I like the concept of encouraging kids to get involved in the game. For me that started with pulling my dad's golf cart on Saturday mornings at the Arizona Biltmore or Papago (for a $1 and a post-round cheeseburger, usually at around 9 when we were finishing). Meeting a h.s. kid for a few hours at Olympia Fields or Ridge is part and parcel of a great golf experience. Golf is definitely expensive, but isn't that why I work for a living? So I can play golf?
At a place like Pinehurst or Pebble, the ability of the caddy to read greens is invaluable, and for me greatly enhanced the experience.
On my only trip to Pebble, our caddy -- Jerry Franklin -- was one of the best parts of the trip. Storyteller, tour guide, plus he knew what he was doing. Yes, I've had horrible caddy experiences too. Gordon, at Pinehust, kept clubbing me off my buddy Mike, who was at the time at least 3 irons longer than I was. On 9 (the par 3), he handed me a club on the tee, and said, "just hit it." I flushed one, and stood there posing. . . only to watch the 7 iron land 25 yards short! Mike, of course, had hit a 175 yard 8 iron. Gordon's read on putts was "speed putt, all day." Definitely a thanks for nothing day. . .
The next year, we met the caddy master one evening racing around the number 5 course at dusk. He set us up the next day with Rush, a 65 year old black guy. I was leery when they switched out my bag so Rush could carry us both. On the second green, I read my 40 footer to move a cup left to right. Rush looked up from my buddy's ball (90 degrees and 60' away), and said two balls from the right. I guess I gave him one of those "fish eye" looks in disbelief, and he responded "man, I been readin' these greens for 43 years. . . two balls from the right." I couldn't make myself hit a putt I thought broke right outside the hole to the right, so I hit it directly at the hole. The ball broke exactly two ball below the hole to the left, and I hit every putt where Rush told me the rest of the day. It was like putting fourth in a scramble. I knew exactly where the ball was going to go, and the putts I missed were due to loft, and not to lack of knowledge of what they'd do. Great fun.