Retired DP World Tour caddy Sean Russell on what caddies get up to between events
Every Thursday we watch the DP World Tour on TV, but have you ever wondered what the caddies get up to between the last putt on Sunday and the first tee shot?
First off, we pack our player’s travel bag – in goes the giant tour bag; three pairs of shoes; any boxes of balls we haven’t snaffled for ourselves; and all their training aids – of which there are many weird and wonderful ones on tour (perhaps a topic for the future). The first time you do it, it takes ages. After a few months, you’re like a Formula 1 pit crew.
Then it’s off for one of the 60-80 flights we take every year. You’ll always find trainers and spare shirts in a seasoned caddy’s hand luggage just in case the bags go missing – an inevitability at some point during a long season.
Assuming all goes well, you’ll end up at the next venue on Sunday night or Monday morning. The first thing you do Monday morning is collect the yardage book. These aren’t the average books you’ll find in the club shop, they’re specifically created for that week’s tournament by Dion Stephens, an Australian lad.
The Book is the caddy’s bible. The level of detail – run outs, carries, lines off tees etc – has to be seen to be believed. Some caddies buy their own book and one for their player, while some players buy them. Caddies prefer to work for players in the latter category.
Then it’s off to your brand’s tour truck – part workshop, part equipment store, part lounge. Here we’ll pick up three dozen balls, four gloves, and any new shoes or clubs our player has ordered.
These all go straight in the locker ahead of the player’s arrival. That’s also a topic for another time – some players are very, very particular about how these are organised. I can’t stress it enough just how particular some guys are!
Ideally, your player turns up and wants to play nine holes. That means they’ll play the other nine on Tuesday so you don’t have to get there at silly o’clock to get out before the snails who play their interminable practice rounds mid-morning.
Practice rounds are so important for player and caddy. A lot of time is spent around the greens. Here we’re looking at where the best misses are; where they are likely to put the flags; and where we want to play to certain pin positions – 30ft short might be better than 10ft long for example.
While that work is still done, more and more decisions are being made based on stats, using systems like Eduardo Molinari’s StatisticGolf or Scott Fawcett’s DECADE system.
Wednesday is pro am day. Personally, I always liked them – mainly because they were preferable to divot-watching on the range. They’re also an extra practice round and you get some great groups, though your player never wants to win one as that means having to go to the prize giving!
Then all of a sudden, it’s Thursday and you’re teeing it up again – though there’s always a little voice reminding you it’s only four days until you pack up and start all over.
