why i love caddies

dang they make the game easier, esp on courses you don't know that have a lot of mounds.
-i always learn at least one new shot from them.this year it was (1)the putter from the junk blast out and (2)the wedge to the backstop green and roll it back to the hole instead of flopping it short-those guys are like ball bloodhounds-i brought 51 balls with me for 8 rounds and i returned with 3 dozen +, which is a minor miracle although it is harder to lose balls when the fairway is 100 yards wide. i did manage to lose some though when the line we picked was a little too conservative and i ran out of fairway. also that helps to keep the scores down.-if you are walking, it really helps to not have to rake the bunkers or carry your bag-they have great stories to tell-pace of play much better, can give you aiming lines when you have blind shots. can also keep an eye on the ball to see where it winds up for you while you are behind the mounds. i think next year. i need to be a little more conservative about where i hit it too distance wise if i can't see above the mound to know where the ball winds up.-help keep scores from blowing up -really help with distances in the wind-really help with distances to carry hazards-really help with distance to front of green on courses you don't know and when you have to leave it short of the green. the gps were nice for front of the green. i hadn't considered that before. lasers are nice for the flag but at bandon you aren't going at the flag too often. also in the wind the lasers can have trouble locking on.
i think green reading is very tough for the caddies. so much depends on how you strike the putt and the speed you pick. when you are putting for 20 yards away (or more) the speeds can be off a considerable amount. after 6 rounds they were doing much better than early on. still, everyone was burying long putts. very fun.