Bandon Caddies

[newg33b]

@LooperCon I'll be out at Bandon 8/20-8/24. If you have any recs for caddies that might be available around then (or yourself I guess) I'm all ears! I submitted a caddie request when I booked my rounds so idk if it's too late to call back and put in a specific request. It's for 4 rounds as of now, just me though.

[VNutz]

> @raholland71 said:

> I've got to give a shout out to my boy Felipe Chavez.

> I'm not sure he's the most "experienced", meaning that he doesn't travel from resort to resort depending on the season and based on my conversations with him, he hasn't really played golf that long and got his start at Bandon in guest services, but he's a great dude and he'll make sure you have a good time. He's also super laid back which I think is great. He's the best caddie I've had at any of the top resorts I've been to

 

Pretty sure Felipe is my group's boy. He's awesome and super chill and they request him every time we go. Great dude.

[Bassi]

I just got back from my first Bandon trip and my buddy is a caddie there and has been there parts of the year for nearly 10 years. I can say 10000 percent having a caddie makes a difference in your game but you don’t “need one”. We played a 6 round best ball match and I was on the team playing against my caddy friend. The first couple rounds he was helping us on every shot but as soon as we won a couple bets and he got tired of paying for meals we started to get less and less help. No coincidence we ended up splitting 3/3 in matches. But I still had a blast even when his “advice” on 4 at Pac Dunes was “don’t go right”. We also had the pleasure of meeting a ton of the other caddies out at the bars in town each night and the ones we met were all fun loving great guys. You have to be an easy going person to do what they do. If you’re going to pay the money to have a caddie, make the best of it. Buy em a couple drinks and have some fun with them. And if you want a recommendation, Jason Castles is the best damn caddie out there. But I might be a little biased.

[tonypizzle]

just there at the end of may. was my first trip to bandon. never had caddies before anywhere else but I found that it was a nice bump to our experience. the caddies were experienced and gave me fun ideas for shots that I wouldn't have thought of. plus play 3 straight days of 36 holes, was nice to have them on the bag. recommend bucky and cody! bucky has been there for 10 years and knows his stuff! cody is a younger guy and can crush the ball. all in all great guys and was great having them with us

[GCU23]

Apologies in advance, this is too wordy for this thread, but I can't help it. Left Bandon a week ago, and we're still constantly texting about it.....

 

We returned last week from our first trip to Bandon, and wanted to update this particular post with our experience. We went with 6 guys, and ended up having 4 caddies for the trip so the "chopped", meaning that in each of our 3 some groups there were 2 caddies and they'd trade off double bagging in some fashion. Usually they'd figure it out once the tee shots were hit who was going right or left and which bags they were carrying. I was a guy that was on the fence with the whole caddie part of the trip going into it. We were going in August so paying peak season rates already, and the extra $500 seemed like money that might be better saved. Ultimately I was convinced that I'd regret not taking in the whole experience that Bandon had to offer, so caddies it was.

 

Before getting there, I'd requested 4 caddies that came highly recommended here. I expected that's who we got since the person I spoke to at the caddie services just said ok when I'd asked for those guys. We showed up to our first tee slot and found out that the requested caddies were all tied up elsewhere, and we had 4 different guys. At first I was disappointed as I was excited to meet the ones that were lauded here. Never having had a caddie before, I was just sure those guys would have enhanced the experience greatly. There was no way this motley crew (crue??) was going to live up to the expectations. We headed to the first tee at Trails and off we went. The caddies that we had were Clayton (Clay), Robert (Shanks), Claude, and Dean. The 2 that were with my group that first morning were Clay and Dean, and I ended up having Clay on my bag or in my group for all 4 rounds (the guy is awesome). The round with Dean and Clay was our first and I don't think they'd worked together before so it wasn't as chatty, but it was fine. I had Shanks for 2 of the 4 rounds, and Claude / Dean each for 1. I loved it. The banter that they provide (especially the 2 times with Clay and Shanks together) was awesome. As Clay would say the whole trip his job was to "Keep the kid outta trouble". He had varying degrees of success with that statement, but not based on his advice, always as a result of my execution. On 3 at Old Mac, our last round of the trip, one of my buddies asked Shanks if he should just aim at the Ghost Tree, to which Shanks replied, " Absolutely, I mean, how many effin' times have we hit our spot this trip!" So good, the way he said it and how he delivered it. They fit right in with our group dynamic. They definitely added value for the things that they're hired to do like getting you around the course, but they were much more than that. The often played off of each other that simply added to the experience.

