no caddy = more rounds over par?

[prutkows]

pretty self explanatory. obviously those guys are good, but how many strokes do you think are dependent on the caddy?

[iacas]

pretty self explanatory. obviously those guys are good, but how many strokes do you think are dependent on the caddy?

I've added a poll (they're good on questions like this). I've also voted "one or two."

Assuming the player is intelligent enough to look at a yardage book and get his own yardages, most players are pretty autonomous. They read their own putts, pick their own lines and shots, etc. The one to two shots comes from the caddy occasionally saving them from a stupid decision and/or giving them a pep talk or a boost of confidence with stuff like "perfect club. stick it close."

[Konrad]

Assuming the player is intelligent enough to look at a yardage book and get his own yardages, most players are pretty autonomous. They read their own putts, pick their own lines and shots, etc.

I agree very much. It depends a lot on the player though. I know that for Phil Mickelgirl, it's about 7 or 8 shots because Bones reads all his putts.

[prutkows]

I've added a poll (they're good on questions like this). I've also voted "one or two."

i should have included this in my question, but you should also take into consideration the fact that the caddy carries the bag. most rounds i play i carry my bag, but occasionally i'll use a push/pull cart or if my group wants to drive then i'll ride. and carrying the bag really makes me tired especially because a lot of the courses i play have hills.

[J.P.]

I agree - one or two strokes for the pros . . .

May be more revealing to know how many shots a tour caddy could save a chump like myself if they carried my bag!

J.P.

[thehillgolfer]

what a great fundraising idea....


another thing, you think pros would use different bags if they had to carry their own???? cuz those bags are like XXL Staff Bags, crazy monstrousities of a bag. (not really but would u want to carry that thing more than just from your car to your cart?)

[prutkows]

what a great fundraising idea....

yeah thats another good point :] for a while i really wanted one of those types of bags just because i thought they looked cool. i soon realized they were really heavy and i never ended up buying it.

[cdriver]

I agree on the 1 to 2 strokes. I also believe it is primarily by keeping the player from making a big mental error and playing the wrong shot for the situation. I don't believe the yardages, etc is as important as keeping the player's head in the right place.

[golfchief]

I choose 3-4 strokes. A good caddie doe's alot more than carry #40+ bag.
They know their player, where they miss there shot most of the time, they walk the course getting yardage from spots the player may end up at and what kind of recovery shot they may be able to hit, take notes from the greens, talk with the supers about changes in the course and the best way to play certain holes and they do all this before the player tees it up on the first day. the player may show up the day before but the caddie tries to get their the day after the last tournament. Some stops on the tour have very little changes and that week will give thema little break but they will still walk the course to double check the yardages.

[NCGolfer]

I say only nets out to 1 or 2. There are some times where they help and sometimes where they may hurt.

In the end it is up to the player to execute the shot. The caddies best help, as Erik described, is to be the cheerleader and give the player the encouragement and positive feedback. Distracting them from any other negative thoughts.

[InTheTwenties]

I have no experience in this area, since I'm not a pro. I took some sports managment course at college, but that doesn't qualify me to answer.

That being said, I think caddies are extremly helpfull, because the rule book states no outside agency can help a golfer.

Caddies are someone the golfer can speak to, and look to when something goes wrong. AKA: Tin Cup cafe, when the caddie asked the pro to do some weird things in order to get ride of the shanks.

So I'm going to forward my "truck driving resume" to Michelle Wie. After all, truck driving and golf are almost the same thing: They both require excellent driving.

[allin]

On the really good days probably none, but when the players swing gets a little off, or the player needs a little encouragement, maybe just blow off a little steam, someone who knows what tournament golf is about and knows you and your swing can help keep a bad day / hole from snowballing into a lousy week.

[georgep]

I'd guess one or two per round. Still, that's up to 8 shots for a tourney! I do think some of them are probably worth more than that to their pros: Stevie taking on the photogs, et al., ... Bones reading Phil's putts and telling him his manboobs aren't all that noticiable.