Bandon Caddies

[mallrat]

$100 a round won’t offend them. Just a snack and/or beer at the turn is always good karma and appreciated.

[duffer987]

$100 a round won't offend them. Just a snack and/or beer at the turn is always good karma and appreciated.

Agreed. Don't worry about getting into a best-tipper arms race, especially on the internet.

Especially if you get a caddie that is simply sufficient. They set guidelines for a reason.

[Clambake]

You gave him $49 a round to carry? Is that above the suggested $100 ( or did it go to $125) a round?

 

No, I indicated I tipped $40 a round on top of the caddy fee, plus extra at the end of the trip.

[mallrat]

You gave him $49 a round to carry? Is that above the suggested $100 ( or did it go to $125) a round?

 

 

 

No, I indicated I tipped $40 a round on top of the caddy fee, plus extra at the end of the trip.

 

Sorry read it wrong

[kanard1]

Group Caddie? Or Yardage Books?

Does anyone have a recommendation on a good Group Caddie? Can we use the same one all week if we like him? I’m a 5 and everyone else in my group is a 12-15

Thanks

[Kernel]

Group Caddie? Or Yardage Books?

Does anyone have a recommendation on a good Group Caddie? Can we use the same one all week if we like him? I'm a 5 and everyone else in my group is a 12-15

Thanks

 

Never used a caddie.

 

I have yardage books for all four courses and they are incredibly helpful. Something I've did for my second trip to Bandon was to write up a few notes on each hole, gathered from my experience and from the various hole-by-hole recaps online. I then shrunk them and laminated them into cards that fit inside my yardage book. I just updated them for my next trip in April. It takes a little time, but they are really helpful, giving me a lot of the insight into where to hit it/where not to hit it that you would get from a caddie.

[kanard1]

Cool, Thanks for the response.

[payerasjl]

Old Mac benefitted from a Caddie in my opinion. The rest are good to go with yardage books.

[deadsolid...shank]

One thing to note about the caddies at Bandon, they move from all over the US to caddie there. I know there are caddies from Pebble, Pinehurst, whisper Rock and most top resorts in the US. Also there is a reason they go to Bandon and stay there for decades.

 

We have a young man here on WRX who is just about ready to move out there to start caddying. Queso, who is most active in the Colorado section.

 

Really nice kid, really good player, and I’m betting he’ll be a really good caddie too. If I ever make it out there I’ll be asking for him.

[johntchow]

im headed out to bandon on a local scga group trip in late march, in a few weeks. interested in hearing more about caddie recommendations. i'll probably call bandon this afternoon to get info on reserving one.

 

our trip includes one round each day but i am going to try and fit in at least 36 holes each day. undecided if i would use the caddie for the extra rounds each day.

 

also im playing in some random 4some groups each day so not sure how it will work if im the only one who books a caddie out of the group...

 

ive played with a caddie only one other time at pelican hills and that was my first round of golf ever. im a 15 handicap and just looking for someone pretty calm and knowledgeable of the course and conditions.

[johntchow]

Had a guy named Aaron. He was an ex basketball player from the midwest. Great guy and incredible at reading greens. I've never seen anyone read those greens like him.

 

was this Aaron hill? saw some other posts on the internet about aaron hill

[duffer987]

Had a guy named Aaron. He was an ex basketball player from the midwest. Great guy and incredible at reading greens. I've never seen anyone read those greens like him.

 

was this Aaron hill? saw some other posts on the internet about aaron hill

Is that really his name?

He's totally at the wrong resort then ;)

[johntchow]

Had a guy named Aaron. He was an ex basketball player from the midwest. Great guy and incredible at reading greens. I've never seen anyone read those greens like him.

 

was this Aaron hill? saw some other posts on the internet about aaron hill

Is that really his name?

