How much do tour caddies help?

[plark]

Do you think the caddies are the mastermind behind the shots or do you think they just do dirty work for the players..? I'm not saying either or, i'm just wondering does anyone know how much they actually contribute to a victory? Like do you think Woods' caddy actually 2nd guesses the guy? Lol I don't know it's something to think about. I don't know what to think.

[lumpuckeroo]

There was a good article in Golf or Golf Digest that talked about tour caddies, saying they are part therapist, part manual laborer. I would suspect what role they play depends a lot on the player.

[jamo]

As a tour caddy, your job is done as long as the player feels confiden with the club they are hitting. If you disagree, you have togive good reasons, not just "well i think this is better." You have to say why. On tour the player is the final judge, but they caddies will usually speak up if they diagree.

[young-gun21]

They were just saying on the Golf Channel that Tiger was going with a 7 iron for his 3rd shot on 16 at Firestone...Stevie told him to hit a nice smooth 8 iron with the wind. I would imagine that if the greatest player ever takes some advice now and again, the rest of those guys do as well.

[iacas]

What kind of answer do you want? "a lot" or "a little"? "10%"?

Caddies know the courses, can read read greens, are player psychologists, and on and on. Tiger's got the best caddie (for him) in the game, Phil has the best one for him, and so on. Guys who struggle go through caddies.

I don't know what you're asking. Clearly they're important. More so to some than others, more so at different times than others. Tiger rarely has Stevie read a putt, but when he does, it's important Stevie get it right.

[David in FL]

There's an old saying........all you need to be able to do as a caddie is to "show up, keep up, and shut up".

The player/caddie team has evolved a bit from there, but the player is still the one that hits every single shot in the round.

[Clambake]

I think your answer is seen simply by looking at the top players and their relationships with their caddies. Tiger & Phil today. Watson, Nicklaus, Norman. All of the players who have reached the pinnacles of the sport have had strong relationships with their caddies. As another poster said, the caddy plays so many roles with their player, but the mental role is probably the most important.

I think the question is kind of like asking if a small forward is really that important to an NBA team. Yes, some teams may have better players than others, but you won't likely find a team that is really a contender without a strong player at this (and every other) position.

[pittpanther]

What kind of answer do you want? "a lot" or "a little"? "10%"?

Maybe another way to discuss this topic - If the PGA/USGA/R&A; did not allow caddies, would Tiger Woods still have 70 wins? Are Tiger's 70 wins purely a reflection of Tiger, or a reflection of Tiger PLUS his caddy? To succeed on the tour, do you need a great game AND a great caddy? Can a "bad" caddy cost you wins? Who on the tour today is being held back by their caddy?

I'm kind of surprised that caddies have survived this long at the professional level. Coaching during a tennis match is illegal (although a few tournaments are experimenting with allowing periodic coaching input). I would have thought that caddies would have gone away as well, in favor of seeing only what the player has to offer.

[iacas]

Maybe another way to discuss this topic - If the PGA/USGA/R&A; did not allow caddies, would Tiger Woods still have 70 wins?

He might have more. And play would be even slower - yippee.

[shankapotamus]

M

Yeah because Tiger isn't the only one with a caddie.

[zeg]

Yeah because Tiger isn't the only one with a caddie.

Bah. That's not what he's getting at. It's a fair and interesting question. The player/caddy team is certainly a different dynamic than true solo play. For example, a great player who lacks course management instincts can make up for it by finding a caddy who can fill that in.

I don't think it's fair to compare the caddy to coaching in tennis, the games are just so different. I do think it's odd to require players to walk the course but let their caddy do the heavy lifting, but the relationship between the caddy and the player seems a lot different than a coaching relationship.

[schutz23]

I don't think the tour caddies focus on reading putts so much, but its good to have someone who really notices your swing to see what your doing wrong to see if your swing pattern has changed.

[Ron del Barrio]

Has anyone here ever played professionally?