Thai Caddies Suffering from Lack of Golfers

By Mike Bridge

 

 

With the start of this year’s Amazing Thailand Caddie Championships, many top caddies are competing at various courses, to reach this year’s grand final in September at Laem Chabang.

 

Normally this annual event is held all across the country, however this year the tour has been reduced to just a few rounds.

Since the start of the Covid 19, many golf clubs in Thailand have seen their income dramatically reduced.

 

This has also had a knock-on effect with the club’s caddies, many who are now struggling to make ends meet.

 

25,000- 30,000 Thai Caddies

 

With over 250 golf courses across Thailand, it is estimated that there are approximately 25,000- 30,000 mostly female caddies in the industry.

 

According to Thai superstar Thongchai Jaidee, “He believes caddies are the secret weapon, which is why so many golf vacationers have loved to come to Thailand in the past.

 

I personally remember when I first came on a golfing holiday in the 90’s, trying to explain to the receptionist at Red Mountain, that I probably was not up to scratch to actually need a caddie…. but was told that was the norm. 

 

Well as a tourist, having a pretty Thai caddie for me was a new experience, which made our round even more memorable, and actually improved my game.

 

Sure, local expats often comment on why caddies are compulsory, especially as those with shrinking pensions, need to look after their spending. 

 

That said, golf tourism has always played a major part in attracting large numbers of foreigners with overseas currency, partly due to the number of excellent courses and also because of the smiling Thai Caddies.

 

Families Effected

 

Meanwhile whole families rely on their local golf club for employment, including maintenance staff, receptionists, F& B staff and of course caddies.

 

Having played a few rounds recently, many of the caddies working around the Chonburi region, have said they are lucky if they get three customers a week. 

 

With no actual salary, they just get a percentage of the caddie fee and any tips given by the golfer. That can mean they are lucky if they see THB2,000 a week.

 

That is not enough to make ends meet, which means many experienced caddies are being forced to look elsewhere to earn a living.

 

Recently there have been reports of golf clubs closing with up to 300 caddies losing their jobs overnight. No job is safe anymore.

 

It takes golf clubs up to a month to train a caddie, and therefore it will be very difficult in the future for clubs to find locals willing to join them as a caddie.

 

I can hear some of you says great, now I can play a round without a caddie!

 

But surely a bigger percentage of us, will still want to book a caddie. Not only to read the greens or to clean our clubs, but to also enjoy the camaraderie too.

 

Certainly, from survey’s taken by travel agents in the past, their customers love to book Thai caddies.

 

The golf clubs, travel companies and the Tourism Authority of Thailand are all keeping fingers crossed that eventually the 500,000 golf vacationers will return in 2021, but it maybe just too late for many of these Thai Caddies.

 

 

 

Thailand again is not moving with the times.
With many country's X-rates being higher years ago and lower salaries, having a caddy was not an issue. Today the caddy fee plus caddy tip easily adds THB 700 - 800 to a round, and today golf in Thailand is not cheap. With many courses also making carts compulsory the cost of a round at most courses is over THB 3000. Compare that to the cost of playing in Europe or USA, the result is less rounds.

Also clubs often fail to provide golfer satisfaction. If you play at a new course you are on a wing and a prayer, many times I have been given a caddy who neither smiles or provides " camaraderie ". Having to pay for that then spoils the round and does not make you rush back.
Make caddies and carts voluntary, the Koreans and Japanese will use both as they find golf here cheap. Those that want to pull their own bags can do so, and I am sure it would increase the number of rounds played.

Doesn't help when courses around Pattaya advertise half-price green fees -- for Thais only.

Let me guess. Create a petition, present to the government and appeal for help (cash, soft-loans and debt relief). That's what everyone else is doing.

The cost of golf here compared to what I was paying in the UK is exhorbitant, especially when you consider how cheap land and labour are in Thailand. Add caddy fees and tip to the expensive round and it puts golf in the luxury catagory for many people here. I only play once in a blue moon and then only on the cheaper navy courses. If the cost of the round was cheaper, then I'm sure people would play more often. Maybe also think of the owners reducing the caddy fee and waving their cut of it. The compulsory carts are another turn off, part of the reason I play is to keep fit and you can't achieve that by sitting on your backside in a cart.