He's totally at the wrong resort then ;)

 

yeah dont think it was the baseball player aaron hill.... but who knows

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1450564-bandons-best-caddie-aaron-hill/

[2putttom]

try Danny Clayton He's a fixture up there

[tonypizzle]

I've also been curious about this. it'll be my first time at bandon this year and I was thinking about getting caddies for our rounds but I was curious how much it added to the experience. I think it'd be fun to have someone that knows their way around and can add to the experience while playing. let me know what you vets think on getting a caddie there.

[duffer987]

I'm in the no-caddy camp.

Very fair courses - very few blind shots, most everything is right in front of you - but if you want some assistance with the hard labour of carrying or pushing 36/day for multiple days then have at it.

You can always get one for your opening round and see if you like it or not.

 

I've definitely had some very good caddies over the years at other places - but I've never looked back and thought wow that totally made things way better. I've scored better due to a caddie's green reading and sure it's nice feeling to just be walking along without lugging the bag, but that's about it.

 

In the end it's your time and money, and if you are thinking of doing it, just do it, it's the only way you'll find out :)

[SHGolfer]

Ciaran is awesome. We have been lucky enough to have him with our group for the last 5 years. Mitch is Ciaran's equal as a caddy as well. Both very good dudes and extremely good at what they do. Cannot go wrong with either guy.

 

> @"Slippin Jimmy" said:

> Bryan Church has caddied for me a couple of times and is a great guy, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him. Also, I would second desaille's recommendation of Ciaran (I think that's how it's spelled but definitely pronounced "Kirin"), from Ireland. He caddied for my buddy, nice guy and he was an absolute stick, he hit a couple of drives just horsing around.

 

[johntchow]

i just got back from bandon and i had Ethan DeVore on my bag. he was an awesome caddie. i no doubt played my best golf with him these past few days. easily 8-10 stroke improvement. im so glad i went with a caddie. he also helped some other in my 4somes with reads, etc. a couple of our rounds i had a chance to see other caddies in our group and Ethan really stood out compared to the others. he would help move the bags for other caddies from green to tee if we needed to catch up to the group in front of us.

 

Ethan basically read all the greens with me and was pretty dead on. They had just punched the greens at Bandon Dunes so some of those putts were not breaking as much, but otherwise all the others courses he was pretty spot on. its a pretty good feeling to hit a GIR and your caddie hands you your putter to walk the next 200 yards while the rest of your group is lugging their cart and still trying to hit their approach shot. i mean its what you see on TV with the pros and you feel like a boss.

 

having a caddie really adds to the experience especially if you dont normally play with one. i had a caddie once at pelican hill but this experience was so much more personal. since basically your caddie is on your bag for every round. the caddie gets to know your distances and tendencies and you get to chat quite a bit walking 36 holes a day for about 9 hours.

 

so if you want a caddie who's basically going to be like a coach, i cant say enough good things about Ethan. he took the initiative to read the greens, track every shot, finding balls, encouragement, etc. in the end, he let me make the final decision after i had all the info presented to me. it just felt like a total team effort on every shot. hed tell me where the good miss is on the green on my approach shot. a couple of shots i didnt have in my bag or never really practiced and he coached me through the swing on them. had one where my ball was on the edge of the gorse and i could really only hit it left handed when i am right handed. so he gave me some tips on how to get the ball back on the fairway. coached me also on some bump and run shots with my hybrid from the rough about 20 yards from the pin.

[LooperCon]

> @"deadsolid...shank" said:

> mallrat wrote:

>

>

>

> One thing to note about the caddies at Bandon, they move from all over the US to caddie there. I know there are caddies from Pebble, Pinehurst, whisper Rock and most top resorts in the US. Also there is a reason they go to Bandon and stay there for decades.

>

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>

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>

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> We have a young man here on WRX who is just about ready to move out there to start caddying. Queso, who is most active in the Colorado section.

>

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>

> Really nice kid, really good player, and I’m betting he’ll be a really good caddie too. If I ever make it out there I’ll be asking for him.

