Boys Golf Club Caddie Guide

For a printable copy of the caddie guide - click here

Who can be a caddie?
• Caddies must at least 16 years old
• To become a JGAA Boys Golf Club Caddie, individuals must complete the Caddie Certification Quiz
• Please note: Inappropriate conduct will result in the immediate revoking of a Caddie Certification.

Why do we allow caddies?
There are two main reasons:
1) Pace of Play
• Keep kids on task
• Help with confusing situations
• Carrying their bag
• Getting kids around the course correctly
2) Educating Players
• Help kids make the transition from never playing competitive golf to tournament golf.
• More accurate score keeping.
• Improve knowledge of the Rules of Golf.

What is a Caddie? (Definition - p. 6 and p. 30-31 USGA Rules of Golf)
• A "caddie" assists the player with the rules, and carry or handle the player's clubs during play.
• A player can only have one caddie at any one time.
• Players and caddies must walk while playing in JGAA Boys Golf Club events.

What are the duties of a Caddie?
• Carry the bag
• Help with club selection
• Help with etiquette
• Rake the bunkers
• Tend the flagstick
• Help with score keeping
• Limited help with the Rules of Golf

Things a Caddie Can Do
• Give advice
• Caddie for more than one player. Example: If a player in the group besides your child does not have a caddie, you may also caddie for that player, as well as your own child. Please let the other players and parents in your group know that you will be assisting both players.
• Help player with the rules of golf.
• If you give the wrong advice on a ruling and the player takes your advice, the player is still responsible for any penalties that they may have committed. Always remember that a rules violation by the caddie is the same as if the player violated the rule. It is always better to ask a rules official to help with any rulings or problems which may come up.

Things Caddies CAN NOT Do
• Stand behind the player while he or she plays a stroke.
• Touch the putting green to indicate the line of a putt (including hands, shoes, club, etc.).
• Touch or test the surface of a hazard (Including hands, shoes, club, etc.).
• Kick or prevent a ball from its original path or placement (Rule 1-2 p.19 USGA Rules of Golf).
• Give advice to other players (unless you are also caddying for them).

 

Basic Rules of Golf for Caddies

Advice (Rule 8, p. 36)
Definition - Advice is any counsel or suggestion that could influence a player in determining his play, the choice of a club, or the method of making a stroke.

Do not give advice to fellow competitors. Your player will receive a 2 stroke penalty if you do. Examples of advice you may NOT give to other competitors are:
• What club to hit - "Hit a 5 iron."
• How to play a stroke - "You should hit the ball through those trees and over there onto the fairway."

Obstructions (Rule 24, p. 70 USGA Rules of Golf)
Definition - An obstruction is anything artificial or man made. Except:
• Objects defining out of bounds, such as walls, fences, stakes and railings; and
• Any part of an immovable artificial objects that is out of bounds.

There are two types of obstructions.
1) Movable Obstruction - an obstruction is movable if it may be moved without unreasonable effort, without slowing down play, and without causing any type of damage. o Examples: Coke can, plastic bag, towel, candy wrapper, etc.
2) Immovable Obstruction - any obstruction that does not qualify as a "movable" obstruction, is classified an immovable obstruction. o Examples: Restrooms, ball washer, concrete or paved cart path, etc.

When can a player take relief from an obstruction?
1) Movable Obstructionn - if the ball does not lie in or on the obstruction, the obstruction may be moved out of the way. If the ball moves in the process, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty as long as the ball moved because you were moving the obstruction out of the way. Example: If a ball lands next to a coke can the player may remove the can. If the ball moves in anyway while removing the can the player must replace the ball as close as possible to where the ball first lay.
2) Immovable Obstruction - when a ball lies in or on the obstruction, or when the obstruction interferes with the player's stance or the area of his intended swing. Example - If a ball lands on a concrete cart path, the player may take relief. Or if the ball is laying on a sprinkler head, the player may pick up their ball and drop the ball in the correct way - see next section.

How to take relief from obstruction
1) Determine the nearest point on the course where the obstruction is no longer in the way, (this is referred to as nearest point of relief) that is not nearer the hole. IMPORTANT: The nearest point of relief is not always the best point of relief or the closest area with grass.
2) Take a stance with the club you would play the shot with, then mark the spot (with a tee) on the ground where the club head is.
3) Remove any club from your bag and lay it where one end is touching the tee. Then mark the other end of the club with another tee (be sure the second tee is not closer to the hole than the first tee).
4) Now drop a ball between the two tees. Be sure the ball does not roll closer to the hole or roll more than two club lengths. Baring a few exceptions mentioned in Rule 20-2c, the ball should now be in play and is ready for the next stroke to be taken.