I'm not versed in golf lore, but is it normal to have over 100 caddies per course?

3 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

I'm not versed in golf lore, but is it normal to have over 100 caddies per course?

Some have over 300 full/part time.

In High Season some courses would have had well over a 100 rounds played a day.

22 hours ago, Thaivisa Golf said:

Having played a few rounds recently, many of the caddies working around the Chonburi region, have said they are lucky if they get three customers a week.

This is not unusual at this time of year in normal times. If the OP has been playing golf here for the last few years they would know this.

At the moment it is far worse and many caddies I speak to often are lucky to get 1 round per week.

 

19 minutes ago, jesimps said:

The compulsory carts are another turn off, part of the reason I play is to keep fit and you can't achieve that by sitting on your backside in a cart.

Around Pattaya there are more courses where you can choose then have compulsory carts. Generally it is only the upper end/higher priced courses that make them compulsory - but you knew that...........

52 minutes ago, dcsw53 said:

With many courses also making carts compulsory the cost of a round at most courses is over THB 3000.

Whilst not disagreeing with your other comments this statement is basically untrue - -see above. (or you are choosing the wrong courses.....)

 

I have not paid more than 1500 all in other than playing at Burapha once since golf resumed some months ago.

Edited August 8, 20205 yr by topt

43 minutes ago, jesimps said:

The cost of golf here compared to what I was paying in the UK is exhorbitant

Go back to the UK. I loved golf in Thailand. I don't really care for it in the US, hated it in Australia and probably wouldn't like it in the UK.

Why I have to play golf to help the caddies but can not run the marathon.

Is this not a bit hypocrtical?

23 hours ago, Thaivisa Golf said:

 

It takes golf clubs up to a month to train a caddie

Well, I should follow their training then. I am a 26 and sometimes do not know what club to play.

On 8/7/2020 at 1:02 PM, Thaivisa Golf said:

It takes golf clubs up to a month to train a caddie

That was the other point I meant to pick out from the OP.

One of the issues is a lot of courses don't spend much time training their caddies. I have played where colleagues have had caddies with less than one months experience and pretty much no idea at all. This is where I agree with posters who say it is an unnecessary cost. If this is an issue for you then you should try and make sure your caddie has at least 2 years experience (although still no guarantee) - and yes you can normally specify when you unload your bag. 

1 hour ago, KKr said:

Well, I should follow their training then. I am a 26 and sometimes do not know what club to play.

As to being able to "club" you it would take most caddies at least a round to have much of an idea unless you are very consistent. You should know roughly how far you hit your respective clubs.

5000 thb green fees + 1000thb expected caddy tip here in phuket....And they wonder why no one wants to play anymore........

Oh not many foreigners!? 

Too bad the local golfers are very cheap tippers, if at all

Somnumnaaaaaaaa

If golf is important to you, but you don't like the way things are here, go somewhere else. Philippines is a lot of fun, but for me I've always found Thailand the most enjoyable place in the world to play.

9 hours ago, dcsw53 said:

Thailand again is not moving with the times.
With many country's X-rates being higher years ago and lower salaries, having a caddy was not an issue. Today the caddy fee plus caddy tip easily adds THB 700 - 800 to a round, and today golf in Thailand is not cheap. With many courses also making carts compulsory the cost of a round at most courses is over THB 3000. Compare that to the cost of playing in Europe or USA, the result is less rounds.

Also clubs often fail to provide golfer satisfaction. If you play at a new course you are on a wing and a prayer, many times I have been given a caddy who neither smiles or provides " camaraderie ". Having to pay for that then spoils the round and does not make you rush back.
Make caddies and carts voluntary, the Koreans and Japanese will use both as they find golf here cheap. Those that want to pull their own bags can do so, and I am sure it would increase the number of rounds played.

 

But in EU you can hardly take away the caddie when you go back home, right ?

