Caddying at the Masters is a totally different experience than doing the job elsewhere – just ask Ken Martin.
“The caddies are really well looked after at Augusta,” said Martin, who caddied for Scottish golfer Sandy Lyle at last year’s major. “We had our own locker room. They feed us delicious food, the best food I’ve ever eaten. But it’s a long week. You have to be in good shape to run this hilly course.”
Some of the biggest names in professional golf, including Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, will converge on the famous hilly course on Thursday to compete in the 2024 Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Golfers play for a multi-million dollar cash prize and the chance to don the coveted green jacket for a year.
This year, much of the focus will be on the prize money the winning golfer will receive at this year’s tournament. The purse for the 2023 Masters was $18 million, $3 million more than the previous year’s purse – the largest year-over-year increase in the tournament’s history. Of that total, 2023 winner Jon Rahm took home $3.24 million.
But players aren’t the only ones lining up to get a big win. The winner’s caddy can easily go home with a six-figure salary after four days of work. But landing the four-day job is the culmination of years of working one-on-one with the same professional golfer, Martin said.
Cadets develop a strong friendship with a golfer well before the time of an elite competition like the Masters, Martin said. Fans sitting in the stands, as well as those watching at home, can only see the caddy handing the player a club, but in reality there is constant communication between the golfer and caddy during commercial breaks and during Let the two of us walk towards the next hole, he explained. Martin, who played professionally from 1982 to 2015, now teaches the sport at Keizer University in Florida.
In addition to carrying the heavy bag, the caddy also provides information on which club to use, as well as swing technique, Martin said. That’s because most caddies who work PGA Tour games are former professional players with a wealth of knowledge about the game.
But technique is only a small part of the exchange, he added. With a strong camaraderie forged over the years, it’s very likely the two spend most of their time chatting like old friends, he said.
“It’s boring to just talk about golf for four to six hours,” Martin said. “You’ve been together for a long time, so the friendship part plays a bigger role.”
How much do caddies earn at the Masters?
Cadets like Martin earn a salary from two sources during the Masters. Part of it is a weekly salary of between $2,000 and $4,000 depending on the caddy’s experience, the Association of Professional Caddies and the Caddies Network told CBS MoneyWatch. The weekly salary helps the cadets recover financially, as they have to pay for their own travel to Georgia, as well as hotel and food while they work on the tournament.
Cadets also receive a percentage of what their player earns after the tournament ends. The cadet of the Master winner will receive 10% of the prize money. For context, Jon Rahm won the Masters last year and took home $3.24 million.
The Masters finalist’s caddy will receive 7% of that player’s winnings; each cadet will then receive 5%.
Caddies Network CEO John von Stade told CBS MoneyWatch that there are rare occasions where a caddie has a private contract with the player, in which case that person’s salary will not follow the traditional setup.
Over the past five years, Caddy has experienced positive changes. PGA Tour officials increased caddies’ weekly pay and players’ prize money also increased, potentially giving caddies a chance to take home six figures after a tournament.
“But what hasn’t changed is that if your player doesn’t make the cut, there is no other source of money other than the weekly rate,” von Stade said.
Christopher J. Brooks
Grub5
