A better round starts with a conversation.
How to prepare for your first caddied round: booking, bag weight, useful conversations, local knowledge and respectful expectations.
Arrange it with the club.
For this first release, Book & Golf helps you discover courses; caddie bookings are handled by the course or resort. Ask about availability when reserving your round. Confirm whether the service is a carrying caddie, a shared caddie or a forecaddie, and ask how fees and gratuities work locally. These arrangements differ between destinations.
Bring the essentials. Leave the extra weight.
A lighter bag is easier for everyone. Remove the things you do not need for the round, while keeping sensible layers, waterproofs, water and enough balls for your game. If you are unsure about the bag or equipment, ask the caddie team in advance. Bandon’s own guidance makes a useful starting point for a walking trip.
Give an honest picture of your game.
A brief conversation before the first tee helps. Share your comfortable carry distances, your usual miss and how much advice you would like. A caddie cannot work from the distance you once hit a seven iron downhill with the wind. Accurate information makes course knowledge more useful.
Local knowledge is more than a yardage.
A good conversation can reveal a safer line, a hidden contour or a way to play the day’s conditions. You still choose the shot and make the swing. Treat advice as part of a partnership, and keep expectations respectful when the ball does something neither of you intended.
Finish the day well.
Settle the agreed fee and any gratuity according to the club’s guidance. Thank the person who shared the walk with you. If you are playing again and would like the same caddie, ask the caddie team about that possibility; availability is never something to assume.