 

I could go on, but I'll end with i'm definitely now firmly on the side of taking a caddie when you go your first time. The more times you go, maybe that changes, but initially they're well worth the investment. A huge part of a first timers experience is where to aim and where the trouble is, what side to favor, what's over that green that looks like the end of the world, etc. You just have no idea on the courses where the best place to go/miss is. Yes I'm sure that the yardage books will give a basic outline for this, but it can't compare to the caddie guiding you thru it. They basically knew the yardages to all of the obstacles off the top of their head which is so helpful with carries and lines etc.

 

A few pieces of advice from a first timer, though....you know your game so play it. The caddies will pick up on things the longer they're with you, but consider playing what you're comfortable with versus what their thoughts are. I had this desire to hit the shots or the clubs they suggested, and looking back, wish I would have stuck a little more to what I thought the shot should be. Every time I questioned a club or a shot, the answer from Clay was to hit whatever you're thinking, so it wasn't a situation where he was forcing me how to play a certain way. The think is, you know they know this game and the style that it takes to be successful, so you try "that" type of shot. Part of that is fun, trying stuff you don't normally get to, but it also leads to frustration when the results don't pan out. Second point, is maybe try to be more general in nature with their putt reads as opposed to exact spots. If they've been out there long enough, they know which way a vast majority of the putts are going to go. I found that I struggled though when it came to hitting it to his exact read. I'm wondering now if I would have done better with a general "This is going to go a smidge left" comment and then me deciding how much a smidge is. Writing this, I think how it must sound so elementary, but for this guy at least, I struggled with it greatly. He'd point to a spot with the flagstick, and I'd try to hit that spot but invariably would screw it up. Maybe it's just me having to find a reason why I 3 putted SO MUCH (speed what a huge issue here as well and had nothing to do with the reads), but in theory, I think going about it this way may have helped. Lastly (have I said that already) maybe when you're requesting caddies think about asking for 2 guys that the caddie master knows get along well. It wasn't bad when that wasn't the case, and I guess you run the risk of guys schmoozing with each other versus doing their jobs, but I just found that when we had 2 that paired well together, it just brought everything to a different level. It was great.

 

Just know going in, you're likely going to struggle, it's a different world of golf unless strong winds is your norm (along with rain depending on the time of year you go, we just got the wind). Enjoy it anyway. Caddies help with that too. Hook one into the fescue, "That's not going to hurt you, great angle over there", wipe one into a bunker, "Not a problem, seen a million guys make par from that trap". At a place like Bandon, they get a daily masters class in positivity and steering their guy that direction. That has to be tough, but the guys we had kept it light with seeming ease. Huge vote of confidence for Clayton, Robert (Shanks), Claude, and Dean. They were a ton of fun, and I'll request em again when we go back......hopefully sooner rather than later.

 

 

[2putttom]

next time I see Shanks and Clayton I'll point em' to this thread. They like to read about themselves.

[GCU23]

Lol, I guess who doesn't?

So they remember our group a couple more stories....

---Back to 3 on Old Mac, I'd hit my tee shot on a line too far left to funnel down into the fairway, but we found it in the fescue on the side of the hill left of the green. My chip rolled to the back of the green, maybe 30- 40 feet. Pin was in the front left and my putt was kind of in a spot where depending on the line it could go a bit of either direction. Clay's advice was play it whichever way I was seeing or comfortable with. With the way I putted all trip it would (not) make sense, but I drained this one. In walking up to read my buddies putt, Shanks says to Clay "Oh, nice effin' read...."I don't know, could go either way, you pick"" (of course said in the most derogatory imitation of a caddie voice he could muster).

