I Caddied for an LPGA Pro for the First Time. Here’s How It Went.
I’ve been watching golf on TV my whole life. I’m a full-time member of the golf media. I played on a Division III collegiate golf team. But I had never imagined caddying in a professional event.
On Monday, I was thrown into the fire.
A couple of weeks ago, Brianna Do—who I became friends with back in December at Superstition Mountain, an LPGA hotspot in Gold Canyon, Ariz.—asked me whether I wanted to loop for her at the LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup Monday qualifier. Do, known by her peers as “Bri,” turned pro in 2012 after a stellar four years of NCAA golf at UCLA. She has conditional status on Tour this year, so the occasional Monday qualifier is a reality.
I had only one question before jumping at the unique opportunity, though I didn’t exactly phrase it as such: “My only thought is that I might die carrying your staff bag,” I promptly replied to Bri’s text in which she offered up the job.
“Oh, I’ll have a stand bag!” she wrote back.
That was all I needed to hear.
I met Bri at 11 a.m. on the driving range at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, N.J., 30 minutes before her tee time. As a New York City resident, the trip was just a short drive away. The night before, I had appealed to golf Twitter for some much needed pointers. The Monday Q expert himself, Ryan French, kindly offered me some advice. French gave me a useful preround tip: Familiarize yourself with your player’s bag while she’s warming up. Check out where she keeps her marked golf balls, snacks, tees, etc., to avoid scrambling for emergency supplies midround. I did exactly that and quickly felt like a seasoned pro.
The driving range was crowded with a mix of exempt players preparing for the tournament and other Monday qualifiers, some with caddies—both local and full time—and some without. One player in the group in front of us used a pushcart, a choice that is commonplace on LPGA Mondays, as well as on the Epson Tour.
When Bri informed me that she likes to walk over to the tee 15 minutes before her tee time, however, my first—and perhaps funniest—blunder occurred. As my player started walking off the range, I naturally followed along. After about four steps, she gave me a flabbergasted look, and we both burst into laughter. Bri’s golf bag was not on my shoulder.
Rule No. 1: Don’t forget the bag. In all honesty, my early brain lapse set a vital lighthearted tone for the day.
We were paired in a twosome with Alena Sharp—a two-time Olympian from Canada playing her 19th season on Tour. Sharp’s wife, Sarah, caddies for her full time and she couldn’t have been nicer when she heard it was my first time as a looper. Her kindness very much came in handy when I had my first encounter with the “Pin Dance.”
When caddying in a professional event, there is a certain intuitive etiquette that applies to grabbing the flagstick, which French reminded me of, as well as some friendly commenters on Twitter. If your player is the closest to the hole on the green, it’s your job to man the pin. Then, if another player leaves herself a second putt inside your player’s, the correct next move is to pass the pin off to their caddie. Sometimes, however, it’s a toss-up. If both putts are a similar distance, multiple caddies might reach for the pin, and there’s an awkward back-and-forth moment that decides who actually takes care of the flagstick.
The Pin Dance occurred once or twice throughout the round, but with only one other player—and a very laid-back veteran caddie—to take into consideration in the group, I had some stress lifted off my shoulders.
Bri didn’t need much help out there when it came to the actual golf. She took care of her lines, approach distances and reads, for the most part, but I still found myself thinking about several factors and selectively sharing observations.
That being said, my job was significantly easier than that of the average Tour caddie, and it was still difficult to get the hang of. For example, on hole No. 2, I came across my second and fortunately final caddie faux pas. I forgot a vital item when I dumped Bri’s bag on the way to the following tee—the wet towel. Pros like their golf balls spotless before they putt, and for good reason. When I walked up to the 2nd green, Bri handed me her ball, and my eyes widened in panic. I darted back to the bag to grab the towel, and vowed never to leave it behind again. I didn’t. Small victories.
I may not have done much to help Bri out with course strategy, but she didn’t need it. Bri hit an impressive 13 out of 14 fairways, and I had to rake only two greenside bunkers, an art that takes years to perfect. We talked through a couple of risk-reward decisions and sight lines, but that was about it. She finished with a one-over 73 on the tough 6,500-yard setup, which left her standing at T7 out of the 36 women in the qualifier. Scores of three- and four-under made it through to the tournament. Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson are just a few of the stars teeing it up in New Jersey this week.
Where I found that I could make the biggest impact as a rookie caddie actually had nothing, and everything, to do with the task at hand.
Throughout the day I casually chatted to Bri just as we would during an everyday round of golf. We talked about reality TV drama (Love Island UK, specifically), our favorite chai tea lattes, family life, New York City restaurant recommendations, upcoming travel schedules and basically every other random topic of conversation you can imagine. The best way to help your player stay positive throughout a stressful on-course experience is to keep their mind off their game between shots. It helps the player stay relaxed and prevents them from dwelling on mistakes. Even though Bri didn’t make it through, we more than succeeded in that department.
I am happy to report that I have Bri’s official open invitation to caddie again in the future, but the stand bag will continue to be a personal requirement until further notice.