 

Just saw this...thanks for the kind words DS! Definitely hit me up if any of you guys have questions about your trip and/or if you need somebody on your bag!

[Matt J]

Ethan's a good guy. Has a good positive attitude.

[puttnforthe8]

Just booked Nick G for the 2nd year because he was outstanding....everything you want from a caddie and more!

[wtoomey]

Ryan Wall was a solid caddy. Lots of good stories. Was able to chime in when needed and knew when to keep quiet. He even joined us for our 16 man skins game at Punch Bowl.

[Matt J]

> @duffer987 said:

> mallrat wrote:

>

>

>

> $100 a round won't offend them. Just a snack and/or beer at the turn is always good karma and appreciated.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Agreed. Don't worry about getting into a best-tipper arms race, especially on the internet.

>

> Especially if you get a caddie that is simply sufficient. They set guidelines for a reason.

 

100 dollars is the minimum recommended by the resort, basically because it's minimum wage. Certainly no need to get into an tipping arms race whatever that is but none of these fellas are getting rich carrying bags either. If you can afford it I always try and work something out for them. Either have one forecaddie for the whole group or give them a double bag for $250 or so.

[LooperCon]

> @"Matt J" said:

> > @duffer987 said:

> > mallrat wrote:

> >

> >

> >

> > $100 a round won't offend them. Just a snack and/or beer at the turn is always good karma and appreciated.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Agreed. Don't worry about getting into a best-tipper arms race, especially on the internet.

> >

> > Especially if you get a caddie that is simply sufficient. They set guidelines for a reason.

>

> 100 dollars is the minimum recommended by the resort, basically because it's minimum wage. Certainly no need to get into an tipping arms race whatever that is but none of these fellas are getting rich carrying bags either. If you can afford it I always try and work something out for them. Either have one forecaddie for the whole group or give them a double bag for $250 or so.

 

 

^This. A little tip on top of the minimum/recommended rate is nice (but not necessarily expected), and double bag is even better for us! I like to think my service is the same whether you’re paying me $100, $120, $150, or $300, (okay, maybe not...if someone was paying me 300 id shine that mofos shoes haha) but I know some folks definitely have an outlook of “you get what you pay for”.

[philsRHman]

> @"Matt J" said:

> > @duffer987 said:

> > mallrat wrote:

> >

> >

> >

> > $100 a round won't offend them. Just a snack and/or beer at the turn is always good karma and appreciated.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Agreed. Don't worry about getting into a best-tipper arms race, especially on the internet.

> >

> > Especially if you get a caddie that is simply sufficient. They set guidelines for a reason.

>

> 100 dollars is the minimum recommended by the resort, basically because it's minimum wage. Certainly no need to get into an tipping arms race whatever that is but none of these fellas are getting rich carrying bags either. If you can afford it I always try and work something out for them. Either have one forecaddie for the whole group or give them a double bag for $250 or so.

 

When you say $100 is minimum wage, a five-hour round would be $20/hour. Or are you saying that as generally speaking, $100 is the minimum per loop? I paid my caddies $120 a round and it seemed OK. Mentioned a few times that I felt bad they didn't get a double loop, but they said it's no problem. I sensed early March was low demand, as I only had two other caddies in my group over the course of 8 rounds with 3-4somes in each.

[spud3]

> @philsRHman said:

> > @"Matt J" said:

> > > @duffer987 said:

> > > mallrat wrote:

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > $100 a round won't offend them. Just a snack and/or beer at the turn is always good karma and appreciated.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Agreed. Don't worry about getting into a best-tipper arms race, especially on the internet.

> > >

> > > Especially if you get a caddie that is simply sufficient. They set guidelines for a reason.

> >

> > 100 dollars is the minimum recommended by the resort, basically because it's minimum wage. Certainly no need to get into an tipping arms race whatever that is but none of these fellas are getting rich carrying bags either. If you can afford it I always try and work something out for them. Either have one forecaddie for the whole group or give them a double bag for $250 or so.