---On 4 on Bandon as we made the turn around the corner with the picturesque view of the ocean framing the green Shanks pointed and said "There's a whale breaching right out there, wait for it, it'll come back up again"...sure enough it did a few more times a handful of seconds later. The wind was hard off the right, and the whale happened to be right of the flag so his line was basically, "Just go right at the whale". The next hole he and Clay are walking down the fairway together, and I hear Shanks telling Clay the story "Never gave that read before!".

 

Again, they were just a ton of fun to be around , good dudes, and great caddies for sure!

[eboettne]

> @GCU23 said:

 

> ---On 4 on Bandon as we made the turn around the corner with the picturesque view of the ocean framing the green Shanks pointed and said "There's a whale breaching right out there, wait for it, it'll come back up again"...sure enough it did a few more times a handful of seconds later. The wind was hard off the right, and the whale happened to be right of the flag so his line was basically, "Just go right at the whale". The next hole he and Clay are walking down the fairway together, and I hear Shanks telling Clay the story "Never gave that read before!".

>

> Again, they were just a ton of fun to be around , good dudes, and great caddies for sure!

 

That's such a neat story lol never used a whale for a line!

[eboettne]

.

 

[Chigolfer2]

How does the double bagging work? Can you request single? Is $120 OK for that? How do you adjust for Double bagging?

[LooperCon]

> @Chigolfer2 said:

> How does the double bagging work? Can you request single? Is $120 OK for that? How do you adjust for Double bagging?

 

Generally speaking, if you request a single bag caddie, there’s a higher chance you end up with a newer caddie. The majority of the vets here double bag.

 

What kind of questions do you have as far as adjusting?

[Chigolfer2]

Do I pay a single caddie $120 and same for someone doubling? $120 x 2

[LooperCon]

> @Chigolfer2 said:

> Do I pay a single caddie $120 and same for someone doubling? $120 x 2

 

That’s about right. I’d say most guys average 120/bag, with some $100 flats and some $150+ to cancel each other out. Some of the vets who work mostly off of requests average more, but as a rule of thumb 120 is pretty normal. I like to equate it to service at a restaurant - the tip should reflect the service if it’s exceptionally good (or bad).

[LooperCon]

I think this is a great article on the subject:

https://www.thecaddienetwork.com/the-definitive-guide-for-tipping-a-caddie/

[Goose71]

So I'm headed back to Bandon in April. Was there two years ago and had two great caddies. Jon slatterblom was a good caddy but I played horrible and didn't mesh well with him. Don't think I would of meshed well with anyone thst day.

Vern was my other and he was a beauty. Loved the game. Sweet swing and laid back attitude. Kept the pace up if we got slow (drinks).

Any suggestions for caddys? We're a group of 30 year olds with 4-15 caps.

[mallrat]

Kent is awesome, John the Baptist is constantly recommended and I can’t remember if Sven is right.

[10&8]

I agree. We had Kent and Donnie and both are phenomenal caddies. We requested them for our trip again in September

[erichake]

An upvote for Gary Guydos. He group caddied for us over 3 days. He's been there for 10 years after caddying in South Florida. He knows the courses, lines, bumps, rolls, hollows, etc. Good reads on the greens as well. Worth a minimum of 5 strokes a round and that's probably being conservative.

[SouthLand]

Brett is a real good dude. Said he'd been out there since it opened, with a break of a few years, and I believe it. Knows every inch of that property and is a wizard at finding your ball in the rough stuff.

[erichake]

I bought all 4 yardage books ahead of the trip, but our group caddie Gary Guydos was so valuable I just looked at the book to visualize what he was telling us. If I had to choose one or the other it would be a caddie.

