TheRules
The
Dos and
Don’ts of
Caddying
Under the new Rules of Golf, the premise
of a caddie remains the same for all players,
although they have been given more
privileges and even a new potential penalty.
A caddie is someone who helps a player
during a round, including carrying, trans-
porting or handling clubs, as well as giving
advice. A player is only allowed to have
one caddie at a time and may change cad-
12
dies during the round, but this must not
be done temporarily for the sole purpose
of getting advice from the new caddie.
Rule 10.3 in the new Rules of Golf covers
what caddies can and cannot do. Caddies
can help the player search for their ball;
smooth bunkers or take other actions to
care for the course; remove sand and loose
soil as well as repair damage on the putting
green; remove loose impediments and move
movable obstructions. In addition, in the
V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 9
new Rules of Golf, caddies may now mark
the spot of the player’s ball on the putting
green and lift and replace the ball with or
without authorization from the player.
If two players are playing and only
one caddie is available, the players may
share the caddie. However, a person who
is carrying something for a player, such
as a rain suit or a snack, would not be
considered a caddie. Both during a round
and while play is stopped (under Rule
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by CONNOR JONES