How many strokes per round would a Caddy save you?

[uttexas]

Let's say you have a caddy that knows your game, the course and the greens well.
How many strokes would the caddy save you?

I'd say four.

[senorchipotle]

well, i'd say more than that. last weekend, i played a course which i'd never played before that had no layout of the hole on the scorecard, but of the green. no description of the water hazards on the signs either. i hit two great shots straight into the water cause i was unaware that there was a creek running up the middle of the hole, and you couldn't see it either. so there's four strokes already right there. i'd say 6-10 strokes, depending upon the course.

[RC]

Depends on the course.

[Fairway_CY]

Probably not many. In the end... it's not the knowledge of the course or the ability to talk myself out of stupid shots that hurts me... it's the fat irons from the middle of the fairway, or the topped drivers that result in hitting a 7 iron out of trouble and still leaving 200 to the hole. It's the flubbed chips greenside, or the three putts because I didn't just line up my second putt and assumed I'd make the 4 foot 'tap in'. It's the what-the-hell type shots that squirt right when I'm aiming at the left side of the green, or the shots where I try to play like I'm on the PGA Tour and hit pitching wedge from 130 even though that's my 8 iron distance.

What I'm getting at is... until I can play WITHIN myself and stop making stupid mistakes that will cost me 5-10 strokes a round... a caddie is going to do nothing but wonder why the hell he's there. Now... TV cameras that can follow my wayward shots to the trash bin in the rough on 17... THOSE would probably save me a BUNCH of strokes because I wouldn't lose so many balls.

CY

[mdl]

I think this depends on how good you are. If you're a mid single digit handicapper, then maybe a lot. Myself, I've never been below a 12 or so, and I don't have enough command over exactly where my shot's going to end up for the caddy to help me nearly as much you might think. Barring ridiculous things like the water story above, whether or not I'm hitting it straight that day is going to count for WAY more strokes than what advice a caddy might give...

[The Recreational Golfer]

I lose as many strokes to bad decisions as to bad shots. A good caddy would save me three strokes per side. At least.

I think there should be a PGA tournament where no caddies are allowed. The players have to pull their clubs on a cart like we do, and no yardage books or pin sheets. Let's see how well they do when they play golf like the other 98% of golfers play.

[sean_miller]

I'd like to find out - having someone to carry my bag, determine yardages with a rangefinder, and most importantly, to clean my balls - that would be sweet!

[Titleist_ProV1x]

I'd like to find out - having someone to carry my bag, determine yardages with a rangefinder, and most importantly, to clean my balls - that would be sweet!

I had my wife carry the bag once, oh she cleaned my balls real good and that was sweet, which saved me some strokes, now I just need to get her out on the course, lol

[Golf Hypnotist]

I think that depends on the caddy. One of the things I teach my clients is to become their own virtual caddy and automatically do for themselves all the things top caddy would. And that's not just carrying the bag and handing them the right club. They should provide for themselves all the support, persuasion and calmness that a good caddy would give them. That way the voice in their heads will be talking positively rather than providing a commentary of doubt and self-criticism.

For a top amateur that's probably worth a couple of shots per round. For a regular 90-shooter, it could be worth 5-7 shots a round.

[Lefty-Golfer]

I had my wife carry the bag once, oh she cleaned my balls real good and that was sweet, which saved me some strokes, now I just need to get her out on the course, lol

does she do weekends??

[mattttt25]

Not many. For a HH like myself, I lose strokes because of mishits. Nothing a caddie will do for that, unless he's hitting the next approach shot for me. And if you're a good player already hitting birdie, par, bogey golf, it's going to be harder to find strokes to shave. Maybe 2-3 if everything works out and you listen to him.

[Lefty-Golfer]

for what is is worth. Unless you have a very good caddie it isn't going to change your score very often. if you don't know the course they may help you with a proper shot selection at some point, or the occasion read on a putt that you just don't see. More often then not I have found the caddie to be just bag boy who rakes the bunkers and washes the the balls...every so often you get a really good caddie and they can certainly help you out.

[RC]

Imagine for a moment playing a course for the first time with greens like Augusta National -- that is why I think the amount of help a caddy provides is a variable. On the toughest of greens, a caddy who really knows the speeds and breaks is worth a boat load of strokes. On other courses, the help is useful but not nearly as critical as courses with dangerous greens and collection areas.

[jamo]

If I know the course: 1 (maybe, and only because I wouldn't have to lug a bag around)
If I've never played the course: 3 better than if I had a yardage book, 5 better than if I had neither. I tend to lose a lot of strokes because I don't know courses. I played in a tournament last year on a course I had never played before. I shot a 78 and lost by 1 to a guy who was a member at the course and played there all the time. I was in his group and was clearly playing better golf than he was, but he took chances that I didn't I could take.

[BonoVox]

I had my wife carry the bag once, oh she cleaned my balls real good and that was sweet, which saved me some strokes, now I just need to get her out on the course, lol

LMFAO Oh man!!!!!

[sean_miller]

I had my wife carry the bag once, oh she cleaned my balls real good and that was sweet, which saved me some strokes, now I just need to get her out on the course, lol

That's what I'd expect if I had a "caddy".

A caddie on the other hand, is another matter.

[mojoe]

I had my one and only experience with a fore caddy last year at a tournament. He helped our entire foursome which was great because we had never played the course before. I know he helped me tremendously just on the greens alone. My belief is that a mid to high handicapper would benefit more than a low handicapper just simply because of the room for improvement. I know for a fact he saved me more than 4 strokes.