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How Much to Tip Your Caddie???

Saturday Golfer

By Saturday Golfer,
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Saturday Golfer Established Member

Saturday Golfer

I will be playing my first round with a caddie tomorrow and was wondering what an appropriate amount to tip him/her at the end of the round is?

I have read online that you should start at half the caddie fee and then adjust based upon how good they were.


Any thoughts?

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The Rambler
The Rambler

1. That is wrong. 2. Here is the Pennsylvania STATE LAW: Do you see caddy in that list? 3. I'm 15 at 5'10", 150lbs. I'm pretty sure I could run circles around most of the people I caddy for

phan52
phan52

Here is a link to the caddie program at Pebble... http://www.pebblebeach.com/golf-instruction-and-services/caddie-services I can tell you that the caddies we had at Pebble were grea

r7 425 Dedicated Member

r7 425

It doesnt matter! My caddy friend at Oakmont got a 100 dollar tip once. Usually 10 dollars for 18 will do the trick

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SirMilton Well Established Member

SirMilton

$10 caddie tip? Only if you're 5 years younger, a foot taller, 50 lbs. heavier and buff as an NFL linebacker. $20 and you may just get by with a mean look. All of the caddies at that course will refuse you the next time you show up to play.

I have played on courses where someone will tell you what the minimum tip is for a caddie

Consider that you just used a fully-grown man like a personal slave for about 4 hours and that he is probably being paid minimum wage; how much would you consider fair if you did the same for some well-to-to guy driving a new Mercedes who probably just paid $200 for greens fees and a half cart and is losing a $20 sleeve of golf balls every other hole?

$20 was standard 20 years ago.

$30 is acceptable, $35 better, and $40 will get you a smile and a polite thank you; $50 or more will get the caddie to run to you the next time you appear. They all quickly learn who tips $50 or more and $20 or less.

You need to refuse a caddie who is under 16 years of age. Child labor is illegal and a child will struggle to carry your bag and not help you at all with your game.

If you can't afford $50 to tip a caddie you are definitely trying to play at someplace way over your budget.

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r7 425 Dedicated Member

r7 425

Standards for tips vary. They are rediculous today. Theres no standard for a tip. If your a good caddy you get your change...if you're not good then you dont deserve much

"People think the size of the head is most important. Wrong. It's getting a quality shaft. test different shafts to see which goes the straightest. Also, more degrees of loft on the head is better than less. Eleven degrees is about right."

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r7 425 Dedicated Member

r7 425

At Oakmont a caddy gets 60 to 70 a bag or 120-150 for doubles

"People think the size of the head is most important. Wrong. It's getting a quality shaft. test different shafts to see which goes the straightest. Also, more degrees of loft on the head is better than less. Eleven degrees is about right."

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GreekGodX Member

GreekGodX

As a former caddie, we would get a flat rate from the course as pay which depending on your experience you would get anywhere from $18-$25 for 18 holes.

Now a decent tip would definitely be a match of that rate or at least $5 more then the rate. Now if they do an exceptional job the club I was at we would normally get anything from $40 and up. You want to make sure the kid has at least $10/hr.

Unless you are playing a tournament then the tip would be much higher.

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Leek Dedicated Member

Leek

What I tip depends on the caddy rate and the job they do.

We have some great adult professional caddies and I tip them $50-60. We also have some high school freshmen and sophomores that are apprentice caddies and I usually give them a $20-30 tip.

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The Rambler Dedicated Member

The Rambler

(1)

