Tipping (not A City In China)

[chuckd]

When in Rome...etc. etc.

If you don't like the compulsory caddies, then do as Phil has done.

Stop playing!

Not too many years ago, we used to hire three caddies each for a round. That was before golf carts and we walked. One caddie hauled the clubs, one carried an umbrella to shield the sun and the other carried our chair and beer.

Decadent, but so what?

I happily play with a caddy but consider myself smart enough not to take their opinion on what club to hit. They are merely trying to make a living so I give them the respect they deserve.

Minpin made some good posts.

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

As a rule I tip 200 hundred. My friend who I play with, dislikes the way they get noticeably more friendly and helpful from the 16th onwards... personally, I don't let it bother me. Happy to have someone carry my bags and mutter 'mai pen rai' after hitting every shot

Caddies don't get that much work. In Kirimaya, they get 2 rounds a week. Some are cheeky, but that's life. One time, I stopped playing after 9 because the weather turned bad. I'd paid the 18 hole caddie fee and expected no refund on that. However, I was only going to tip the caddie 100 bhat for the 9 holes. She was having none of it... almost demanded 200 bhat. That got my back up. After driving back 50 kms to the hotel, having given her just the 100 bhat, I realized I'd left my golfing umbrella, worth 600bhat, in her bag. Pretty sure she was thinking: 'Som Nam Naa farang kie nieow' (serves you right Farang sticky shit)... instant karma, some might say.

I understand 'Khun Marco' and his previous comments about over tipping leading to some Thais having a skewered impression of tipping, farangs and monthly salary discrepancies... but it's my money to tip how much I want, and you telling people how much they should tip or shouldn't tip, is plain rude.

Hope the Thai lady posts again; a nice, fresh take on things. Phil's comments were justified and well reasoned too - just different folks posting... hope she didn't feel offended directly, surely not Phil's intention to cause offence.

Nice to have a bit of a spicier topic on the golf forum

[thaihome]

I have a 3rd option: Stop playing .. which is so far what I've done. Too much hassle for what it's worth! Why the bitchy reply anyway - a fourth option would be that the Thai golf clubs would stop making caddy use obligatory. What's the point anyway? To earn a couple of baths extra on the caddy trade?

II don't know of a golf course in Asia where caddies are not required. On average, I would say Thai caddies are slightly better then most other Asian ones. Go to China or Malaysia, see what you get there (on average).

I struggle to imagine a person that would not see the benefits of having one. I will admit that sometimes that a particularly bad one can be an annoyance, but to stop playing in Thailand because they are required?

What kind of person would do that?

TH

[snowflake]

I have to start by saying that I have not played golf for more than 2 months, and I really enjoy the workout and fun we have. When it comes to tipping I have asked several people and it all seems to be 100B for 9 holes, so 200 for one round of 18. The caddies I have had seems to like it because when I come to play they all run to me (I am not rich or handsome and it is easy to see).

I have tipped more but we played through a rainstorm where clubs went farther than the balls (Fun for us, not for the poor caddies).

Go with the flow, they do not make that much money and if you can afford to play golf... TIP the 200 bath or more... In the end, a tip is what you think of the service that they have given to you...

I do not tip a beergirl 200B for bringing beer to me all night...

[racefan]

I played in an interesting 4 ball recently at Green Valley Rayong when I stood in for one guy of a regular 4.

Besides having the usual 200 + 200 + 200 bet, if one player won a hole outright, each other player gave the guys caddie 20 baht. If one or more of you had the same score on the hole no money passed.

It was amazing how much harder the caddie works when they realise that they are on a substantial earner if you are playing well.

As it happened on the day I had already told my caddie that she would get 20 baht per par and 50 baht per birdie that I made on top of the usual tip.

I played some of the best golf of my life that day and the caddie walked away with the best part of 800 baht after I had paid her 300 baht tip, my money for the pars and birdies, and the other guys money for the numerous holes I had won.

I also won 1800 baht as I cleaned up on the bet with the other guys.

Strangely I have never been asked to play with them again, but I seem to have inherited the same caddie for life!!

[Phil Conners]

You never wondered how come you play so well when you're "bribing" your caddy to give you good scores?

[bangkokrick]

Hi,

Not been playing here long and wondered what the appropriate tip is for a Caddy. I play 18 holes and it costs 520bht. the Caddy receipt is for 160bht. The guys I played with first time tipped 200 so I did the same. Is this high/low/appropriate?

thanks for your help.

