Professional Caddies in the USA work on the PGA Tour, The PGA Champions Tour, The Korn Ferry Tour, The LPGA Tour, and The Epson Tour.

In Europe, Professional Caddies work mainly on The DP World Tour, The Challenge Tour and The European Ladies Tour. Other major Tours are The Mackenzie Tour in Canada, The Asian Tour, The Japan Tour, and The Latinoamerican Tour.

Professional caddieing is open to men and women of all ages.

How easy is it to get a job on a Professional Tour?

If you are just starting out it can be quite difficult to find a job.

Sometimes a Tour player will hire a friend, a relative or a former college golf teammate to caddie.

Previous caddieing experience is a must for most professional caddies but some who are good players themselves might get a “bag” and get to learn on the fly.

The road to the PGA and LPGA Tours for non-exempt players starts with their respective yearly qualifying tournament ( Q-School ), usually held each Fall. This takes place over two stages, a sectional tournament Stage  and a Final Stage. Based on their finish, players get entrance to the PGA or LPGA Tours, or the Korn Ferry or Epson Tours. Finding a “bag” at this level could lead to better opportunities on the “big” Tours.

If you don’t find work at Q-School or you don’t know a player who will take you with them, try the Korn Ferry or Epson Tours if your goal is to caddie on the PGA or LPGA Tour. Show up at an event and ask players if they need a caddie that week. The player parking lot is a good place to hang out. Ask other caddies if they know of any player looking for a caddie. Any success there could translate to the PGA or LPGA Tour if the player qualifies to move up to the PGA or LPGA Tour and takes you with them.

What matters most is building up a reputation as a knowledgeable caddie.

How much money do Tour caddies make?

Caddies are independent contractors. Each player/caddie combo negotiates their individual arrangement.

On the PGA Tour, caddies, on average, usually get a weekly salary of $2000 – $3000. In addition, caddies get 10% of the player’s winnings on a win, 7% on a top ten finish, and 5% if the player makes the cut. Caddies for players not making the cut just get their weekly salary.

The LPGA figures are less, as are those on the Korn Ferry and Epson Tours.

Some caddies can make extra money by wearing a sponsor’s logoed hat.

Most caddies pay all their own expenses – travel, accommodation, food, etc.

Professional caddies work an average of 30 weeks a year.

Expenses on the other Professional Tours are probably about the same but the highest purses are on the PGA and LIV Golf Tours, hence, the opportunity to make more money based on receiving a % of the player’s winnings..

This is just an overview of the Professional Caddie environment. For more info, The Caddie Network website has a very thorough FAQ page entitled

Most frequently asked caddie questions

(Click on the above text link to read the article )

“It takes a long time to learn someone. And that’s the art of caddieing – you have to learn your player,” caddie Ted Scott says.

From caddie Steve Williams

“If caddies are just carrying the bag, then players would just hire a local caddie.”

“Every player requires different things – the most important role is basically getting your man around the course best you can.”

“You have to have the best understanding of the course all the time so you can try to prevent errors.”

“There are always going to be errors, but caddies can give the right information and prevent a lot of errors. But we all know the player hits the shots.”

Research commissioned by HSBC and carried out by Loughborough University, says a good caddie can boost a golfer’s performance by 30% or more.

A caddie’s lament – I’ve never hit a bad shot but I’ve been blamed for a few.