Tipping (not A City In China)

[chuckd]

I have several friends that married their caddies.

Not unusual at all in Pattaya.

[tgeezer]

I have several friends that married their caddies.

Not unusual at all in Pattaya.

I mentioned the 'High tip' post to a chap at TB today and he was not surprised, maybe didn't want to appear ignorant. My caddy was incredulous and later, when discussing the 'high rolling' group ahead playing a sort of Nassau with 'presses'which is popular here, plus individual hole side-bets, it came up that 100,000 will change hands and that the caddies, who were all men incidentally, would get a tip of 1000!!! I lost 60Baht on the front and made that the excuse not to treat him to food at the Suum, got back 20 Baht on the back and gave the usual tip.

Edited January 14, 2008 by tgeezer

[tgeezer]

I have several friends that married their caddies.

Not unusual at all in Pattaya.

I wonder if they take-up golf, or as in PG Wodehouse lose interest as soon as they have their man. May be you can take the girl from the 'course' without the fear of the 'course' staying in the girl.

[Pundi64]

Here at Palm Hills, or anywhere else, I will tip my caddie 240 baht. Then for every par add 10 baht, every birdie add 20 baht. After birdie I do not worry too much on a add on baht amount LOL, but I guess if I were to make a hole in one, I'd tip 1000 baht, just because of the pure excitement of doing so.

[chuckd]

I have several friends that married their caddies.

Not unusual at all in Pattaya.

I wonder if they take-up golf, or as in PG Wodehouse lose interest as soon as they have their man. May be you can take the girl from the 'course' without the fear of the 'course' staying in the girl.

Some take the game up, some do not. I have played golf with former caddies that married their regular customers and they all seem to enjoy it.

I have also seen some bar girls that have married regulars and have taken the game up. They are still happily married and golfing together.

You know the old saying...."The family that golfs together, stays together."

[thaihome]

I have several friends that married their caddies.

Not unusual at all in Pattaya.

I have played with literally hundreds of expats in Thailand, I have never meet a single one that married a caddy.

TH

[thaihome]

....I don't play golf, so I can't confirm any of it, ....

TH

[CymruAmByth]

Here at Palm Hills, or anywhere else, I will tip my caddie 240 baht. Then for every par add 10 baht, every birdie add 20 baht. After birdie I do not worry too much on a add on baht amount LOL, but I guess if I were to make a hole in one, I'd tip 1000 baht, just because of the pure excitement of doing so.

Why on earth should the caddies take home pay be determined by how well you play?

Bizarre

[Dr. Burrito]

Here at Palm Hills, or anywhere else, I will tip my caddie 240 baht. Then for every par add 10 baht, every birdie add 20 baht. After birdie I do not worry too much on a add on baht amount LOL, but I guess if I were to make a hole in one, I'd tip 1000 baht, just because of the pure excitement of doing so.

Why on earth should the caddies take home pay be determined by how well you play?

Bizarre

Perhaps because his caddy did more than carry his clubs; course advice and helping read the green come to mind as two reasons.

[chuckd]

I have several friends that married their caddies.

Not unusual at all in Pattaya.

I have played with literally hundreds of expats in Thailand, I have never meet a single one that married a caddy.

TH

We apparently don't run in the same circles.

Are you questioning my veracity?

[thaihome]

No, you said several of your friends married their caddies and it was not unusual in Pattaya. I was just saying what my experience was.

You are probably right, different circles.

In your circle, is it common to “barfine” a caddy for a shag?

In mine, we leave the caddies alone and tend to stop in at the Butterfly Club if that urge has presented itself.

TH

[snowflake]

Since this tread is about tipping I will just say that I usually now tip 120B for nine holes, that makes my caddy happy and they do special things like fix my bloody umbrella, wash my hat and so on... They are also very friendly to me. If I do play 18 holes I usually tip around 240-250 depends on the change in my pocket and if the caddy is doing ok or ok.

When I went to Phuket to play I expected to pay a lot more in tips but they did have a sign with recomended tip (250B for 18 holes) so I usually give that there. Last time however I did give the caddy 500B becuase I was acting as a prick (Very very bad day on the course). I know she got scared a few times and the clubs were flying in several directions among some foul language.

I just want to add that I did appologize to here all the time and blamed my friends that took the mickey out of me...

In the end she was happy- I was happy and everything was good.

Taking my caddy home? would love to but I think my GF would not be so happy about that.

[chuckd]

No, you said several of your friends married their caddies and it was not unusual in Pattaya. I was just saying what my experience was.

You are probably right, different circles.

In your circle, is it common to “barfine” a caddy for a shag?

In mine, we leave the caddies alone and tend to stop in at the Butterfly Club if that urge has presented itself.

TH

It is not common practice for any of us to go out with our caddy. We treat our caddies with respect and tip accordingly.

The Butterfly has served us well over the past 15 years as well.

[Neeranam]

When I went to Phuket to play I expected to pay a lot more in tips but they did have a sign with recomended tip (250B for 18 holes)

Recomended Tip - that's funny. I bet tourists pay that too and the club officials have a good laugh as they don't need to pay them.