1. That is wrong.

2. Here is the Pennsylvania STATE LAW:
Section 2. No minor under sixteen years of age shall be employed or permitted to work in, about, or in connection with, any establishment or in any occupation except that a minor between the ages of twelve and fourteen years may be employed as a caddy subject to the limitation that he or she carry not more than one golf bag at a time and for not more than eighteen holes of golf in any one day and except that a minor between the ages of fourteen and sixteen years may be employed as hereinafter provided in such work as will not interfere with school attendance: Provided, however, That nothing contained in this section shall be construed as superseding or modifying any provisions contained in section seven of the act to which this is an amendment. And Also the Washington State Law WASHINGTON Prohibited Duties • Explosives (See Fed HO#1) • Boilers or engine rooms • Mining (See Fed HO# 3, 9) • Elevators (See Fed HO# 7) • Earth moving machines (See Fed HO# 17) • Flagging • Logging (See Fed HO# 4) • Roofing (See Fed HO# 16) • Power driven machines (See Fed HO# 2,4,5,7,8,10,11,12,14) • Fire Fighting • Nurses aid or assistant, (unless in a bona fide training program) • Work in freezers, meat coolers and in preparing meats for sale (See Fed HO# 10) • Selling candy, flowers, etc. to passing motorists on the public right of way. • Work performed more than ten feet above ground or floor level • Manufacturing of brick, tile and kindred products (See HO# 13) • Wrecking, demolition and ship-breaking operations (See HO# 15) • Slaughtering, meat packing or processing (See Fed HO# 10) • Work in saunas, tattoo or massage parlors, or adult entertainment establishments • Jobs requiring protective equipment, except gloves, shoes and eye protection • Jobs with possible exposure to bodily fluids, radioactive and hazardous chemical substances. • Work in retail settings after 8 p.m. without an adult present.

Do you see caddy in that list?

3. I'm 15 at 5'10", 150lbs. I'm pretty sure I could run circles around most of the people I caddy for with the bag on. 4. All of the caddies and ground keepers get to play on Mondays if they worked the previous week. I know the greens pretty well and I can read putts accurately. All in all I find your post very offensive and uneducated.
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Striper Member

Striper

I typically use 20% of the greens fee as my base line. I work up or down from there depending on how much help they are during the round.

I also suggest offering to buy your caddie a drink (gatorade) or sandwich when the opportunity presents itself. Even if they decline, it's usually viewed as a gracious gesture.
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  • 4 years later...
cpaplin Newbie

cpaplin

At the course I daddy at the rates for caddies is ranged from 18-25 dollars depending on skill level. At the top rank, making less than 35 dollars would be a bad loop. Typical pay for a caddy ranges from around 25- 50 at my club but could be up to 100-200 at a more exclusive club.
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phan52 Great Member

phan52

The caddie master should be able to tell you the required rate, and the tip is up to you. For example, our required rate is $35.00. Anything above that is considered a tip. The kids who are mules (bag-carriers) usually get no more than $50.00 total, and the caddies who really know the job get anywhere between $60-75.00. I used to be a caddie so I understand what the job entails and I tip accordingly.

Bill M

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Big C Great Member

Big C

I just played Whistling Straits, where most rounds are caddied. The pro shop suggested a minimum gratuity of $35/bag. We had two caddies with two bags each and tipped out $200 total.

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Roughnecks Member

Roughnecks

I have had caddies at a lot of different courses and the bottom line is that you should never let a caddy leave the course with less than $100 cash, if he is good.  Every course is run differently and the caddies are paid differently.  I know for a fact that some places where you see a caddy fee, the caddy does not get paid that amount.  The bottom line is this, ask the caddie what he makes.  He will tell you.  Yes, sometimes some will exaggerate and you can tell.  But most are honest and will respect that you are asking them instead of other people that don't care about them.  There shouldn't be a flat per person rate because if you go out by yourself and that is the only work he is getting for the day you should tip more than if you had a foursome, at least on a per person basis.  I think a good tip for a group starts at $200 and goes up from there depending on how good he is and also on how much money you may have.  Honestly if you are worth $100 million dollars, would it kill you to tip more generously?  I try to tip well, people in a position that gets tips generally do not make that much money....

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allin Great Member

allin

Never more than 45 degrees or they drop your bag. Seriously, assuming that tips are the major part of their income, I would still make a distinction between a professional at a resort and a club with a bunch of high school and college kids. Five hours 50-75 bucks for a kid is out of line, 20 bucks and a couple of soft drinks for a teen is fair, or 30 and they buy their own. . Heck at most locations the attendant who cleans your clubs gets 5 bucks, 10 if he does more. The cart girl gets 2 per purchase. I played in a pro am a few years ago, I started out with 200 cash in my pocket and still used my bank card for some things. I bet celebrities carry 500 - 1000, so they can avoid the cheap tipper tweets.

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