 

????

 

 

I wonder why people think the courses are not lowering their prices or make caddies not mandatory. They probably calculated it did not think it was viable or even a good idea. To think that the owners never thought about it.. or calculated it. They want to make money so if they were convinced it could be done prices would be lower. 

 

Why do people always seem to assume business owners don't know what they are doing. So far the most business owners i see failing are foreigners (in Thailand).

8 hours ago, topt said:

Whilst not disagreeing with your other comments this statement is basically untrue - -see above. (or you are choosing the wrong courses.....)

 

I have not paid more than 1500 all in other than playing at Burapha once since golf resumed some months ago.

Burapha has an all in senior rate now of 1250 b.  Been playing it twice a week.

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

Burapha has an all in senior rate now of 1250 b.  Been playing it twice a week.

Yes unfortunately I played Burapha about 10 days before that offer went live.........

It is a fantastic offer. 

On 8/8/2020 at 2:43 PM, topt said:

That was the other point I meant to pick out from the OP.

One of the issues is a lot of courses don't spend much time training their caddies. I have played where colleagues have had caddies with less than one months experience and pretty much no idea at all. This is where I agree with posters who say it is an unnecessary cost. If this is an issue for you then you should try and make sure your caddie has at least 2 years experience (although still no guarantee) - and yes you can normally specify when you unload your bag. 

As to being able to "club" you it would take most caddies at least a round to have much of an idea unless you are very consistent. You should know roughly how far you hit your respective clubs.

"As to being able to "club" you it would take most caddies at least a round to have much of an idea unless you are very consistent. You should know roughly how far you hit your respective clubs."  Not true. A good caddie should be able to club you after completion of 2 holes. Yesterday I had a caddie with more than 10 years experience at the course, no attempt to club me, would not read greens, never offered any distances. Couldn't even give me the club I asked for, in Thai, on most shots. Just absolutely useless. I've played golf, socially and competitively in BKK, Hua Hin, Chiang Rai, Pattaya and Chiang Mai over the last 6 years. The caddies at Black Mountain were excellent. I was lucky to find an excellent caddy at the army course in BKK, in Chiang Rai they've been useless and I've on found 2 in Chiang Mai that I actually book when playing at their courses. The rest are not properly trained, and I put that down to the person doing the training not knowing the true basics of caddying either. As a retired professional tour caddy I know the basics I require from a caddy viz. ability to club me or at the very least suggest a possible club, to read the greens and give distances, not just to centre of green but also to reach bunkers or water and to carry them. The majority have no idea even though they've been at the course for years.  The one thing I definitely disagree with is a course stipulating the minimum caddy tip as most are not worth that amount.

19 hours ago, topt said:

Yes unfortunately I played Burapha about 10 days before that offer went live.........

It is a fantastic offer. 

Most of the courses in Chiang Mai/Lamphun have higher rates for foreigners, BUT they DO have the same rate as Thais for foreign Thai residents. Just have to show Thai drivers license or pink ID card.

 

4 minutes ago, TigerandDog said:

The one thing I definitely disagree with is a course stipulating the minimum caddy tip as most are not worth that amount.

I am not aware of any courses around Pattaya that do that and did not come across it in Hua Hin?

But yes out of principle that would leave a sour taste

On 8/8/2020 at 11:09 AM, topt said:

Around Pattaya there are more courses where you can choose then have compulsory carts. Generally it is only the upper end/higher priced courses that make them compulsory - but you knew that...........

What also irks is that where carts are not compulsory, you can only have single-use if you need one.

Most Pattaya courses charge 600/700 for a single-use cart. Just means the caddy is the driver

When I moved here in 2001 green fees were affordable everywhere. Now the same course cost nearly 300% more.

As for caddies, I've only ever had 1 bad experience with a caddie. She wouldn't get off her phone, never knew what club was what so I traded her in after the 1st nine.