Or maybe the caddies wrote it themselves.

Edited January 19, 2008 by Neeranam

[thaihome]

No, you said several of your friends married their caddies and it was not unusual in Pattaya. I was just saying what my experience was.

You are probably right, different circles.

In your circle, is it common to “barfine” a caddy for a shag?

In mine, we leave the caddies alone and tend to stop in at the Butterfly Club if that urge has presented itself.

TH

It is not common practice for any of us to go out with our caddy. We treat our caddies with respect and tip accordingly.

The Butterfly has served us well over the past 15 years as well.

TH

[Pundi64]

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.

200 baht is about right. You pay a caddie fee, the caddie gets most of that less tax on the amount, usually around 250 baht, so they get about 230 of that, then add a tip, so they are making around 430 baht, set on these prices. Now the problem is, when frangs tip huge amounts, the caddies after awhile figure all frangs are ultra rich tipping SOB's, and they expect it.

They get spoiled with the usual fair tip , and it is a tip not a wage, and then act accordingly when you don't tip a huge amount.

Come on people keep it in retrospect, 430-450 or so is a great daily wage for any common worker in Thailand, especially a woman.

Tip high we are making the costs go up in Thailand, so do not complain about higher golf prices.

Edited January 22, 2008 by Pundi64

[Marvo]

OK,

Regarding a golf club's never ending supply of would-be recipients of the rich farang's generosity...

Let's leave the caddies behind for a while and talk about tipping and the girls manning the refreshment kiosks. With 3 or 4 visits to kiosks per round, who is throwing their hard earned cash at each of these lovely ladies? Do you feel mean if you don't?

And there's the waitress who brings you your lunch before the round...

And the waiter who brings you your post round beer.

Oh, and the optomistic looking attendant in the locker room...

Where oh where does it all end?

[Dr. Burrito]

OK,

Regarding a golf club's never ending supply of would-be recipients of the rich farang's generosity...

Let's leave the caddies behind for a while and talk about tipping and the girls manning the refreshment kiosks. With 3 or 4 visits to kiosks per round, who is throwing their hard earned cash at each of these lovely ladies? Do you feel mean if you don't?

And there's the waitress who brings you your lunch before the round...

And the waiter who brings you your post round beer.

Oh, and the optomistic looking attendant in the locker room...

Where oh where does it all end?

You guys are really funny, comparing a Kiosk Bunny to a caddy. Marvelous.

Kiosk Bunny sits behind a counter on her arse when there are no customers, watching bad soap operas or reading some romance novel, whilst the 'caddy' is trudging about the course, following a usually less than competent golfer (me for instance), finding the ball after his errant hits (often wading through brush to do so), cleaning his clubs, holding his umbrella, helping read the greens and in general putting up with less than gentlemanly behavior on a quite frequent occasion (referring to language uttered related to shots, not frisky advances).

The locker room attendant, yeah, that's tough, picking up wet towels and cleaning cleats.

The waitresses at the clubhouse? Well, if they didn't do the usual Thai thing of adding a service charge and she did a great job, then sure, tips are in order. On the other hand, if you have to resort to 'over here,' 'hey you,' and other gyrations to get her attention (no, that will never happen with a waitress), then well, hope she enjoys the company wage, as that is what she will get.

The caddy is in his/her own league if he/she knows her job well. That can be very hit and miss to be certain, but a great caddy, and there are plenty here, add a lot to the game and provide a real value. Those kind professionals who put up with my golf are well deserving of the tip they have earned.

Dr. B

[BangkokBangkok]

hmmm

well... tipping in golf course in Thailand can be a hassle for foreigner.

Easy way.. is like this..

if the Caddy fee is 250.. and tip can be up to 250

The golf course like Thai C.C. or Alpine.. 300 is usual..

[JohanBKK]

And if you don't give any tip ? What's the problem ? Why tip a lot of money like that ? The tip should never be more than 15% of the price.

200 for the caddie then tip 30 baht look's ok. No ?

If they are not happy, then work elsewhere...

[IMA_FARANG]

I usually tip 200 baht, reguardless, but some very interesting points made. Next time I will ask caddy how much of the fee she/he gets and will tip to take money up to 400 baht, so if caddy gets 100 baht after paying booking etc etc, i will tip 300 baht

Good idea.

I don't play golf, so I can't say how much of the tip goes to the caddy and how much must be paid to the head caddy/manager/etc. Don't assume if you give the caddy 200 baht, that she gets to keep it all.

I knew a Thai male, a brother of my Thai G/F. He worked in a food court in BKK bussing tables. The way his tips worked was that all the table cleaners/bussers had to put any tip they got into a jar every shift. At the end of the shift, the tips were devided equally. If there were 5 workers, and the tip total was 1000 baht, then everyone got 200 baht.

And you may not know it, but it is common practice, at least in those "service" jobs, to have to kick back a part of your salary to the head waiter as a "favor" for getting you the job.

I'm not sure if that type of thing happens as a caddy...but I'd be willing to bet it does.

