Caddie quiz
 

What is the single most important attribute that a caddie must possess in order to be successful on tour?

HB

You must be focused, that is, alert to and aware of your environment. You job is to keep your player on task, so you have to be optimizing his ability to function in that environment. Call it what you will, I call it focus. I'm an RN, and my job is conceptually very similar.

Perceptive . . . . . . . .

The Three Up's
 

1. Show Up
2. Keep Up
3. Shut Up

:laughing1

Trust
 

First and foremost, the caddy must be trustworthy. This includes the ability to act independently as necessary to fulfill that trust.

Trust is the all-encompassing attribute. A player has many concerns, and his caddy serves to minimize or eliminate many of them. He should never add to them.

For example, the caddy must be trusted to show up -- on time -- at each event and on each day of the event (and, most certainly, for tee times). When entrusted with the player's clubs, they must be there, too (but no more than 14 before each round!). He must be trusted to perform, with a minimum of oversight, all his assigned duties (and some unassigned). Most of all, he must be trusted to 'handle with care' (and confidentiality) his player's innermost thoughts and emotions -- both on the course and off -- as revealed under competitive and personal stresses. We all have vulnerablilites, and the professional golfer is no exception.

In short, the player-caddy relationship is like any other. For there to be any chance of long-term success, there must be trust (both ways).

There is no substitute.

Yoda may have it the homerun with his response.....my first thought was competence....but maybe humility ranks way up there too. The caddie is in control of a fine piece of machinery...yet he must operate in the background and not attempt to take the spotlight off his star. This is not a typical relationship where compromise is the key...but there has to be communication and the caddie must know how to keep his player's confidence high especially during adversity.

We all know what happen to Tiger's first caddie when he tried to share in the spotlight.

On Course Chess
 

A cool sidekick name.

Other than that, I think the caddy needs to be a strategic thinker.

Focus
 

Efnef,

Good answer. I see a big part of my job as understanding how my player behaves at his best and striving to create those conditions. If he is flat, I would try to inject energy. Etc. Keeping my own eye on the prize will influence him to do the same. It does not matter what day you save the shot that wins the tournament.

HB

Trust
 

Yoda,

Good answer. Trust is critical in the player / caddie relationship. The player must trust the caddie to do his work and be ready to answer any and all questions regarding the course (Yardages to and over obstacles. Which side is OK to miss when playing a trouble shot. Accurate yardages. Etc.). The player will benefit from accepting advice from the player--two heads better than one. It also saves the player from having to do alot of basic learning of the golf course. I always want to see a new course before my player. By having a clear idea of how I think he should play a course, we can save time and create success from the first day. The player may choose a different play on a few holes based on visuals or feels rather than numbers.

"Handle with care." The player must be confident that his caddie is on his team--not out for himself other than as a result of aiding his player. The caddie is in a support position. Anything he can do to create the environment the player needs to be successful is job one. Professional golf is difficult. Everyday the player gets a grade. The mindset of the successful golfer has many dimensions. He must be driven yet patient. He must picture the best and accept the worst. He must be creative yet task oriented.

Often, breakthroughs are the result of mental preparation-- Dreaming bigger that your results might project. The caddie must be very aware of creating a positive environment while allowing the player to be himself.

HB

Two out of three ain't bad
 

Drewitgolf,

Show up and keep up are the minimum requirement. Steve Duplantis used to show up late on Furyk all the time. The other caddies were so amazed that he kept his job that they nicknamed him "Asbestos" (fire proof). He got fired. He has a new nickname.

Shut up. I had a buddy who worked for a player who always yelled at him when he hit a bad shot. It got to the point where he was afraid to say anything. He got fired for not speaking up.

HB