[golfdad490]

I am taking my son to Bandon in July for a graduation gift. My last two experiences with a shared caddie were terrible at Brookline (Boston) and The Ocean Course (Kiawah). Half of the time when you have a question or advice they are across the fairway with the other person. Then I feel like a paid a whole caddie fee for half of their attention. Considering how much we are spending on our trip would it be out of line to ask for individual caddies each of our three days and pay them each approx $130 per round? My concern in making that request is that we will get an attitude from each caddie feeling jaded or get assigned caddies that are below par in their course knowledge or abilities. Any thoughts on that? Thanks a bunch!

 

[jackbauer]

The caddies almost certainly won't know you requested single-bag unless you tell them. When you call to make the request they might try on a best-efforts basis but they can't guarantee it. Like someone said earlier, you might get a less experienced caddie with a single bag but that doesn't mean they'll be "below par."

[puttnforthe8]

In this environment - Yes, it would be out of line. Sorry. Solution: hit the ball in the same place! Seriously: I have never had a less than desirable experience with a double bag.

[kaschreiber]

I don't see an issue with that at all. I'll say that we've had caddies double bag in the past and have never had any issues, but given your past experience and hesitations, what you're asking for isn't outside the norm. We've also had plenty of guys opt for single caddies. I've seen some that were "sub-par" but those are typically ones that are booked late or booked without a request. If you read these threads you'll get good recommendations, I've had Jared, Phil, Andy, and Matt on my bags or in our group (neither seemed to have fancy nicknames) and they were awesome. I'd do your best to get a request for specific caddies if you're worried about getting someone a little more green.

[jrg75]

Inevitable they will figure out you are a father son combo and i could see them being a little put off by taking two caddies.

The Bandon caddies are awesome (both single and double bag) but there is only so much they can do. My experience had been it's mostly dependent on tee shots. If you and your son play two totally different types of driving games (predominant left miss, right miss, short, long, generally wild) such that you tee balls land long distances apart, you can't really blame the caddy for not being there.

[spud3]

Just ask for separate caddies. They get it. No one will be shaming you.

[jrg75]

I don't think anyone will shame them and I can understand wanting a single bag loop for such a special trip. IMO, the OPs price per bag for single would not be offensive so if you feel strongly about it, just do it.
I think @puttnforthe8's point was (which I agree with) is that the guys have been out of work for the better part of 2 months with a new normal that probably results in reduced traffic for the foreseeable future. I'm sure the caddies will be looking for every opportunity they can to make up for the lost income and I know they much prefer double bags, it the difference between a 20/hour job and a 40/hour job.
Regarding two bags, I was previously of the opinion that the caddies should reduce their rate for the second bag since they are walking the same distance. My mind changed when I played with a group that had a double bag and two golfers with complete opposite shot shape. Every hole, 1 guy was pull hook left, other guy was high block fade/slice. I remember playing Pacific 9, hole was on upper green, golfer 1 hits his tee shot to the left side of lower fairway, golfer 2 is sliced all the way right on upper fairway and short..... I never felt so sorry for a guy carrying a golf bag. He definitely covered a lot of ground that day and earned his 2 Benjamins.

[shackmangolf]

The only issue that I've ever had with two bags is the range finder issue. Carry your own rangefinder. The caddies at Bandon hustle like no one ever and keep pace of play solid. They know how to caddie for two bags.

For example, after you tee off, they will start talking to you about your next shot. You can take your range finder and go get your yardage and start looking at the hole. By the time they make it to you, you will be ready to grab a club and go for it.

Remember, it takes two to tango. Knowing how to best utilize a caddy in a two bag situation is up to you. Ask questions before you get to the ball. Don't leave your caddy without your rangefinder or clubs. You can figure out wind and yardage without a caddy. And forget everything you see on tv with the pros asking a caddy a million questions.

[DaBank]

Just got back from Bandon 2 days ago with a group of 8.

We had 4 caddies with us for 3 days and BY FAR the best caddie was Bob Galli. great dude and was a master reading the greens... Plus he was my golf whisperer, knew exactly what to say when to get me back on track. played 5/6 rounds with him and won basically every bet we made in the group playing out of my mind. Request him and dont look back.

[cabinetboy]

Felipe!