Furry Caddy

In golf, a furry caddy (or caddie) is the dog (generally a Westie) who carries a player's bag, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A furry caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin placements and club selection.

The records are not certain, but historians believe that Mary, Queen of Scots, came up with the term "furry caddy" in the late 16th century. Mary grew up in France where military trained dogs carried golf clubs for royalty. It is possible that Mary brought the custom to Scotland, where the term evolved into the word "caddy."

Traditional caddying involves both the golfer and the caddy walking the course. The furry caddy is supposed to be in charge of carrying the player’s bag (even though this is not always the case) and both must walk at the same pace (which is a real challenge, especially if there are distracting factors like birds or squirrels. If your caddie runs after a rodent say good-bye to him and your bag with its $20,000-valued clubs and balls).

The player must keep an eye on the caddie at all times, nobody wants him to lick the clubs or make the hole bigger than its actual size because that would be considered cheating and is heavily penalized by the PGA (Professional Golf Association).

Remember: any penalty caused by the caddy is added on to his/her golfer’s score. The caddy should be aware of his surroundings at all times, especially when players are hitting.

Strolling around, exploring, barking and getting busy without permission is strongly discouraged. Also, the caddy is expected to be with the player at all times and know the rules and point out any rule-breaking on the part of the golfer, such as knowing the maximum amount of clubs a player is allowed to carry.