[chuckd]

My understanding is the caddy master generally gets about 30 baht from the fee charged by the club. The caddy gets the rest plus any tip she might receive.

JohanBKK, 15% tip would be an insult. It would be better to give nothing than the silly amount you propose.

[JohanBKK]

I still can't understand why you should pay double price for a simple tip. I have thai friends who only makes 3 000 bahts at month working every day, without any day off.

They don't carry your bag, they use telephones and they don't know too much about golf. They are just here because the golf want it.

200 baht tip is a lot of money for thai people and the job is pretty easy. Sitting and waiting, look people play golf and they don't carry anything. What they do exactly ? They clean all the clubs and your shoes too or just comme with you on the course ? When you play, they clean the bunkers and everything or you need to do it alone ? They know all the rules if you have any question or problem ?

Depends on what they do and how they do, anyway i don't like carry people with me on the course who do nothing. If they are a very good caddies i can understand the 200 baht tip, a very good caddie never take his phone on the course and talk with his friends.

Sorry for this approximative english, french citizen here.

[chuckd]

I still can't understand why you should pay double price for a simple tip. I have thai friends who only makes 3 000 bahts at month working every day, without any day off.

They don't carry your bag, they use telephones and they don't know too much about golf. They are just here because the golf want it.

200 baht tip is a lot of money for thai people and the job is pretty easy. Sitting and waiting, look people play golf and they don't carry anything. What they do exactly ? They clean all the clubs and your shoes too or just comme with you on the course ? When you play, they clean the bunkers and everything or you need to do it alone ? They know all the rules if you have any question or problem ?

Depends on what they do and how they do, anyway i don't like carry people with me on the course who do nothing. If they are a very good caddies i can understand the 200 baht tip, a very good caddie never take his phone on the course and talk with his friends.

Sorry for this approximative english, french citizen here.

Johan:

Perhaps your Thai friends should consider becoming caddies so they can get rich with all the tips. Having said that, there are many days when caddies don't get paid anything. They don't get a golfer if it rains, it's too hot, it's too cold or any number of reasons why they are inactive and, thus unpaid. In my opinion, five hours in the hot sun usually deserves a small stipend from me.

I don't really understand your statement about using the telephone. A caddy never uses her telephone when she is working for me and they understand a lot more about golf than you apparantly do.

Oh, and besides all the reasons one hires a caddy, there is the simple requirement by most golf courses that you MUST take a caddy. No caddy...no play.

By the way, I usually tip 300 baht.

[thaihome]

I still can't understand why you should pay double price for a simple tip. I have thai friends who only makes 3 000 bahts at month working every day, without any day off.

They don't carry your bag, they use telephones and they don't know too much about golf. They are just here because the golf want it.

200 baht tip is a lot of money for thai people and the job is pretty easy. Sitting and waiting, look people play golf and they don't carry anything. What they do exactly ? They clean all the clubs and your shoes too or just comme with you on the course ? When you play, they clean the bunkers and everything or you need to do it alone ? They know all the rules if you have any question or problem ?

Depends on what they do and how they do, anyway i don't like carry people with me on the course who do nothing. If they are a very good caddies i can understand the 200 baht tip, a very good caddie never take his phone on the course and talk with his friends.

Sorry for this approximative english, french citizen here.

Don't know where you play, but I have never had a caddie use her/his phone on course or not rake a bunker.

Sounds to me like you ignore your caddy and she/he is just reciprocating your attitude.

TH

[JohanBKK]

I asked because a member of this forum is saying a caddie used her phone on the course, walk around and don't take care of the clubs, don't clean anything... if they do everything, the 100 to 200 baht tip sounds ok to me, but if they just follow you and do nothing...

I have never played golf in Thailand on the course for the moment, i ask before go for don't make any mistakes. Anyway, i would like to tip the thai tip and not the farang tip.

If have too many caddies on the same course it's the golf and the caddies problem i think. 300 caddies for only 200 customers max per day... for what ? 100 people for nothing. Is mean they are very good paid because just work 15 days per month is enough to them. And sitting on the sun is not really a problem for me, get paid to sitting on the sun... oh sorry, they are not paid when they sitting... but they sitting because there is too many caddies.

300 baht tip is an insult, add 150 baht from the price, the normal salary of people who work in the farms is under 250 bahts per day and the job is really more difficult. What i should do if i work on the farm and get a salary who is only 250 bahts per day, if i want play golf i should tip 300+150 = 450 bahts ? Because i'm a farang i should tip 300 ? If they want 450 bahts for a caddie they just need to raise the price of the caddie... and stop the problem.

[southerndown]

Caddys in Thailand expect a tip of 200 baht. If you give them 100 they will not be happy. Yes it's stupid but TiT.

They expect 200 from farang 100 from thai

[southerndown]

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

Thais tip higher when playing with farang. Get to know some ordinary thais, then you'll undestand

[JohanBKK]

What the normal thai tip in a normal country golf club for thais who play with thais ?

[IraqRon]

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.....

Go to work for ChuckD, he seems to like to give it away.