On 8/9/2020 at 3:54 PM, TigerandDog said:

"As to being able to "club" you it would take most caddies at least a round to have much of an idea unless you are very consistent. You should know roughly how far you hit your respective clubs."  Not true. A good caddie should be able to club you after completion of 2 holes. Yesterday I had a caddie with more than 10 years experience at the course, no attempt to club me, would not read greens, never offered any distances. Couldn't even give me the club I asked for, in Thai, on most shots. Just absolutely useless. I've played golf, socially and competitively in BKK, Hua Hin, Chiang Rai, Pattaya and Chiang Mai over the last 6 years. The caddies at Black Mountain were excellent. I was lucky to find an excellent caddy at the army course in BKK, in Chiang Rai they've been useless and I've on found 2 in Chiang Mai that I actually book when playing at their courses. The rest are not properly trained, and I put that down to the person doing the training not knowing the true basics of caddying either. As a retired professional tour caddy I know the basics I require from a caddy viz. ability to club me or at the very least suggest a possible club, to read the greens and give distances, not just to centre of green but also to reach bunkers or water and to carry them. The majority have no idea even though they've been at the course for years.  The one thing I definitely disagree with is a course stipulating the minimum caddy tip as most are not worth that amount.

This is really not a fair comparison.  Caddies in Thailand are not supposed to be anything like "professional tour caddies."  I'm sure those folks get paid more than 600 bt a round (est. fee/tip).  As for some of your specific complaints, I'd never want a caddie to "club me."  I prefer to decide for myself.  Reading greens?  Basic right or left helps, but the caddie won't know how hard you intend to hit the putt.  Some golfers just want to have someone to blame when they miss.  As for distances, get a range-finder.  Otherwise, you can see for yourself where the yardage markers are...roughly.  As for the course stipulating the minimum tip, I've never seen that in the north, but have seen it on some BKK courses.  Anyways, I like having a caddie around as it improves my golfing experience....usually.     

Bottom line is the caddie program in Thailand is a make work project that the government doesn't have to fund . It is an unfair tax put on golfers because we get little to no value for our money .  I stipulate to the caddy master , no old ladies , no men and the prettier the better because other than a nice woman to look at I find them to be a pain in the ass that I have the added insult of having to pay to have them spend 4 hours with me  .  

They are a pain because more often than not they don't speak a lick of English , have zero interest in their own countries politics , history , culture or geography . After  the "how many babies " and "where you from ? " there is just redundant inanities . I love when they are 50 metres from the hole and tell you 2 cup  qua (right). Newbies go on about how well the caddies can read the greens . <deleted>. After seeing that putt a hundred times she could be at home and you contact her on messenger to show her where you are on the green and they can give you the break . I suggest video on messenger  because she probably can't speak English and there is a very high probabilty she is on Facebook

I golf to enjoy the game and socialize with mates . I don't need to spend time witth illiterate village women who genearally make litlle to no effort to improve themselves in their chosen profession . Yes it is a profession becasue they are receiving a days pay for a leisurely half day of throwing out the occassional , "caddie no good " . |For me it is compounded by physical restrictions as a result of arthritis that necessitates I take a buggy . I have to pay for a caddie to drive my buggy all the while being informed I still have liability for any untoward occurrences . i always tell  them I expect good information from them as they are professional caddies . Funny with their extremely limited English they all seem to understand professiional and 100% of the time they answer "me no professional ". 

 

I could go on at length , from my experiences , on Thai golf courses how we are being ripped off by making caddies mandatory but if you have golfed in Thailand you know the score . Obviously this is IMHO and unlike the evangelical hippocrites looking to interfere in everyone's lives I understand that scores of golfers enjoy  having caddies so making it  voluntary would be a good compromise . 

 

I now golf much less when in Thailand because comparatively speaking, when  you add caddies , the cost is way out of line .  Now that we are in a pandemic the cost is still over the top . I look forward to some well financed group , one day , opening  a course where caddies are optional in Chonburi . I believe it will do well financially . Perhaps a one time honorary membership fee of 500 baht to eastablish it as  a private club . I'm afraid if the exisiting courses tried to go the elective route the community back lash woud be considerable . For those that don't know there is no law requiring golf courses to employ caddies .