I don't want to offend the caddy as each time I have played ( play alone now in the wee small hours) I have had a good caddy and enjoyed the walk with them.

Hi Loz,

I usually tip between 300/500 depending on how good the caddy is. I think that this is a fair amount considering the hours that they put in.

Cheers Rick

[thaihome]

200 for below average, 300 normally, 400 if very good.

What I expect is to be able to have a good idea of where the errant shots went, and after a few holes has paid attention to the distance I get and can discuss which club to use. I also expect real help with reading greens. If they do that well, I give 400 without a second thought. If at least pays attention, they get 300.

TH

[snowflake]

So I was out playing with my mates this weekend, lovely weather and perfect conditions for a armybase golf course... I got my favourite caddy as she speaks and jokes with me all the way round...

My game is quite bad (beginner) so the scores are not so serious, just playing for fun.

When we came to the sixth hole (round 2) something happened. My friend who usually is a very good golfer had a very bad tee off, sliced it straight to the right into my caddy who took the ball with her thigh. I thought the game was over but she just stood up and said nevermind, just a little pain there... I felt so bad for her so I tipped 500 baht...

I have again heard that 200 baht is good enough on an army base... Sure in Phuket it is a bit more upscale and you should tip more...

BTW, I will buy my first set of golf clubs this thursday in Bangkok... any suggestions?

[thaihome]

...BTW, I will buy my first set of golf clubs this thursday in Bangkok... any suggestions?

Suggest walking around mall at Soi Taniya, off Silom at O'Reilly's Pub. Many small golf shops.

TH

[Neeranam]

I usually tip between 50 and 100 baht, which is more than the locals give. I live here, I'm not a tourist.

[JAS21]

I usually tip between 50 and 100 baht, which is more than the locals give. I live here, I'm not a tourist.

Um..well I live here with my Thai wife, who by the way shot 94 today. We play at least three times a week, quite often at the same course. So thats 1200Baht before we start with green fees, loosing balls etc..why don't they float!

We always tip 200Baht..sometimes an extra 20baht to one caddy if she is good or the other one was useless. Whether we play Uniland, Blus Sapphire or where ever.

By the way played Blue Sapphire on Sunday..after she voted..course almost empty but greens have just been cored..apart from that its good..maybe idea to give it a miss for a few weeks though.

[Neeranam]

Caddying in Thailand

As this thread always reoccurs at regular intervals, I as a Thai will give in general terms what a caddies life is.

Firstly I tip 200 baht on none competition events and perhaps 500 baht in a major competition if a very good caddy. IE knows the line of putts and distances to the pin.

My home course has 384 caddies. At 8 minute tee times this equals to 7 hours of play per day. Thailand gets dark at 6 30pm. Multiplied by approximately 7 groups per hour, slower if a Pattaya group, this equals 49 groups X 4 players which is approximately 200 players per day.

If the course was fully booked every day the caddy would have one round every two days.

Sunday will be a guaranteed round due to some Thais taking an umberella caddy.

Of the 250 baht caddy fee, she pays 60 baht booking fee, that goes to the club, plus 10 baht trolley rental that goes to the club.

Last month, high season remember, with no days off, my caddy had 21 rounds of golf x 180 baht = 3780 baht plus 5000 baht in tips = 8780 baht per month for a 31 day work month equals 283 baht per day. Beats planting rice? Sure but it is not the road to fame and fortune as some people seem to think.

The tip

Up to you

Go with the Thai flow 200 baht!

Perhaps a Phuket golfer will confirm but the last time I played Blue Canyon and PCC there was a sign saying that the tip was a compulsory minimum of 300 baht.

Even my Thai Hi-So friends don't give as much as 200 baht. The last time I played with them at the RBSC, they advised me to pay about 50 baht.

It's comforting to know that at least the caddies are laughing at some Thai people too giving ridiculous tips.

If they are not happy with getting nearly 10,000 baht a month then there will be many other woman willing to jump into their shoes.

We have a maid come round and clean the whole house(3 bed-roomed,3 bathroms) at 6am until about 6pm. She does the weeks ironing for the whole household, as well as some baby-sitting. She asks for 250 baht for the days work, and is very very happy with the work. Compare that to the caddy, which is pretty a easy 4 hours and they are crap, answering their telephones etc whilst we are playing.

At my local golf club, the caddy often asks for more money when I offer her 50 baht, cheeky cow.

