How To Become A Caddy: Ultimate Career Guide To Get Started

In this article, I will provide a step-by-step guide on how to become a caddy for your favorite golf player!

Golf is a popular sport and offers a lot of career options to make 6-figures, and if you’re passionate about golfing, then becoming a professional caddy would be an excellent choice. According to ziprecruiter,  golf caddy can make around $50,000 to $60,000 a year which gives us the clarity for considering our career options,

Although, learning basic skills and getting experience on the field isn’t challenging. In this article, I have explained in steps how to become a caddy with no experience.

How To Become A Caddy: 5 Steps

Becoming a professional caddy requires passion, knowledge, and certain skills to stand out on the golf course. Things like course management, rules, and strategies should be your top factors of learning. 

Although, communication and fitness also play an important role in effective communication and walking miles for hours. Let’s have a look at 5 steps on how to become a caddy.

1 – Completing Your Management Course

As a professional golf caddy, your job is to help a player make on-course decisions and provide him with strategies to succeed.

During a critical shot, your advice can either make or break a golfer’s success. That’s why completing a golf management course is essential to let your employer know that you know your stuff and have in-depth knowledge about the golf course. 

There are probably hundreds of other golf caddies waiting for a chance to compete, you just have to figure out what are your strengths and how you can compete with them.  

For instance, if you’re living near a golf course, it’s a good thing because several reputable golf clubs offer caddy programs to give you real-time experience in caddying such as:

• Holding a golf bag with equipment
• Preparing for pre-rounds
• Learning caddying etiquette 
• Attention to details about winds for tee shots 
• Learning to drive a golf cart

And so on.

2 – Find Openings And Volunteer As An Internee

Taking part in golf club activities as a volunteer can open a lot of doors for opportunities to get started. Even if you have completed your golf course management program, you can’t reach from a low-end to a senior high-profile caddy overnight.

The job of a professional caddy works like any other job, you have to show progress and make your way to the top. However, the best way to start your professional career as a golf caddy is to volunteer in your local clubs and get hands-on experience. 

Luckily, every year there are several charity and amateur golf tournaments are organized. Their management is always on the hunt for caddies. This is where you have a chance to stand out and meet your favorite golf professional by proving yourself. 

You May Also Like Reading: How To Become A Professional Golfer

3 – Getting Certifications For Becoming A Golf Caddy

Getting certifications may not promise you a successful career, but acquiring a certification may increase your odds of hiring at a golf club among other candidates. Once you have acquired the essential knowledge and experience as a golf caddy, it would be great to own a certificate.

You will have a chance of winning among others because they will not have a certification, plus any knowledge about how the thing works at the golf club. 

At this point, your network would be a great asset for you to connect with the right people. If you want to know about how to become a golf caddy, then start with building relationships with golf club owners, players, and people who have the same interests as you. 

Try to join local golf events and tournaments in your area and meet with new people. In addition, building a network will help you work among high-profile golf players once you plan on becoming a golf caddy. 

4 – Apply For Caddy Job Vacancies

Once you have the necessary certifications and field experience, now is the time to apply for professional caddy jobs. The interesting thing is that once you reach this point, you may already have enough connections in your network that will recommend you as a golf caddy or may hire you in their golf clubs.

But, if you still didn’t get a chance to prove that I have what it takes to get the job done. Try different job online platforms to apply for a job. In fact, several golf clubs have their career opportunities on their official website, you can find them and try to give it a shot.

5 – Never Stop Learning

The above three steps will help you secure a job as a golf caddy, but to keep it for a long-time you need to work with the industry standards and never stop learning. 

The most common thing about successful golf caddies is that they always seek new knowledge, strategies, and improve their skills to help their associated player and always keep ahead of the competition. 

I recommend you invest in yourself by taking part in different golf caddy programs, and online seminars to expand your knowledge.

Skills That Are Necessary To Become A Professional Golf Caddy

Aside for becoming eligible for working as a golf caddy, there are certain skills that you need to assess to improve your learning process on the field. Below, I have mentioned some of them:

1. Having a strong knowledge about golf club rules and regulations, even the small details can save you a lot of trouble on the field. There are several books you can read to master the rules of golf, all of them teaches you the same thing and help in expanding your knowledge.

2. A caddy must have a deep understanding of a golfer’s psychology. They should train themselves to understand the moods, needs, and body language of the players on the field without having them speak. 

3. You need to have a strategic mind to help your golf player on the field ace the critical swings during the competition. As a caddy, your job is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your golf player and create him/her a plan that increases the odds of winning on each hole. 

How Much Do Professional Caddies Make?

The answer to this question depends on the state you’re living in. According to Sports Net, a golf caddy can secure a salary of $1,500 to $3,000 per week plus 5% incitement, if a player he caddies wins on the field. 

Although giving a solid statement on this matter may require a consideration of several factors. But as a newbie, you can make $15-$20 per hour and can calculate it on how many hours you plan to work a day.

Final Words

If you want to start your career as a golf caddy, keep exploring the knowledge and skills. The more you learn about the golf industry, the more you will become expert in your skills. Try completing various caddy programs to become certified.

Volunteer in your local golf clubs and build relationships with club owners. This will help you get a job successfully.