7 Tips to Play Golf in Thailand with a Caddie
In many countries, golfers used to play without caddies but in Thailand, it is compulsory in the package price, how do you think about the advantages and disadvantages if you have a caddie with you? The good things are that you will not have to carry or push your own bag and take out the club you want, read the greens, mark your ball, and can blame someone else if you miss a putt or shank one into the trees, sand dunes…However, without a caddie, you have to do all your own and just put blame yourself for wrong short
Here are 7 ways in which you can have the most enjoyable experience on the golf course and play your best golf…with a caddie?
1. Make acquaintance with your caddie
First and most importantly, make acquaintance with your caddie quickly, create a friendly environment such as asking your caddie name, smiling and tell her you’re going to have a great day with her
2. Test Caddy on the greens
Put your caddy to the test on the greens at the start. Figure out early on if your Thailand golf caddie is any good at reading greens. Take her to the putting green if you have time and ask her to read a couple of practice puts for you. Accept her early reads and see how she does. If she is not so accurate, take it easy and laugh about it and make a mental note to rely more on your own judgment for the rest of the round.
3. Never blame your caddie
Don’t play the blame game! Never blame your caddie for a poor shot, bad read, or incorrect club selection. At the end of the day, they always do their best, and remember, if you were that good then I am sure you wouldn’t need to rely on her anyway. We have all seen high handicappers on the course who seem to enjoy taking out their bad shots on their caddies for what they considered to be bad information, so let’s do our best to not become one of them as it doesn’t do anyone any good and let’s be honest, they always end up looking like the fool anyway.
4. Don’t drive a golf cart here
You shouldn’t insist to drive a golf cart in Thailand, this will cause trouble for caddies, golf courses ensure the carts in the good condition that only the caddies drive them. I’m sure they are right in some aspects, they’ve seen too many of those golf-fail videos in real life.
5. Learn your caddie’s language
Learn your caddie’s language and comprehend what your caddy means. To put this into perspective from my personal experience, a common misunderstanding is where they say a putt is “left”, it does not mean it will go right, what they really mean is it is “left to right”. Often, the caddie will signal this with a hand gesture, so it’s important to work this out if you want to have any chance of holding a putt!
6. Be happy with your caddie
Be always happy with your caddie, If after nine holes, you’d like to change your caddie, don’t be shy to do it, say thank you, and give her half a tip
Once you find one that you especially like at a golf course, make sure to get a caddie number (order number, not phone number). That way, you can make sure that you will have the pleasure of her company the next time you play thereby requesting her in advance.
7. Remember to tip the caddie
Always tip fairly. The typical tip for a round is 300-400 Thai Baht (around $15), however, you may give more if your caddy exceeded your expectations, or indeed if you’re feeling generous. Your caddie will certainly appreciate it and will look forward to seeing you again in the near future.
