If you could caddy at one golf course,

[Steve Lapper]

Having grown up caddying at two of Westchester's finest (WF & QR), there is NO WAY I'd go back in that direction. Plenty of reasons for that call.

I think I'd like to caddy at either Pine Valley or Oakmont.

Both have world-class caddymasters and each treat their loopers with great respect and admiration. Both enjoy a regular stream of guests anxious to test their skills against some of the world's finest holes along with appreciative members who are happy to watch the flailings of those guests. Neither endorses cartball and thus, all bags are sized up for their weight and bulk. Both are reasonable humps and both produce a high degree of daily humor and consistent camaraderie. Both clubs have enough subtlety to their greens and lines of charm that they create a perpetual need for talented and experience caddies.

[Matt OBrien]

After thinking about it I like it where I am   

[john_stiles]

In the US,    Secession in winter,   PV in summer.

Secession is busy for a winter caddie spot,  nice and flat but with many varied shots due to wind.   Except for the 17th,  GCA knowledge is needed on most days due to wind.  Can play a lot of bump and run.  And I know many of the shots.  A lot of gambling by members/guest and generous with drinks/snacks at turn.    Seminole is also winter possibility. If I knew more about the course,  no. of rounds, etc.  though probably less guest play.   Seems it would only be a rolling terrain, no hills, wind, great GCA.  Could caddie for BJ Patton.

PV for the GCA and tips even though it looks to be more difficult, hilly for a double.   Imagine you get some singles which help on wear and tear.

note:     the number of bags, & amount of caddie tips cannot be discounted in todays world, possibly for another 10 years, even under theoretical GCA type questions.   I offer no apologies for including caddie tips. caddie fees yes,  tips NO !!  number of bags NO !!    Need a great GCA course with  the potential of guest play considered for TIPS.

[Shane Wright]

In the U.S. I would have to go with Augusta as a pact I have with my former college roommate - if he ever qualifies for the Masters thru the limited Amateur invitations, I have a standing invitation to loop for him....

Outside the U.S. it is a toss up for me between Lahinch and the Old Course.  Old Course would be great for obvious reasons but I think I have to go with Lahinch. 

OC would get the edge for the town and course, Lahinch would get the edge for views (IMO), so I think the tiebreaker is the fact that Ballybunion, Waterville, and Tralee are so close.   

[PCCraig]

Tip early and tip often.

[tlavin]

Great question.  For me, it's a relatively easy answer: I pick the place where I have had the best experience with the caddies: Bandon Dunes.  They are spunky, knowledgeable and fun.  These are the people that you are working with every day, so you'd better be able to get along with them, as well as the players whose bags you're carrying.  As for the playing customers, I would guess that you would get a wide variety of people from all over the U.S. and some from overseas.  That's a lot of diversity in conversation, which is important in that job.  Finally, you'd want to work at a place where you'd get a lot of bags.

On all counts, Bandon sounds like a winner to me.

[JESII]

In the US,    Secession in winter,   PV in summer.

Secession is busy for a winter caddie spot,  nice and flat but with many varied shots due to wind.   Except for the 17th,  GCA knowledge is needed on most days due to wind.  Can play a lot of bump and run.  And I know many of the shots.  A lot of gambling by members/guest and generous with drinks/snacks at turn.    Seminole is also winter possibility. If I knew more about the course,  no. of rounds, etc.  though probably less guest play.   Seems it would only be a rolling terrain, no hills, wind, great GCA.  Could caddie for BJ Patton.

PV for the GCA and tips even though it looks to be more difficult, hilly for a double.   Imagine you get some singles which help on wear and tear.

note:     the number of bags, & amount of caddie tips cannot be discounted in todays world, possibly for another 10 years, even under theoretical GCA type questions.   I offer no apologies for including caddie tips. caddie fees yes,  tips NO !!  number of bags NO !!    Need a great GCA course with  the potential of guest play considered for TIPS.

You are a wise man!

[Bruce Leland]

I love Minnesota in the Summertime so I'm going with Interlachen in Season and Cypress in the Winter.  

[Patrick_Mucci]

Wouldn't your selections be favorably disposed toward a course where "golf" is "KING" ?

