Duties of Caddies in Golf
Outline
It doesn’t matter whether a Caddy is helping the golfer in a fun competition during a lazy Sunday morning or in a serious and million dollars golfing tournament, his duties remain the same. The Caddy has to carry the golf bags and serve the golfers by handing over their golf clubs. These two are the most evident portions to many of us, but there are many others too, which carry lots of responsibilities as well.
Carrying the golf clubs
This is the main job of a Caddy as explained above. Sometimes it has also been observed that a Caddie carries golf bags of two different golfers at the same time. In this, he not only has to hand over various sticks to two different golfers but also has to put them back into a golf bag, which it actually belongs to.
Cleaning of the material
It is one of the duties expected from a Caddy and that is to clean the golf clubs and golf balls of the golfers for whom they are discharging their duties of caddying. These days, many golf clubs do have the facilities to clean the golf balls with washers, but then the Caddy should always carry a towel to wipe the clubs after each shot has been played. Normally, most of the Caddies clean the golf balls on the green at the beginning of each hole.
Raking up bunkers and sand traps
It is the responsibility of a Caddy to rake up the bunkers and sand traps. This duty arises when a golfer has hit the ball into a bunker or a sand trap. Caddies should then rake the entire area which is disturbed.
Measurement of yardages
The golfers often want to know the distances from the place they are standing to the green. It is a duty of a Caddy to let them know what exactly the distance is. The most popular way to measure the distance is to take a cue from the nearest distance marker, but these days the Caddies are using the automatic range finders. In the popular way of measuring the distance, the Caddies have to add or subtract the distance from the marker.
Replacing the divots
Sometimes the golfers disturb the fairway by hitting the golf ball hard. When that happens a Caddy of that golfer has to put that entire chunk of grass back to the place from which it was disturbed.
Putting the pin
When the ball has hit the green Caddy has to tend or remove the pin. If the golfer is not able to see the hole from where they are standing the Caddy needs to stand near the pin and hold it in one hand and should remove the pin only once the ball is hit by the golf stick. The pin must be replaced once all the golfers have hit their ball into the hole.