If farang don't stop tipping these ridiclous tips, golf clubs will soon stop paying them and put up signs saying tipping is compulsory.

Edited August 21, 2007 by Neeranam

[Dr. Burrito]

Caddying in Thailand

As this thread always reoccurs at regular intervals, I as a Thai will give in general terms what a caddies life is.

Firstly I tip 200 baht on none competition events and perhaps 500 baht in a major competition if a very good caddy. IE knows the line of putts and distances to the pin.

My home course has 384 caddies. At 8 minute tee times this equals to 7 hours of play per day. Thailand gets dark at 6 30pm. Multiplied by approximately 7 groups per hour, slower if a Pattaya group, this equals 49 groups X 4 players which is approximately 200 players per day.

If the course was fully booked every day the caddy would have one round every two days.

Sunday will be a guaranteed round due to some Thais taking an umberella caddy.

Of the 250 baht caddy fee, she pays 60 baht booking fee, that goes to the club, plus 10 baht trolley rental that goes to the club.

Last month, high season remember, with no days off, my caddy had 21 rounds of golf x 180 baht = 3780 baht plus 5000 baht in tips = 8780 baht per month for a 31 day work month equals 283 baht per day. Beats planting rice? Sure but it is not the road to fame and fortune as some people seem to think.

The tip

Up to you

Go with the Thai flow 200 baht!

Perhaps a Phuket golfer will confirm but the last time I played Blue Canyon and PCC there was a sign saying that the tip was a compulsory minimum of 300 baht.

Even my Thai Hi-So friends don't give as much as 200 baht. The last time I played with them at the RBSC, they advised me to pay about 50 baht.

It's comforting to know that at least the caddies are laughing at some Thai people too giving ridiculous tips.

If they are not happy with getting nearly 10,000 baht a month then there will be many other woman willing to jump into their shoes.

We have a maid come round and clean the whole house(3 bed-roomed,3 bathroms) at 6am until about 6pm. She does the weeks ironing for the whole household, as well as some baby-sitting. She asks for 250 baht for the days work, and is very very happy with the work. Compare that to the caddy, which is pretty a easy 4 hours and they are crap, answering their telephones etc whilst we are playing.

At my local golf club, the caddy often asks for more money when I offer her 50 baht, cheeky cow.

If farang don't stop tipping these ridiclous tips, golf clubs will soon stop paying them and put up signs saying tipping is compulsory.

You are so utterly full of it. I have yet to play with a Thai person that didn't tip well, though I wouldn't be surprised about the Hi-So <deleted> that are members of the the RSBC, but even most of them, away from the RSBC, behave better.

Of course, perhaps giving all your money to a junkie foreign beggar is a better idea than an actual hard-working local.

Dr. B

[Fore Man]

I play in CM for the most part and the rule of thumb here is THB 200 for 18. The caddy also makes 160 out of the THB 200 caddy fee charged along with the greens fee. So a total of THB 360, or roughly $11 for 4 hours of easy work. But after playing here for over 18 months, I decided to quit taking my luck with whatever caddy turned up next and picked my own dedicated caddy, who works for me every time I play at our home course...which is 3 times weekly. This process is called 'booking'. Because she is a terrific caddy and very good at reading greens, I pay her THB 250 as a normal tip. If I have a particularly bad day, I still pay her THB 250. My fault not hers. If I quit early and go home after 9 holes, I pay her THB 250...not her fault. If I have a particularly good day, I'll tip her more. I'd rather not lose her to a better paying client, so along with the tip I have learned to become jai yen yen and we laugh a lot....not taking stuff too seriously. I am amazed at the vast array of farang hotheads out there who boil over with every little inconvenience or bad shot. My advice is to listen to the caddy's advice and simply factor it in with your own good judgement. The final decision on which club to use or which line to putt is yours. Don't EVER blame her if you manage to screw it up please. We have a very infamous Farang playing regularly here who, after making a bad shot, blamed it on the caddy and shouted at her, causing her to cry. He also swung the club in fury and nearly struck her with it. What an absolute meathead and his behavior unfortunately colors Thai perceptions of how farangs will act. Most of these gals are cheerful, do their best and compared to our standard of living, live in miserable conditions. After all, what does a THB 200-300 tip really mean to you versus to her? Lighten up all you arrogant knuckleheads please and enjoy golf in a unique culture. We are guests in a foreign country and are expected to kick in a little more geld for just about everything. Golf tips included. As someone said earlier--go with the flow....or leave! Endeth the epistle.

