Playing with a caddie means a caddie from the golf course carries or manages your bag and helps with yardages, putting lines and more. If you usually play without one, Southeast Asia will feel different: in Indonesia and Thailand, it is normal for every player to have their own caddie. Working well with your caddie speeds up play and can help your score, but choosing the club, making the stroke and making decisions under the Rules remain your job from start to finish.
How caddie golf in Southeast Asia differs
If you are used to carrying your own bag or driving your own cart, caddie golf in the region works quite differently.
| Where self-play is the norm | Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) | |
|---|---|---|
| Usual way to play | No caddie; players carry, push a trolley or drive a cart | With a caddie |
| Number of caddies | Caddies, if any, are booked separately | Usually one caddie per player |
| Caddie’s role | Not applicable for most rounds | Looks after one player for the whole round |
In Malaysia and Singapore, some courses have no caddies and players drive their own carts, and at others a caddie is optional. Rules differ from course to course even within the same country, so check when you book. For a look at how demanding the job is, see 5 facts about golf caddies.
What you can ask your caddie to do
- Carry your bag or load it on the cart, and bring the clubs you need to your ball.
- Give you the yardage, the wind and where the hazards are.
- Advise you on club selection and where to aim.
- Watch where your ball goes and help you look for it.
- Mark, lift and clean your ball on the green. Under the Rules since 2019, your caddie may mark and lift your ball on the putting green without your specific permission.
- Read the putting line (the break and the grain).
- Repair ball marks, rake bunkers, take care of divots and attend the flagstick.
- Help fill in your scorecard.
What you must do yourself
The Rules of Golf separate what a caddie may help with from what the player must do personally. It is worth knowing even in a friendly round.
- The final decision is yours: you can discuss club and target with your caddie, but you decide and you hit. If the caddie’s read is wrong, do not blame them; that is basic etiquette.
- You decide whether to take relief: your caddie can suggest taking relief, but the decision is yours, and you must drop or place the ball yourself.
- A caddie may replace your ball only if the caddie lifted it: if your caddie lifted your ball on the green, the caddie may put it back. If you lifted it, you put it back.
- Do not let your caddie stand behind you once you take your stance: from the moment you begin taking your stance until you make the stroke, your caddie must not stand on or close to an extension of your line of play behind the ball to help you line up. Some caddies in Southeast Asia stand behind you out of habit and good intentions, so ask them to step away before you take your stance.
- Only ask your own caddie for advice: in competitions, you cannot ask another player or their caddie which club they used.
- Check your own score: even if your caddie helps fill in the card, you are responsible for handing in the correct score. Check your strokes hole by hole.
Communicating with your caddie in simple English
Caddies in Southeast Asia usually understand the English commonly used in golf. Short phrases with clear numbers and key words work best. Avoid long sentences, slang and idioms, and say numbers slowly.
| What you want | Simple phrase |
|---|---|
| Distance to the flag | How far to the pin? |
| Distance to the middle of the green | How far to the middle of the green? |
| A specific club | Seven iron, please. |
| Two clubs to choose from | Can you bring two clubs? |
| Which way the putt breaks | Which way does it break? |
| Uphill or downhill | Is it uphill or downhill? |
| Help finding your ball | Can you help me find my ball? |
| Cleaning your ball | Can you clean my ball, please? |
| Flagstick out or in | Take the pin out, please. / Leave the pin in, please. |
| Not standing behind you | Please don’t stand behind me when I set up. |
Most courses give distances in yards, but some use meters. On the first hole, check whether the distances your caddie gives are in yards or meters. Pointing and holding up fingers for numbers also helps. Saying thank you in the local language is always appreciated: “Terima kasih” in Indonesian or Malay, and “Khop khun kha” (said by women) or “Khop khun khrap” (said by men) in Thai.
Etiquette for a good round with your caddie
- Greet your caddie and ask their name at the start. Using their name makes it easier to ask for help during the round.
- Tell them your ball brand and number before you tee off. It helps when searching and avoids mix-ups with your partners’ balls.
- Count your clubs together. Counting before the round and after the last hole helps you notice a club left behind.
- Do not take your bad shots out on your caddie. Yardages and reads are guidance; you are the one who hit the shot.
- Watch out for the heat. Your caddie is walking in the same sun. When you take a drink break, think about your caddie as well as yourself.
- Follow your caddie’s instructions when the lightning siren sounds. Your caddie knows the way to the nearest shelter.
- Check the tipping custom in advance. Many countries and courses have a custom of tipping caddies, but how and what to give differs by course and region. Ask when you book or at the front desk so you are not unsure on the day.
On the greens, do not leave everything to your caddie; repair your own ball marks too and follow etiquette around the green. Basic etiquette is covered in golf etiquette for beginners. You can search for courses with caddies on GoGolf.