>

> When you say $100 is minimum wage, a five-hour round would be $20/hour. Or are you saying that as generally speaking, $100 is the minimum per loop? I paid my caddies $120 a round and it seemed OK. Mentioned a few times that I felt bad they didn't get a double loop, but they said it's no problem. I sensed early March was low demand, as I only had two other caddies in my group over the course of 8 rounds with 3-4somes in each.

 

Early March (and all through the winter) is probably slower for the caddies mainly because the people coming to the resort have either been there a bunch or are local/regional, so the need for a caddie is diminished. After a few times on each of the courses, you don't really need guidance beyond what the yardage book offers.

[Matt J]

> @philsRHman said:

> > @"Matt J" said:

> > > @duffer987 said:

> > > mallrat wrote:

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > $100 a round won't offend them. Just a snack and/or beer at the turn is always good karma and appreciated.

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Agreed. Don't worry about getting into a best-tipper arms race, especially on the internet.

> > >

> > > Especially if you get a caddie that is simply sufficient. They set guidelines for a reason.

> >

> > 100 dollars is the minimum recommended by the resort, basically because it's minimum wage. Certainly no need to get into an tipping arms race whatever that is but none of these fellas are getting rich carrying bags either. If you can afford it I always try and work something out for them. Either have one forecaddie for the whole group or give them a double bag for $250 or so.

>

> When you say $100 is minimum wage, a five-hour round would be $20/hour. Or are you saying that as generally speaking, $100 is the minimum per loop? I paid my caddies $120 a round and it seemed OK. Mentioned a few times that I felt bad they didn't get a double loop, but they said it's no problem. I sensed early March was low demand, as I only had two other caddies in my group over the course of 8 rounds with 3-4somes in each.

 

Yes, the Bandon Dunes Resort recommends $100 per bag per round as the rate i.e. the minimum rate.

 

https://www.bandondunesgolf.com/golf/caddies-services

 

The caddie is typically there at least 15 minutes before you tee off and 10 minutes after you finish, perhaps longer if he has to re-pack your bag into a carry bag and/or wait for you after the round. Many rounds at the resort run 5 to 5.5 hours on the golf course. So, I'd count it as a 6 hour job most of the time, if you finish closer to 5 (4 or 4.5 hour round) then great.

 

Portland metro minimum wage is $12.50 this year and goes up $.75 per year. It's very difficult to find wage workers in Oregon for less than $18 per hour and the cost of living is quite high.

 

Only about a quarter if that many caddies stay year round, most arrive in the spring for the summer season. They generally prefer to double bag two loops a day as much as possible to maximize their income.

 

I'm not saying $100 or $120 is not fair or appreciated by most of the caddies. I'm just reiterating what I've heard them say repeatedly which is that they need to make around $500 per day as many days as possible to cover their expenses in the shoulder seasons.

[raholland71]

I've got to give a shout out to my boy Felipe Chavez.

I'm not sure he's the most "experienced", meaning that he doesn't travel from resort to resort depending on the season and based on my conversations with him, he hasn't really played golf that long and got his start at Bandon in guest services, but he's a great dude and he'll make sure you have a good time. He's also super laid back which I think is great. He's the best caddie I've had at any of the top resorts I've been to

[schwaz19]

Reviving this thread to see if there any recent experience with caddies this spring/summer?

[LooperCon]

> @schwaz19 said:

> Reviving this thread to see if there any recent experience with caddies this spring/summer?

 

There are a lot of young/college kids coming in right now for June/July/August; I’ve had a trainee shadowing me and the other caddie(s) in my group each of the past few days.

 

With that said, I’m a caddie out here, so if you need somebody for your strap (or any advice about your trip in general), let me know! I’ve also got a few other guys I can confidently recommend as well.