Salary of Golf Caddies

Professional caddies can earn huge incomes, but most caddies work for tips.

A golf caddy carries a golfer's bags and offers the golfer advice on the choice of club to use. Caddies also may be responsible for determining distances, keeping the player's clubs in good condition and keeping the golfer informed of wind conditions. In tournaments, a caddy also may help keep the crowd quiet before a shot and calm the player. While caddies working at private country clubs may be paid only in tips, caddies working for professional golfers earn a percentage of the player's winnings.

Average Pay

Caddy pay varies greatly from club to club. At many clubs, there is a minimum fee for caddying, for example $25 per bag. Other clubs do not impose a fee, but take a percentage of caddies' earnings. Caddies may carry more than one bag at a time and generally also earn a tip, based on how well the golfer does and how helpful the caddy was. Caddies generally earn between $35 and $100 in total for each bag they carry. Caddies working during a club tournament may earn around $100 per round for each bag they carry. There may be other perks as well. For example, the Evans Scholarship pays tuition and fees to the University of Washington or Washington State University for students who meet academic requirements and who have worked as caddies. Caddies also may be allowed to play for free when not caddying.

High-End Caddying

Caddies who work at top golf courses, such as Pebble Beach and Pinehurst, can earn a considerable amount of money. Caddies at these clubs are generally paid a minimum fee plus tips. Some caddies travel from one top club to the next, while others may stay at one club. Experienced caddies can also work for companies like CaddieMaster that provide managers for caddy programs at top clubs. Golfers at a high-end golf club can pay hundreds of dollars to play a round of golf, and tips can be as high as $150 a game or more, in addition to a caddy fee of $50 or $100 a bag. At these clubs, caddies can earn $1,000 or more a week and may have the chance to be “discovered” by a professional golfer looking for a new caddy.

PGA Caddy

The top end of the caddy profession is working for a professional golfer on a major tournament circuit, such as caddying for a Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) golfer. Professional golfers generally pay their caddies a percentage of their winnings, based on how well the golfer does. For example, 7 percent for ending in the top 10, and 10 percent for winning a tournament. Caddies working for top golfers can end up earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. Steve Williams, who worked as Tiger Woods' caddy until 2011, earned $1.27 million in 2006. Caddy Damon Green, who worked for pro golfer Zach Johnson, gave up a career as a pro golfer in order to caddy, as he could earn more caddying. In 2006-2007, Green earned $367,716 caddying.

Drawbacks

Even for professional caddies, there are serious drawbacks to a career as a caddy. One of the biggest is that caddies do not usually earn a salary. This means that caddies do not have a regular income and do not get paid when their golfer is not playing. For example, when Tiger Woods had knee surgery in 2008 and did not play for eight months, his caddy did not earn any money. Caddies at country clubs may not be able to earn any money if it is cold or raining and no one is playing. Caddies are not given retirement plans, vacation pay or health benefits. Caddies for professional golfers also must pay their own travel and lodging expenses while on tour. For caddies who work for golfers on international tours, this can include expensive airfares. Up to 25 percent of a professional caddies' salary can go towards expenses.

References

• "Forbes"; Top-Earning Caddies; Matt Woolsey; June 2007
• "St Petersburg Times"; For Today's Caddies it's Not All That Bad to be Left Holding the Bag; Tom Jones; November 2003
• "Seattle Times"; Caddies Making a Comeback; Blaine Newnham; May 2008
• ESPN; Tiger Severs Last Link to Past Success; Bob Harig; July 2011