What’s it like to be a golf caddie in Thailand?

[ASEAN NOW Golf]

What’s it like to be a golf caddie in Thailand?

 

Following on from last week’s article about how us golfers can get the most out of our caddie experience, we thought we’d give the caddie’s a chance to have their say and dive a little deeper into the whole Thailand caddie experience. We asked a few caddies why they put up with us hackers on a daily basis.

First up, we asked K. Tun of Thana City Golf Course what she enjoys most about being a caddie:

 

“I like to work in the service industry and like to talk to people of all nationalities as it enables me able to learn many languages. Golf is a sport that provides both knowledge and ability and we can develop it by ourselves. Being a caddy is an amazing career, it can develop me in all areas such as communication. It is a service that is very respectable, is a career that helps me to earn money in a short space of time and I don’t have to do all day which means that I have time to go to do more jobs.

 

I like this career very much, I can make golfers smile and help golfers to play with good scores and learn more from golfers about how they play and what they like and enjoy. I can improve every day and I hope that I can become a golfer in the future too”.

 

 

K. Tun, Caddy #195 at Thana City Golf Club

 

Second up is K. Kaew of Green Valley Golf Club, this is what she had to say about why she chose the career of being a golf caddie:

 

“I came in as a caddy as a recommendation from friend. In truth, I didn’'t know much about what a caddy’s job is until I started and learning it for me, was not an easy task. At the beginning I had to be very patient. There were times when I went out of character and struggled to cope with the pressure but for sure I knew I didn't want to quit being a caddy. With my patience and persistence, I never gave up and today I love being a caddy.

 

Read more: https://www.foremanagement.com/blog-news-press/2020/4/9/whats-it-like-to-be-a-golf-caddie-in-thailand

 

 

-- Copyright Fore Management Group

[ChipButty]

Please stop checking your watch all the time, caddy. It's distracting!

This isn't a watch, Sir, its a compass!

[fulhamster]

34 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Please stop checking your watch all the time, caddy. It's distracting!

This isn't a watch, Sir, its a compass!

It's not a watch, it's my phone.

 

[AndyAndyAndy]

Yep, these quotes in article seem like they just came from mouth of minimal wage worker with 4 years of school who pushes a cart all day. 

[ehs818]

I had a gf 4 years back when I lived in Chiang Mai. She was a caddy. Some days there was work, more days than that there was no work. No work equals no pay. She'd spend all day in the waiting que for a golfer and get none and get no money. It's not glamorous or fun. It's hot work, outdoors, and the tips can amount to very little.

[AgMech Cowboy]

5 hours ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

Yep, these quotes in article seem like they just came from mouth of minimal wage worker with 4 years of school who pushes a cart all day. 

I just couldn't resist this one. So you base your interpretation of ability on the educational system that one has completed? You, then, are missing so many intelligent, gifted people. Sure, the cream always rises to the top, right????

[tandor]

9 minutes ago, ehs818 said:

I had a gf 4 years back when I lived in Chiang Mai. She was a caddy. Some days there was work, more days than that there was no work. No work equals no pay. She'd spend all day in the waiting que for a golfer and get none and get no money. It's not glamorous or fun. It's hot work, outdoors, and the tips can amount to very little.

..plus being hit on constantly from those little 4'8" tossers.

[topt]

49 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

I just couldn't resist this one. So you base your interpretation of ability on the educational system that one has completed? You, then, are missing so many intelligent, gifted people. Sure, the cream always rises to the top, right????

So his analogy, whatever, may have not been well chosen but most would have understood the point he was trying to make - which was nothing about the caddie's actual abilities.....????

[scoupeo]

I know some caddies making a lot of money, but of course they are not the usual useless idiots that you find at most places. They are caddies who know how to play gold and suggest players...

But hard to find, always booked, you might have never met any !

 

 

[BadBouy]

I play at 5 different courses in Chiang Mai, only one one regularly. I have a great caddy there for years now. She works often 2-3 rounds (now 1-2) per day, rarely takes a day off. She also operates a good size road side convenience stand. I do not know how she does it. She is great with distances and decent with reading the greens. I taught her how to read grain and slope, also to be careful who she offers green reading to as they will hod her responsible for their bad putting. I carry a laser and when I first got it checked her for a couple rounds here and there she was always with in a couple yards. Never bothered with the laser after that.   

