The Colorado Golf Association and Colorado Women’s Golf Association recently announced the launch of the new Eisenhower Caddie Academy at CommonGround Golf Course. The program is designed to provide young men and women the opportunity to learn life lessons through exposure to the game of golf — and the value of a strong work ethic, social interaction and perseverance. This exciting news brings with it the challenge of how to properly train these young people in the art of being a caddie. Being a Rules official has taught me that one of the most important things we can teach caddies (and players alike) is the Rules of Golf because a player is ultimately responsible for his or her caddie’s actions during a round and will be penalized for any breach of the Rules that a caddie makes.
There are many things that a caddie can, and should, do for a player throughout the round — such as help line up putts, attend the flagstick and help with club selection. He or she can help search for a ball, can mark the ball on the putting green when authorized and can rake a bunker after the player hits out of it. However, if a caddie moves his or her player’s ball in play when searching, replaces the ball in the wrong place on the putting green, or rakes a bunker before the player hits out of a bunker (not for the sole purpose of caring for the course), the player will be penalized.
Earlier this year at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, Nick Watney learned that lesson when he came very close to being penalized two strokes for an action that his caddie took while helping him on the seventh green. While Watney was lining up a putt, his caddie crouched down behind him. The caddie moved his hand back and forth in a swiping motion several times as if he were checking the grain on the green. The first several times it was obvious that his hand was not touching the surface. However, he then moved his hand closer to the green and it became difficult to tell if his hand was touching. If the caddie had been brushing the green, Watney would have been in violation of Rule 16-1d which states that “during a stipulated round, a player must not test the surface of any putting green by … roughening or scraping the surface.” After careful examination of the video footage and interviews with the caddie, it was determined that he in fact did not touch the putting green and Watney was not penalized.
According to the Rules of Golf, a caddie is “one who assists the player in accordance with the Rules …” It is up to the player to make sure that his or her caddie is aware of the Rules and what he or she is allowed to do when out on the course.
