What Do Professional Golf Caddies Earn?
If you love golf and want to make a career out of walking the links, you could try becoming a golfer on a top professional tour---or you could try becoming a caddie for one of those golfers, carrying the bag, keeping score and offering advice on strategy. Paid a weekly salary as well as potentially large bonuses, some tour caddies make as much as or more than some tour players.
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Tour Rates
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According to Forbes magazine, caddies on the top professional tours generally make a base rate of $1,000 per tournament week, plus a bonus based on how well their player does in the tournament. That bonus is 5 percent of the player's winnings if he finishes outside the top 10; 7 percent if the player finishes in the tournament's top 10; and 10 percent if the player wins the tournament.
Top Earners
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Forbes examined player purses covering a 12-month stretch in 2006-07 and calculated the likely earnings for the top caddies. Steve Williams, the caddie for Tiger Woods, came in at No. 1 after Woods won eight tournaments, including the British Open and the PGA Championship. Williams' caddie income of $1.27 million made him the highest-paid sports figure in his home country, New Zealand. Second was Vijay Singh's caddie, Chad Reynolds, at about $508,000, and third was Phil Mickelson's caddie, Jim Mackay, who made about $445,000. Beyond the top tier of players, though, caddies' pay drops off substantially.
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Expenses
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Tour caddies have to pay their own travel and lodging expenses for tournaments. Dennis Cone, president of the Professional Caddies Association, told Forbes that an estimated 25 percent of a typical caddie's pay goes to cover such expenses. The Professional Tour Caddies of America, a separate group only for caddies on the PGA Tour, negotiates discounts with hotel chains and others to try to soften the blow.
Club Rates
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If you can't catch on as a tour caddie, you could try looking for work at a local course. Full-time caddies at individual golf clubs can get paid both by the round---known as a "bag fee"---and in tips from players, which commonly match the bag fee. The pay varies widely, depending on the fees and tips, the number of times a caddie is willing to "go out" in a day and the number of players who even need a caddie, which is affected by club policies on cart use. For example, the Seattle Times reports that caddies at prestigious Chambers Bay Golf Club near Tacoma---site of the 2015 U.S. Open and a course where carts aren't allowed---can make as much as $150 in a day. Cone says full-time, professional caddies at the top clubs can make up to $1,000 a week. However, staying employed year-round means being willing to travel. The peak season is different for courses in different parts of the country.
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