Abnormal Ground Conditions (Rule 25, p. 74 USGA Rules of Golf)
Definition - an abnormal ground condition is:
1) Any casual water on the course (puddles of water).
2) Any ground under repair (marked with white paint).
3) Hole, cast, or runway made by a burrowing animal. A player gets relief from the ground condition except when the ball is in a water hazard or lateral water hazard.

Water Hazards & Lateral Water Hazards (Rule 26, p. 78 USGA Rules of Golf)
There are two types of water hazards:
1) Water Hazard - any sea, lake, pond, river, ditch, surface drainage ditch or other open water course (marked with yellow stakes and/or yellow paint).
2) Lateral Water Hazard - a water hazard or part of a water hazard so situated so that it is not possible or is deemed by the Committee to be impractical to drop a ball behind the water hazard (marked with red stakes and or red paint).

Relief from a Water Hazard
There are 2 ways to take relief from a water hazard (marked with yellow) with a penalty of one stroke:
1) Play a ball as near as possible from where the ball that was hit in the water was last played.
2) Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point where the ball last crossed the line of the hazard directly between the hole and the spot where the ball is dropped, with no limit how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped.

Relief from a Lateral Water Hazard
For a lateral water hazard, (marked with red) relief may be taken the same as for a water hazard. There are also 2 additional ways to take relief from a lateral water hazard:
1) Drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club lengths of and not nearer the hole from the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard.
2) Drop a ball at a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant (the same distance) from the hole.

What about drop areas?
If drop area (usually a white circle close to the hazard) is provided, it may be used as an additional option for taking relief from a Water hazard or a Lateral Water Hazard. To do so, drop a ball, under a penalty of one stroke, in the drop area.

Can you play a ball from a Water hazard or a Lateral Water Hazard?
Yes. In Arizona, we have many "dry" water hazards, so this could happen quite often. If your player chooses to play the ball from a hazard, the player must not:
1) Touch the ground or water in the hazard with his hand or club.
2) Touch or move a loose impediment (any natural object like stones, leaves, etc.) lying in or touching the hazard.

Out of Bounds (Rule 27, p. 80 USGA Rules of Golf)
Definition - Out of Bounds is beyond the boundaries of the course or any part of the course so marked by the Committee (marked with white stakes, white lines or boundary fences). If the out of bounds line is marked by stakes, the inside edges of the stakes determines the out of bounds line. Objects defining out of bounds CAN NOT be moved for any reason.

What to do if the ball is hit Out of Bounds
If a player hits their ball out of bounds, he or she MUST go back to the place where the ball was last played and, under penalty of one stroke, play another ball. If the ball was played from the teeing ground, the next ball may be teed and then played from anywhere within the teeing ground. Otherwise a ball must be dropped as near as possible to the place where the original ball was played.

In order to speed up play, if you believe the ball may be out of bounds, but are not sure if it is in fact out of bounds, play a provisional (temporary) ball from the spot where the original ball was struck. Continue play with the provisional (temporary) ball until you get to the point where you believe the first ball may be. At this point you have 5 minutes to search for the original ball. If after 5 minutes you have not found the ball, then continue to play the provisional ball. Because the original ball was hit out of bounds, add a one stroke penalty to the score for that hole.

Ball Unplayable (Rule 28, p. 83 USGA Rules of Golf)
A player may deem (declare) the ball unplayable at any place on the course except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the only person who can declare the ball unplayable. The Caddie may not deem a ball unplayable, but can advise the player.

If a player declares his ball unplayable he must add a penalty stroke and then:
1) Play a ball as near as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played; or
2) Drop a ball behind the point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot where the ball is to be dropped. The player may go as far back as they want; or
3) Drop a ball within two club lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole. If the ball is in a bunker and declared unplayable, the player must then proceed with the above, but they can not exit the bunker. The ball must be dropped and played from inside the bunker.

What to do when you don't know what to do (Rule 3.3, p. 22 USGA Rules of Golf)
If during play the player and the caddie are not sure how to proceed under the rules, they may play a second ball under Rule 3-3.

