie actually knows what they are doing to some degree). BigPhil14

I think it would improve my scoring to have someone with me talking through shots, reading greens and generally relaxing me - even if they're not carrying the bag. Imagine playing against someone who doesn't talk and you don't get on with - it would definitely help in that circumstance so why not in a medal as well? LincolnShep

I’ve had my brother-in-law caddy for me and I him in the past. Usually when one of us was injured but still wanted to get on the course or were playing in a decent comp. That includes the weekly Stableford, monthly medal, club, county and national events/matches. Both of us had similar approaches to our game, although he was much better and longer than I, so it worked well. For weekly club comps we just had a laugh, often playing where the caddy chose all the clubs and shots. It was good fun. For the bigger events we took it as seriously as the pair of us was capable of being, and had some reasonable success. BiMGuy

Read the full thread here

No 76%

I've had a mate caddy in high level events but wouldn't bother in a home club medal. I've been at my club over 10 years, if I don't know the greens and yardages by now I guess I never will. DaveR

Not in a medal - but I might well use a caddy if I reached the final of a main club board comp or maybe 2nd round of club champs if I was in serious contention. SwingsitlikeHogan

Who's the caddy? A PGA Tour caddy would probably be invaluable in strategy, green reading, psychology. But I'm a below average club hacker, so an equivalent below average club caddy would be as big a liability as I am. Beedee

On strange courses they are invaluable, picking lines etc. But you should not need one on your own course as they can’t hit the shots for you. clubchamp98

My partner’s step-dad once offered to caddy for me in a mid-handicap open at his home course. I declined but, had I taken him up he almost certainly would have talked me out of the ridiculous second shot of the round that I attempted and put out of bounds... twice. Essentially ruled myself out of the running on the 1st hole. At somewhere like The Old Course or any other Open course I absolutely would have one. For the monthly medal at our place - definitely not. HeftyHacker

In the main I think caddies are people who know courses exceedingly well and would get to know a player’s game reasonably well to be of any real benefit. I do not need someone who is just a bag carrier and club cleaner. jim8flog

Absolutely not, would be embarrassing…

'What club shall I take here?'

"Well you've got 138 yards to the back, into the wind, I'd go for an 8-iron and aim left the flag"

*duff*

'Ok how about now?'

Though a caddy who could read greens well would probably save me three or four shots on that alone. Orikoru

I’m due to play Royal St George’s this spring and, having walked the course at the Open and seen the excellent flyover video, I feel like I ‘know’ the course really well and can picture all the holes well in my mind, despite not having played it yet. I like to do this for ‘treat’ courses I’m going to play, to help my appreciate the experience when I get there.

I believe that local caddies would of course help but would it be necessary in this case do you think, having seen the course many times plus yardage book etc? Part of me likes the strategy side of golf, and if I ‘know’ the course and where to aim, any mistakes in choosing strategy and the practical application, is all mine. I’d say no I wouldn’t use a caddy for anything except for club champs - deffo not for a monthly medal. evemccc

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No because I'd have to pay him out of my winnings....and there wouldn't be any...  Imurg

I've only played two rounds in my entire life with a caddy. One at Muirfield, one at Sawgrass. Both were excellent and saved me plenty of shots. I guess I know my home course well enough not to need the sort of help I got from them! IanM

Not a chance I’d use a caddy at my own course, it would be embarrassing even if my mates didn’t rib me, walking around with a caddy carrying my gear, on the way to a 93. HarrogateHacker

No … the odds are that they would be a far better player than me. Canary Kid

Someone to keep my clubs dry if it was raining could be useful but basically for me it's a no even leaving out the ribbing. I know the lines well enough on my own course to play what I think is the optimal shot and would rather be responsible for my own decisions. I am not a great putter but whenever I have played a foursomes with people who are better putters than me I have never found their reading skills helpful. Backache

Maybe

The only time I'd contemplate it is if I was in contention for the nett handicap trophy on club championship weekend. If I had had a decent first round I think it would help me not get too nervous or too ahead of myself but it would have to be the right person. I can only think of maybe five members I'd pick who I think could add anything. HomerJSimpson

Occasionally perhaps, my green reading is particularly poor and I also push sometimes for the 1/10 recovery shot. I enjoyed it in part when playing Portrush as it helped with wind, lines etc, but I also found it a bit awkward particularly on disagreements with clubs etc so ended up going with their approach when I knew it wasn't right. Also it reduces chats with playing partners as you suddenly have eight in the group. I’d be more inclined to have a group caddy so I'm carrying my own bag and they just come in to chat/help on certain bits, rake bunkers etc. They could also be in charge of pace of play for each group! Sports_Fanatic