 

Before the apologists start their attack let me say I  give the caddie 50 baht after 2 or 3 holes to buy her own drink . 9 times out 10 the money stays in her pocket . I never fault caddies for bad reads on greens and I tip 300 baht at the end of the round . I treat them with respect and they never know that I would really prefer to not have a caddie .  Usually I get a jai dee (good heart) at some point in the round ; sometimes after an ignorant Falang is strongly rebuking a caddies poor read when in fact he is a <deleted>ty putter . 

 

I would wager courses would see more rounds if caddies were optional .

9 hours ago, smylee52 said:

Bottom line is the caddie program in Thailand is a make work project that the government doesn't have to fund . It is an unfair tax put on golfers because we get little to no value for our money .  I stipulate to the caddy master , no old ladies , no men and the prettier the better because other than a nice woman to look at I find them to be a pain in the ass that I have the added insult of having to pay to have them spend 4 hours with me  .  

They are a pain because more often than not they don't speak a lick of English , have zero interest in their own countries politics , history , culture or geography . After  the "how many babies " and "where you from ? " there is just redundant inanities . I love when they are 50 metres from the hole and tell you 2 cup  qua (right). Newbies go on about how well the caddies can read the greens . <deleted>. After seeing that putt a hundred times she could be at home and you contact her on messenger to show her where you are on the green and they can give you the break . I suggest video on messenger  because she probably can't speak English and there is a very high probabilty she is on Facebook

I golf to enjoy the game and socialize with mates . I don't need to spend time witth illiterate village women who genearally make litlle to no effort to improve themselves in their chosen profession . Yes it is a profession becasue they are receiving a days pay for a leisurely half day of throwing out the occassional , "caddie no good " . |For me it is compounded by physical restrictions as a result of arthritis that necessitates I take a buggy . I have to pay for a caddie to drive my buggy all the while being informed I still have liability for any untoward occurrences . i always tell  them I expect good information from them as they are professional caddies . Funny with their extremely limited English they all seem to understand professiional and 100% of the time they answer "me no professional ". 

 

I could go on at length , from my experiences , on Thai golf courses how we are being ripped off by making caddies mandatory but if you have golfed in Thailand you know the score . Obviously this is IMHO and unlike the evangelical hippocrites looking to interfere in everyone's lives I understand that scores of golfers enjoy  having caddies so making it  voluntary would be a good compromise . 

 

I now golf much less when in Thailand because comparatively speaking, when  you add caddies , the cost is way out of line .  Now that we are in a pandemic the cost is still over the top . I look forward to some well financed group , one day , opening  a course where caddies are optional in Chonburi . I believe it will do well financially . Perhaps a one time honorary membership fee of 500 baht to eastablish it as  a private club . I'm afraid if the exisiting courses tried to go the elective route the community back lash woud be considerable . For those that don't know there is no law requiring golf courses to employ caddies .

 

Before the apologists start their attack let me say I  give the caddie 50 baht after 2 or 3 holes to buy her own drink . 9 times out 10 the money stays in her pocket . I never fault caddies for bad reads on greens and I tip 300 baht at the end of the round . I treat them with respect and they never know that I would really prefer to not have a caddie .  Usually I get a jai dee (good heart) at some point in the round ; sometimes after an ignorant Falang is strongly rebuking a caddies poor read when in fact he is a <deleted>ty putter . 

 

I would wager courses would see more rounds if caddies were optional .

Very well stated, you state what many of us feel and have encountered over the years.

 

King Naga course in it's previous name as Rayong Country Club (Ok not technically Chonburi, but near enough) ran a low-season promotion some years back where caddies were optional.

Our group (16 or more every week) played there a few times, until the promotion was suddenly scrapped after about a month.

Could see it coming, the caddies scowling at us as we walked/drove to the 1st tee without them.

And our scores stayed the same as when we had to use caddies.

On 8/8/2020 at 12:40 PM, KKr said:

I am a 26 and sometimes do not know what club to play.

If your caddie's training involved watching films of Brooks Koepka, then she doesn't know either....