[Marvo]

I seem to play with rich guys who tip pretty generously. I give my caddie their 200 Baht tip before the round starts plus an extra 50 Baht for them to buy themselves whatever drinks they want. (Some caddies have been known to take the proverbial and fill their boots at the kiosks). Some times, if the occasion warrants it, I'll add a 10 Baht Par and 50 Baht birdie (rare) incentive.

I have to confess to worrying too much about tipping amounts, being a little too sensitive to what caddies may think about the amount they are being tipped - by a "rich farang" or me. If you're in Thailand on a short holiday and brought all that tourist spendig money, then you are inclined to give a generous tip for the "holiday experience". If you live in Thailand and you're trying to get by on a meagre income and stretch it to a round of golf each week, then a 500 Baht tip is out of the question, but do the caddies understand the difference between a farang on holiday and a farang trying to eeek out an existance in LOS. Like I said, I'm too sensitive and contemplate what derogatory words the caddie will have about me on her way home with her 200 baht. Especially as her companions on the round probably got 300 or 400 even.

And if anyone posts back "just give her a bigger tip then you don't have to worry" don't bother as I've just beaten you to it.

[tgeezer]

The system is well established, you have to have a caddy and you have to tip them. One way round the problem is no tipping, charge a higher fee and give it all to the caddy, but then of course vanity comes into play, someone is going to start wanting to reward someone they liked and off we go again. If Thais really do give as little as some say then caddies must be happy to see a farang , and only mildly disappointed if they get less than they thought they would. Whatever you give it is enough because the caddies are still available. The course in Phuket which dictates an amount is being offensive, if they want the caddies to receive more they only have to increase the caddy fee. From what I have seen of caddies and farang, the caddy does as they please entirely we don't lay the law down, and I have often found myself chasing the caddy who is off doing her own thing; phoning, chatting with the others, going on to the next tee when you are sitting in the suum wanting something in the bag, and worse of all leaving you on the tee with the driver in hand to catch her up to deposit in the bag. With all this negative stuff they have still received my standard tip; the caddy fee. Only once have I complained after the round about the caddy who really was useless and even then I felt a tip was required, although only half. There is no way I will give a caddy extra for being good because I don't need a caddy; I carry in England and I can certainly drag a trolley here, but I can't do that so a fee x2 is budgeted-for.

[Neeranam]

From what I have seen of caddies and farang, the caddy does as they please entirely we don't lay the law down, and I have often found myself chasing the caddy who is off doing her own thing; phoning, chatting with the others, going on to the next tee when you are sitting in the suum wanting something in the bag, and worse of all leaving you on the tee with the driver in hand to catch her up to deposit in the bag. With all this negative stuff they have still received my standard tip; the caddy

I never give a tip in that situation. God, no wonder they smile when they see a farang. Some <deleted> probably thin they are being friendly!

I have my regular caddy now and pay 100 baht a round, which is more than most Thais, she tells me.

Those who pay 300 bht will be saying that they tip the barber next !

Give them 200% of their daily wage is ridiculous. Are you hapy paying double price for a National Park?

I never buy the caddies a drink. If only you could hear what the caddies were saying about my 300 baht tipping friends. "do took" is an understatement. It seems to be a complete reversal of what the farang thinks.

BTW, I do buy the guy who rakes the bin in my soi a bottle of whisky every now and again.

[chuckd]

I tip my barber as well.

[Neeranam]

I tip my barber as well.

Taxi driver?

[chuckd]

I tip my barber as well.

Taxi driver?

Sometimes the loose coins.

[tgeezer]

A regular caddy is a good idea but if you get one you are cutting out the other caddies from the queueing system and probably overtipping as well. I have had a regular caddy at TB now for about three seasons, but the tip is obviously dictated by the first tip I ever gave. Members at that course are allowed one caddy between two players, which shows how the course regards a caddy. He works hard collecting balls each morning from the driving range which allows him to caddy everyday, others sweep and clean the car parking area, he has one small kid, and sometimes goes out twice a day in spite of the fact that there are 800 caddies on the books at the two courses. He has to hire the cart he takes out and probably has other expenses, required by the course, he makes less than 390 Baht from me twice a week; not a lot. I pay about the same here for golf as I do in UK without caddy, the fee and tip is a little less than 60% of the expense. I have a yearly card here and am a member in UK, so cheaper than pay-for-play. I guess I am doing my bit for full employment. I have at least got over a bit of dual pricing paranoia; because I play at a course paid for from the public purse I accept that since I have paid no taxes I should pay more than those that have. I pay about 25% more for my yearly card than a Thai. It is possible to apply this reasoning to National Parks which I do, but discover that I have no interest in National Parks!

