For many of us, Caddyshack is the first thing you think of when you hear the word “caddy.” Basically a bunch of unkept gypsies hanging out in an unkept cabin waiting for their next loop.
That was then.
The Job
Todays’ caddies have to be fit, smart, and disciplined. They are half psychologist, half cheerleader. Caddies still mostly work in anonymity. They are known more by their nicknames, like ‘Bones’ or ‘Fluff.’
They have to get up early…walking the course first to check out yardages, identify ideal landing targets and also finding the dangerous ones. You need to know how far the pro can hit a 7 iron, or how high they can hit a 60 degree wedge. And you need to know all of the idiosynchrosies of each player.
Like Joe LaCava for instance. He used to caddy for Freddie Couples…who didn’t wear a glove. But now Joe’s boss, Tiger Woods, wears one. Joe said it took him about ten rounds, and a dozen scowls to make sure he had a new glove ready for Tiger before each round. And you need to do little things well, like make sure the pro has enough balls. At a recent European tour event, a pro was disqualified because he ran out.
The Going Rate
It wasn’t too long ago that PGA golfers were at the mercy of caddies recruited by the venue hosting the tournament. They’d work mostly for an expected fee of about $40 dollars, and if the player finished high on the leaderboard…they could expect a few hundred more. Those days are gone. Caddies now travel with the pro player, and expect to make considerably more than the loopers of lore did.
Todays’ going rate is about $1,500-$2,000 a week, regardless of how the player does, whether he makes the cut or not. The caddie basically has to use that money to pay his own way, and find his own room and food during that week. Caddies will often bunk together to save money and most tournaments offer sandwiches and drinks during the event.
If the golfer makes the cut, he can expect to make 5% of the players winnings. If the golfer makes $30,000, the caddy will make an extra $1,500. If the golfer finishes in the top 10, the caddy will get about 7%. Let’s say a top ten finish brings in $200,000. The caddy will make a bonus of $14,000 for that week’s tourney. And if his pro wins the tournament, the standard bonus for his caddy is 10%. So, US Open winner Gary Woodland’s caddy Brennan Little likely received about $200,000 for his week’s work. Sounds like a lot, but Woodland attributed his success on choosing to hit a 265 yard 3 wood to a treacherous, elevated green to his caddy. And if you ask Woodland, his caddy earned every dollar of his looper fee that week.