 

 The other places I play are hit or miss. Some have given me their line address to check for booking but like you said they are mostly booked by their regular clients. From my experience good ones are few, fair amount of decent ones 50% are clueless, if they are personable that's ok with me. I like to walk but prefer not to drag the bag so it a win win for me.

[Pilot3Boz]

I have played at many courses in Thailand, I have had some very poor caddies, maybe 10%... I have had good caddies, most struggle in reading the greens fall into that category ~40%... I have also had some outstanding caddies... 3 of which are at my home course... I call 2 of them my regular caddies, both are high quality caddies, great skills, understand the game, understand my game after a few rounds... Both can read a green with the best of them... I find them both enjoyable to have with me.. They make my rounds more fun... Now with that all said, I know they struggle to get constant work as stated above... High season they do fine, low season not so much... Lucky to get 3 rounds a week... Hard work for them when they do work, especially if they have to walk, add some high heat and humidity under the sun... Or even better a heavy rain... Not fun for them... But they always smile and make my round pleasant and enjoyable...

   We always take a buggy which makes them happy right of the 1st tee... I tip them well as they earn it in the ability to add value... I even get them more involved by adding bonus of 20B for par, 100B for birdie and 200B for an eagle, talk about increased effort spent reading the greens.... Fun times when they get the bonus, the other caddies get jealous, I have gotten other golfers playing with me to match the bonus and that really makes their day....  The life of the caddie isn't all glamour and fun, its an honest days work that requires effort and skills to be a good to great caddie... 

[action]

I only have 2 amusing stories to share,  I haven't golfed in years.

1),  When I first came here I went golfing with a business owner sleaze bag and he told me if my caddy tickles the inside of my palm while handing me my club or ball it means she wants to go have a <deleted> in the bushes.  I laughed it off and then during the 18 holes this guy was all over the 4 caddies like he was in a gogo bar.  He was the one with tickle hands.  The girls mostly laughed it off too but he was 100% focused on trying to get any one of them to go for a romp in the weeds.  I wonder how often they have to put up with this.   I later shared this story with my wife and we both still give a tickle on the other's palm if we're feeling frisky, usually more as a joke, in funny situations.   

 

2),  I was with a group and all three of them were off in the weeds looking for a ball behind the green.  I was on the green with all 4 caddies who had putters ready.  One caddie dropped the ball and one hand putted it at least 10 meters into the cup.  A second caddie dropped a ball and also one hand putted a very long putt right into the cup.  I looked at them like, <deleted>? and they simply said, "We're here everyday".  

 

Best,

 

[ASEAN NOW Golf]

Caddies are part of golf here in the kingdom......some will always grumble that they prefer to play solo and those attitudes will never change.

 

The vast majority of locals and expats here in Thailand however enjoy having their greens read and their clubs cleaned, and the golf clubs need their caddies to repair the divots after we have hacked our way round 18 holes.

 

An even big plus, is the fact that surveys show that one of the top reasons golf vactioners prefer Thailand to other golf destinations, is they really like to be pampered by the smiling Thai caddies.

 

It is tough work for them, not just because they have to haul your bag around 18 holes in the heat or during a tropical downpour, but many a day they will wait at the club for a customer, and still they get no money when no one turns up. 

 

 

[BTB1977]

I dont golf, but a few friends of mine do. They go through the caddies like water. The caddies make as much if not more than the best bar girls.  Alot have homes and cars given to them by love stricken putters.  They know that if the farang golfer can afford to golf , they can afford to have fun with them. Better than the cheap Charlie setting on the bar stool all day. 

[trucking]

On 8/12/2020 at 2:06 AM, ehs818 said:

I had a gf 4 years back when I lived in Chiang Mai. She was a caddy. Some days there was work, more days than that there was no work. No work equals no pay. She'd spend all day in the waiting que for a golfer and get none and get no money. It's not glamorous or fun. It's hot work, outdoors, and the tips can amount to very little.

I dated a girl who worked in a snooker hall once. She was a bit on the short side so after a red , the ball to go for was not the black but the blue since it forced her to bend over the table in the most provocative way to re-spot it. Never forget that wonderful view of her on tip toes at a right angle