[Matt Bosela]

For me, in the US, I'd pick Oakmont in the summer months and Cypress Point in the winter months.  I'd likely prefer to carry at a private club in order to develop relationships/friendships with my players. 

Oakmont is a player's club and that's also a drawing factor for me - I've always enjoyed caddying in competition so if I wasn't able to play myself, watching and helping a good player get their ball around would keep me interested.

I've never played Cypress before but I can easily surmise that it's heaven on earth, with great views and a lovely climate.

In the UK, I would choose Dornoch for the atmosphere and great characters that walk those fairways...

[Jon Spaulding]

Yale. I'd likely return home smarter, in better shape, and with some of that Sweeney guy's money.

[Tim Gavrich]

Maybe Olympia Fields or Medinah or Chicago GC, until I earn enough money to try and buy a Senate seat!

Kidding!  Candidates might include:

Burning Tree or Congressional in DC--loop for some interesting government types.
Bel-Air or Riviera--caddying for celebrities might be fun...good potential book fodder.

But I'd probably pick Pine Valley.  To have the chance to get intimately acquainted with it would be incredible; plus, I'd assume I'd be allowed to play it every so often (even though I guess we're not supposed to consider that in our answer).

[Rob Rigg]

Bandon - Variety of courses, some interesting clients and I would imagine some very passionate golfers as well. The weather may not be great all the time but that makes the courses different from day to day.

Seems like caddy nirvana if you had to pick one location (nice work Joe B)

[Dean Stokes]

Seminole.

Tremendous golf course. Most of the golfers are of a good standard. They all know how to play in under four hours.

PS. Close to the finish line you get to stand on the seventeenth tee. Does it get any better?

[Bill Shamleffer]

which one would YOU pick ?

Why ?

Caddie fees are disqualified as a reason and so is playing there on caddy day.

I assume the purpose of this exercise is supposed to be what one course I would choose to study by caddying at that course.

If this is the question, my U.S. choice is National Golf Links of America and my world choice is St. Andrews.

St. Andrews is the course that I believe requires the most repeated visits to fully understand.  Also, it is the place which one is most likely to learn something new about that course at EVERY playing.

I have never seen NGLA, but from all that I have read by some on this site and in a variety of golf publications, I think it could be a course that I would find to be a very fun and exciting design.

The best course I have ever caddied at on a somewhat regular basis was St. Louis Country Club.  If one can not play a great course, 2nd best is to caddy on a great course.  In fact, I think on a 1-10 scale if playing is 10 and just walking the course is 1, that I may rank caddying on a course at about 7 or 8.

[Mike Nuzzo]

The first course I thought of was Newport CC....
It looks like Mike's life has paralleled mine...
Cheers

[PCCraig]

which one would YOU pick ?

Why ?

Caddie fees are disqualified as a reason and so is playing there on caddy day.

I assume the purpose of this exercise is supposed to be what one course I would choose to study by caddying at that course.

If this is the question, my U.S. choice is National Golf Links of America and my world choice is St. Andrews.

St. Andrews is the course that I believe requires the most repeated visits to fully understand.  Also, it is the place which one is most likely to learn something new about that course at EVERY playing.

I have never seen NGLA, but from all that I have read by some on this site and in a variety of golf publications, I think it could be a course that I would find to be a very fun and exciting design.

The best course I have ever caddied at on a somewhat regular basis was St. Louis Country Club.  If one can not play a great course, 2nd best is to caddy on a great course.  In fact, I think on a 1-10 scale if playing is 10 and just walking the course is 1, that I may rank caddying on a course at about 7 or 8.

Bill-

I would rank looping a course on a regular basis an 11 on your scale. By watching others play a golf course so many different ways you can really learn the course and how it is played so much better than when you just play it yourself with your own game.

[jim_lewis]

I started to say Pine Tree. It's very flat and an easy walk. But then I remembered that when I played there 3 days last week, our caddy spent most of his time raking bunkers. That's too much like work, and they have about one million bunkers.

So, I'm going with Pinehurst #2. It's a very easy walk, and it would be fun to coach players on how to play around the greens. Plus, when I get tired, as I surely will, I can just drop the bag and wald home.

Jim