How to Hire a Caddie in Scotland: A Practical Manual

The visitor's question is small but real: how do I actually hire a caddie at a Scottish links course in 2026? This article answers it — booking lead times, fee tiers, the customary tip, the small etiquette of the relationship, and what to ask at sign-out. It's the practical companion to the cluster's longer pieces.

When to book

Course tier	Recommended lead time
St Andrews Old Course, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Royal Dornoch	2–4 weeks
Other Open-rota / Scottish Open hosts (Turnberry, Kingsbarns, Castle Stuart, Renaissance)	1–2 weeks
Members' clubs that take visitors (Brora, Cullen, Lundin, Crail, Elie)	3–7 days
Walk-up / day-of (most public courses)	Same morning

The lead time is the booking window for a specific caddie at a specific tee time. If you don't mind which caddie you draw — and most visitors shouldn't — you can usually find one available the morning of, even at the famous links, if a regular has called in sick.

The booking is made through the caddie master, not through the club's general office or the pro shop. Most clubs publish the caddie master's direct number; on famous courses, the booking goes through the central caddie office (St Andrews Links Trust, Carnoustie Golf Links, etc.). Email is acceptable but a phone call gets a faster answer and a better assignment.

Confirm at the time of booking: the tee time, the player's name, whether you want a single caddie or a forecaddie, and whether you have any preference (a senior caddie for a first-time visitor; a faster caddie if you want to play in three hours). The caddie master will note the request; whether they honour it depends on the day.

What it costs in 2026

Course tier	Caddie fee (per round)	Customary tip
St Andrews Old Course	£80	£20
Muirfield, Carnoustie, Royal Troon	£80	£20
Royal Dornoch, Cruden Bay, Castle Stuart	£75	£20
Kingsbarns, Renaissance	£75	£20
Most other premium links (Brora, Nairn, Western Gailes, Prestwick)	£65–£75	£15–£20
Members' clubs that take visitors mid-week	£55–£70	£15–£20

The fee is paid to the caddie master at sign-out, before the round. Most clubs accept cash or card; a handful (Royal Dornoch, Brora) still prefer cash. Bring small notes — large notes can be a problem at the caddie shed.

The tip is paid to the caddie at the 18th green, after the round, in cash. £20 is the working baseline for a satisfactory round. £30 is the right number for a long, hard, well-read round. £50 is generous and appropriate for a memorable round at a famous course. Tips are not proportional to the green fee, and Scottish caddies do not expect the US-style tip-as-service-charge — but a fair tip is part of the bargain.

If the caddie has been outstanding — has read greens you would not have read, has talked you out of bad club selections, has handled the round like a pro — say so to the caddie master at sign-out. The caddie hears about it. So does next week's rota.

What you get for the money

A Scottish caddie at a working links course will:

• Carry one bag (some courses cap weight at 25–30 lbs; pack accordingly)
• Read greens, give yardages, and recommend club selection
• Replace divots, rake bunkers, attend pins, and clean clubs
• Know the wind direction at every hole — particularly the holes where the wind is hidden by dunes
• Tell stories about the course, the club, and the regulars (worth the fee on its own)

A caddie at an Open Championship venue may also:

• Have caddied for tour pros in Final Qualifying or the Open itself
• Carry a yardage book annotated by tournament caddies
• Know the day's pin positions before the starter announces them
• Have specific local rules (forced carries, OB lines) memorised

A caddie will not:

• Play the shot for you (offering club selection is fine; physically helping isn't)
• Tip the round in your favour by improving lies, moving balls in rough, or kicking putts (this happens almost never on Scottish caddies; do not ask)
• Skip distance estimates — even when the carry is obvious, a good caddie verbalises the number

Etiquette

A few small things that matter more than visitors expect:

At sign-out: Introduce yourself to the caddie master by name. Say which group you're in. Ask whether the caddie has any preference for cash up front or settlement at the end (most prefer settlement; a few of the older men prefer half up front).

On the first tee: Introduce yourself to the caddie. Ask their name. Use it. Scottish caddies almost universally call clients by surname or first name; reciprocate.

During the round: Listen when they speak. Don't second-guess club selections in front of them — if you want a different club, say so without explaining. Don't ask them to walk faster than the group ahead allows; the caddie has worked out the right pace and is unlikely to be wrong.

At the bag drop after the round: Thank them by name. Pay the tip in cash. If the round has been particularly good and you would like the same caddie again on a return visit, ask the caddie master.

At the bar: Buying a caddie a drink in the clubhouse is fine at most clubs but check first — some clubs (Muirfield, the Honourable Company particularly) restrict caddies to specific rooms and the offer can be awkward. A drink at the village pub after the round is universally appreciated and the conversation is usually the better one.

What to ask the caddie master

Five questions, asked at sign-out, that turn a generic round into a better one:

1. Is there a hole that's playing differently today? (Wind, pin position, recent maintenance — the answer changes the round)
2. Is there a caddie in the rota you'd recommend for a first-time visitor? (The caddie master will assign someone good; asking gets a better-than-average draw)
3. Are there any local rules I should know? (Especially at less-famous links where the carry of a particular gorse or the line of a particular OB might catch out a visitor)
4. Can I get a yardage book from the caddie shed? (Not all clubs sell them through the pro shop; the caddie shed often has the better book)
5. If I want this caddie again, how do I book? (Some clubs honour requests; some don't. Worth asking before assuming.)

What goes in the bag

A light Scottish caddie pack carries:

• Half-set or full set (most caddies prefer 12 clubs; weight matters)
• Two sleeves of balls (find the day will be in the gorse on at least one hole)
• Glove, weatherproof glove, spare glove (the gloves get soaked in the morning dew)
• Water bottle (most caddies bring their own; a spare is a courtesy)
• Sandwiches if no halfway house (Brora, Cullen, Wick, the smaller clubs)
• Small towel, large towel (the caddie may use one for clubs, you for hands)
• £30 cash for the tip + £5 for the halfway-house cake
• Your phone (off, in a side pocket; the caddie should not have to listen to ringtones)

A short note on women caddies

Female caddies remain a minority on the Scottish circuit but the number is rising. Several major clubs (Muirfield, post-2017; St Andrews Trust; Royal Dornoch) have actively recruited women caddies in recent years. The treatment in the caddie shed is professional; most members and visitors don't notice the change unless they're looking for it. Ask the caddie master if you would prefer a female caddie — most clubs will honour the request where availability allows.

When not to take a caddie

A caddie is the right choice for first-time visitors at famous links, for groups where one player is significantly stronger than the others (the caddie balances the round), and for any round where the wind is unusual or the pin positions are unfamiliar. A caddie is the wrong choice for a casual round at a familiar course, for a round where the player wants to walk in silence, or for a round where the budget is genuinely tight (£100 per round, all-in, for fee and tip is a real expense).

The cluster's contrarian piece argues the better caddie is often at the less-famous club; the day-in-the-life shows what the rest of their day looks like. Read both. Then book.