Before you play a second ball you MUST:
1) Announce to your fellow competitors that you will be playing 2 balls under Rule 3-3.
2) You must also inform the competitors which ball you want to count if the rules permit.
3) The final step to playing two balls under Rule 3-3 is to let the Rules Official or a Committee member know the details of what happened. They will then inform you which ball should count. Even if you get the same score with both balls you MUST let the tournament official know. If you fail to let an official know the penalty is Disqualification (for BGC events, the player will be assessed a maximum score of 10).

What if a ball is lost? (Rule 27, p. 80 USGA Rules of Golf)
A player is allowed 5 minutes to search for a missing ball. If the ball is not found within the 5 minutes, the player MUST go back to the place where the ball was last played and, under penalty of one stroke, play another ball. If the ball was played from the teeing ground, the next ball may be teed and then played from anywhere within the teeing ground. Otherwise a ball must be dropped as near as possible to the place where the original ball was played.

 

Boys Golf Club Rules

There are a few rules you need to know that are applicable to the Boys Golf Club Program. For complete rules, please refer to the Rules section of the website.

1) Scorecards: Before you begin play, you must have your scorecard exchanged with another competitor in your group.

2) Ten Shot Rule: A player shall take no more than 10 stokes on a hole. Once a 9 has been reached, a player must pick up their ball, place it at the edge of the cup, putt out and wait for the other players in the group to complete the hole.

3) Disqualification Policy: No player will be disqualified for any violations of the Rules of Golf. Instead, the player will be assessed a maximum score of 10 on any hole where the infraction would normally lead to disqualification. In situations where the round or hole has been completed, the score of 10 will apply to the last hole played or to the hole where the infraction occurred. Exceptions: A player or his caddie may be disqualified for code of conduct violations or unauthorized use of electronic devices.

4) Pace of Play: Each player must play without undue delay, which is defined as taking no more than 45 seconds to play a shot. Those players who are first to play from a given area (tee, fairway, green, etc.) will have 10 extra seconds to play their shot. Caddies are asked to please refrain from over-coaching the player. It is the caddie's duty to help the player hit each shot within a reasonable period of time.

5) Spectator Policy: Spectators will be allowed during Boys Golf Club events. The Spectator Guidelines are as follows:
• All spectators MUST be at least 5 years of age.
• Spectators are asked to adhere to the Boys Golf Club dress code.
• Spectators must remain on the cart path at all times or at least 30 yards away from the group if a cart path is not available.
• Any verbal or non-verbal contact could be construed as giving advice (Rule 8). Conversations with players are not permitted.
• Requests to use a golf cart while spectating must be submitted to the JGAA office at least 2 days prior to the event. Requests will be approved if warranted by physical or health reasons.
• Cell phones or other electronic devices are prohibited when spectating.

6) Dress Code: For players and caddies proper golf attire is expected, which include all of the following:
• Collared golf shirt
• Shirts tucked in
• Hats worn properly
• Golf/tennis shoes
Players and caddies are prohibited from wearing shoes with metal spikes, short shorts, swimwear, denim of any kind or color, shorts that go below the knee, t-shirts, or tank tops. Players or caddies not appropriately attired will not be permitted to participate.

 

Important Nutritional Information
Tournaments can be exhausting to any player, especially during the heat of the summer. There are a few ways to prepare your child, so that they enjoy their time on the course:
1) Ensure that your child gets plenty of rest the night before the tournament.
2) Make sure to bring a full water bottle to every tournament. After finishing the drink, you can refill it with the water jugs provided at each course. Drink water before, during, and after the competition. Once your child becomes thirsty, it is too late, they are already dehydrated.
3) Make sure and apply sunscreen to your child before the tournament begins. Also reapply the sunscreen periodically.
4) Provide your child with a few snacks to eat throughout the round. Snacks such as granola bars work well. Try to avoid giving sugar to your child, and opt instead for something that will provide lasting energy.
5) Make sure your child wears comfortable shoes and clothing.

 

Now you are Ready
You must now complete the 25 question test online. An email should have been sent to you upon registering for the Caddie Certification Quiz. That email will contain your user ID and password for the quiz. You may take the quiz as many times as you need. You must correctly answer 20 of the 25 questions to pass. Before you are allowed to caddie, you must pass the online quiz.