[Neeranam]

I tip my barber as well.

Taxi driver?

Sometimes the loose coins.

bus driver?

[Marvo]

What you give doesn't seem to be what you get when it comes to tipping.

I've never once received a tip in my life for the attentive and diligent service I give day after day in my uk job (graphic design), but I seem to go through life meeting plenty of people who seem to think that I should be healthily tipping THEM caddie, taxi, barber, waitress, bartender, bellboy, massage, cleaner, dustman ..... Bahhhh Humbug!

Now if I could just find that somebody wiling to give me that tip of twice my daily sallary.....

[tgeezer]

What you give doesn't seem to be what you get when it comes to tipping.

I've never once received a tip in my life for the attentive and diligent service I give day after day in my uk job (graphic design), but I seem to go through life meeting plenty of people who seem to think that I should be healthily tipping THEM caddie, taxi, barber, waitress, bartender, bellboy, massage, cleaner, dustman ..... Bahhhh Humbug!

Now if I could just find that somebody wiling to give me that tip of twice my daily sallary.....

I think you need to be in what is referred to as the 'service sector' to get a tip. I got a tip once from the 'owner of one of the Emirate's son' for flying him home in the middle of the night, it involved bending the rules but he wouldn't have known that, it fact he didn't know how much he gave because he deputed the task to a lacky, which is the better way; the golf company should act as lacky. The wages in the service industry take account of the tips, it appeared that mine did, that is why I left the job!

[Theyreallrubbish]

I'll add a little bit of info here to help figure out what the caddy is earning. Being the person who is responsible for hiring the caddies is a very desired job because caddies have to pay bribes to the hiring manager to get put on the books, bribes to be called in for the day and bribes to be moved up the list.

I can tell you that before bribes the average caddy at a major high end Bangkok course was making 20-30k a month, which is a lot for an uneducated girl and the work is easy and lots of sitting around doing nothing (A favoured activity for the uneducated Thais)

So they're willing to pay the bribes in order to have the opportunity to have the job.

You can work out from the Thai lady's post what the average tips are for these caddys. Its a high end course where alot of politicians and senior business people play. A lot of westerners play there as well, but senior executive and expats on multinational packages mostly. I don't know if there's any difference between the Thai and Westerner tips as I've never asked, but the Thais are obviously tipping over 1000.

While not all courses will give a caddy a monthly income of 30k, even a 10k income at a peripheral course is very good for what is considered easy work for a girl with that level of education. Beats farming, factory work or construction, that's for sure.

Also, the caddies will have paid sexual relations with customers. Obviously not all, but its expected that most will.

You don't think they wear all that make up just to make your round more pleasant do you?

[chuckd]

I tip my barber as well.

Taxi driver?

Sometimes the loose coins.

bus driver?

I don't ride the bus.

[tgeezer]

I'll add a little bit of info here to help figure out what the caddy is earning. Being the person who is responsible for hiring the caddies is a very desired job because caddies have to pay bribes to the hiring manager to get put on the books, bribes to be called in for the day and bribes to be moved up the list.

I can tell you that before bribes the average caddy at a major high end Bangkok course was making 20-30k a month, which is a lot for an uneducated girl and the work is easy and lots of sitting around doing nothing (A favoured activity for the uneducated Thais)

So they're willing to pay the bribes in order to have the opportunity to have the job.

You can work out from the Thai lady's post what the average tips are for these caddys. Its a high end course where alot of politicians and senior business people play. A lot of westerners play there as well, but senior executive and expats on multinational packages mostly. I don't know if there's any difference between the Thai and Westerner tips as I've never asked, but the Thais are obviously tipping over 1000.

While not all courses will give a caddy a monthly income of 30k, even a 10k income at a peripheral course is very good for what is considered easy work for a girl with that level of education. Beats farming, factory work or construction, that's for sure.

Also, the caddies will have paid sexual relations with customers. Obviously not all, but its expected that most will.

You don't think they wear all that make up just to make your round more pleasant do you?

