Caddies are no doubt the unsung heroes of the golfing world. No other staff member spends as much time with members and guests as a caddie will do. Having a great caddie can make a golfer's experience, offering guidance, insight, and companionship on the course. Having been a caddie and caddie master myself at 2 of the top clubs in the UK, I’ve seen firsthand how critical the role of a caddie can be.
For over a decade, I’ve been deeply involved in the world of caddie services, from caddying myself to helping manage caddie programs. Over this time, I’ve spoken with hundreds of caddie service managers, each facing unique challenges yet sharing common concerns. This year, being based in Bangkok, I’ve dedicated myself to understanding the intricacies of caddie service departments at some of Asia’s finest golf clubs, with many on site visits throughout the year.. Through my discovery of this, it’s clear that the way Asian caddie services are managed are undergoing a major transformation.
A new approach to managing caddie services has emerged.
I’ve been fortunate to be on both sides of the ropes, as a caddie and caddie manager at Castlerock G.C in Ireland, and Kingsbarns Golf Links in Scotland.
Across the hundreds of caddie service departments I’ve encountered, certain practices remain prevalent. Many clubs still rely on group chats—like LINE or WhatsApp—for communication between caddies and their caddie masters. Specific caddie requests typically funnel through the pro shop before being relayed to the caddie master, who must then also consult a rota system to ensure fair distribution of jobs. But what seems to be the problem with this method? Well, let’s get into it.
When I dived into the actual process of managing specific requests for caddies by members, I saw that there were many hours each week of internal communication through Line (or other group chats) to arrange this.
This repetitive scheduling process is no doubt time-consuming, often taking hours out of the day for pro shop staff and caddie managers. They typically found themselves bogged down by contacting the caddie master and then replying to members to let them know which caddie is available. Overall, the cost of this I am seeing is 100’s of hours the pro shop and caddie master are dedicating to jobs that are repetitive and hold no return on investment for the club, leaving less time to focus on enhancing the member and guest experience.
Many pro shops and caddie masters complete the same repetitive caddie scheduling each day through line and communicating with caddiemaster.
Fortunately, a new way of managing caddie services has already taken root in the UK and the US, and it’s beginning to make waves in Asia. Clubs are adopting specialised systems designed to streamline the caddie management process, drastically reducing the time spent on administrative tasks.
When I began my caddying journey in 2015, such systems were virtually non-existent. Now, they are helping clubs achieve up to a 75% reduction in the time required to manage caddie services. The key to this efficiency lies in a shift in philosophy: rather than having pro shop staff or caddie managers track down caddies’ availability, these systems empower caddies to manage their own schedules via mobile apps. They can set their availability, accept jobs, and handle requests directly through the app. While there are more nuances to these systems, the impact is undeniable. I’ve already observed a significant difference in several of Thailand’s top golf clubs, where these solutions are being adopted.
The success of these systems is evident in clubs like Laguna Phuket, managed by Director of Golf, Darren Robson. Darren shares his experience, saying:
“We are currently using this service at Laguna Phuket, thereby streamlining the caddie booking process. Rather than manually calling each caddie, each caddie signs up for an account on the Handicaddie app, then gets a notification on their phone alerting them of any caddie booking request, which saves a lot of work for the caddie master.”
Asian clubs that are leading the way are utilising a system called Handicaddie, which I’ve designed based on my years of experience in this field. We are now trusted by 20 of the world’s finest venues as a software service for caddie managers and pro shops, with over 3,000 caddies using our system at venues such as British Open host Royal Liverpool, Thai Country Club and Laguna Phuket.
If you'd like to find out more about this new way to manage caddie services, I warmly welcome you to contact me at graham@handicaddie.com, or visit handicaddie.com for a demonstration!
Graham Curry is the CEO of Handicaddie, a tool designed specifically for caddie programme management. Handicaddie is trusted by 20 golf clubs and 3000 caddies for communication of job opportunities.