This situation is special, those tips are well over the top, and there must be short working life leading to a high 'turnover', of caddies. Does anyone know of any customer getting wed to a caddy? Some of the gals at TB would need a lot more than make-up, and if they ever were I think they gave up any hope of being 'expected to' long ago. I think the Thai lady golfer's info is more typical. We seem to have lost the lady incidentally, her last post was goodbye TV which is a shame. On the plus side though facts can spoil a discussion.

Edited January 13, 2008 by tgeezer

[thaihome]

I'll add a little bit of info here to help figure out what the caddy is earning. Being the person who is responsible for hiring the caddies is a very desired job because caddies have to pay bribes to the hiring manager to get put on the books, bribes to be called in for the day and bribes to be moved up the list.

I can tell you that before bribes the average caddy at a major high end Bangkok course was making 20-30k a month, which is a lot for an uneducated girl and the work is easy and lots of sitting around doing nothing (A favoured activity for the uneducated Thais)

So they're willing to pay the bribes in order to have the opportunity to have the job.

You can work out from the Thai lady's post what the average tips are for these caddys. Its a high end course where alot of politicians and senior business people play. A lot of westerners play there as well, but senior executive and expats on multinational packages mostly. I don't know if there's any difference between the Thai and Westerner tips as I've never asked, but the Thais are obviously tipping over 1000.

While not all courses will give a caddy a monthly income of 30k, even a 10k income at a peripheral course is very good for what is considered easy work for a girl with that level of education. Beats farming, factory work or construction, that's for sure.

Also, the caddies will have paid sexual relations with customers. Obviously not all, but its expected that most will.

You don't think they wear all that make up just to make your round more pleasant do you?

Several of the high end exclusive CC's that are frequented by Thai and expat executives do not allow tipping at all. In my experience, at ones that do (Alpine & Amata), the Thais tip very heavily, more than the expats.

I think the income caddies can earn varies a lot between courses. Certainly a girl at Bangkok GC earns much more then one at Prime City, who does indeed have to work much harder.

Bribes for high compensation jobs for the under educated is not uncommon anywhere in the world..

I disagree about sexual favors and caddies. The make-up is to keep the sun off. In playing at probably 15 courses in Thailand over 7 years I have never seen a caddie that would go with a customer as if in a bar. I have heard such stories, but I think in almost all cases, it is urban legend type stuff.

TH

Edited January 14, 2008 by thaihome

[Theyreallrubbish]

I'll add a little bit of info here to help figure out what the caddy is earning. Being the person who is responsible for hiring the caddies is a very desired job because caddies have to pay bribes to the hiring manager to get put on the books, bribes to be called in for the day and bribes to be moved up the list.

I can tell you that before bribes the average caddy at a major high end Bangkok course was making 20-30k a month, which is a lot for an uneducated girl and the work is easy and lots of sitting around doing nothing (A favoured activity for the uneducated Thais)

So they're willing to pay the bribes in order to have the opportunity to have the job.

You can work out from the Thai lady's post what the average tips are for these caddys. Its a high end course where alot of politicians and senior business people play. A lot of westerners play there as well, but senior executive and expats on multinational packages mostly. I don't know if there's any difference between the Thai and Westerner tips as I've never asked, but the Thais are obviously tipping over 1000.

While not all courses will give a caddy a monthly income of 30k, even a 10k income at a peripheral course is very good for what is considered easy work for a girl with that level of education. Beats farming, factory work or construction, that's for sure.

Also, the caddies will have paid sexual relations with customers. Obviously not all, but its expected that most will.

You don't think they wear all that make up just to make your round more pleasant do you?

Several of the high end exclusive CC's that are frequented by Thai and expat executives do not allow tipping at all. In my experience, at ones that do (Alpine & Amata), the Thais tip very heavily, more than the expats.

I think the income caddies can earn varies a lot between courses. Certainly a girl at Bangkok GC earns much more then one at Prime City, who does indeed have to work much harder.

Bribes for high compensation jobs for the under educated is not uncommon anywhere in the world..

I disagree about sexual favors and caddies. The make-up is to keep the sun off. In playing at probably 15 courses in Thailand over 7 years I have never seen a caddie that would go with a customer as if in a bar. I have heard such stories, but I think in almost all cases, it is urban legend type stuff.

TH

I was given this info by the owner of the golf course as we were walking past the staging area where the caddies wait. I made a joke about it being a pretty easy job and he told me how they pay bribes to get the job and how much they earn and that many make extra money by providing extra services.

I don't play golf, so I can't confirm any of it, but he said in a very matter-of-fact way as if we discussing how much the greenskeeper gets paid.