PJT Caddie Program

Purpose

The purpose of the Philadelphia Junior Tour caddie program is to enhance the enjoyment of PJT Tournaments for both parents and juniors on the FUNdamental Tour ONLY.  Caddies will help players maintain the pace of play and help juniors navigate the course in a fast and safe manner.  The #1 goal of the caddie program is to help junior golfers have more fun!

*Caddies are only allowed for the FUNdamental tour. Our full tour no longer allows parents to caddy.

Registration

Parents and family members interested in becoming a caddie for a junior should first click here to acknowledge and submit a Caddie Code of Conduct form. Once the Section Staff has approved your Caddie Code of Conduct form, you will be contacted via email. You will then be able to register for the Caddie Program and submit payment through the junior’s PJT account. Click here to navigate to the membership registration page. Once the Section Staff has both the online form and a completed registration, you will receive your caddie bib at the next event. A Caddie Code of Conduct PDF for your reference can be found on the Downloads page of the website or by clicking here.

Please make sure your junior has a Golf Genius profile prior to completing the steps below. Click here to navigate to our master roster registration if you have not done so already.

Step 1:    Fill out the Caddie Code of Conduct

Step 2:   Register for the Caddie Program

 

Rules of Golf

Prior to caddying on the Philadelphia Junior Tour, please become familiar with the USGA Rules of Golf pertaining to caddies.  Please use the information below as a guide but we strongly encourage you to read the relevant Rules referenced below.

The USGA Rules of Golf define a caddie as “one who assists the player in accordance with the Rules, which may include carrying or handling the player’s clubs during play.”  Rule 6-4 states that “a player may be assisted by a caddie, but he is limited only to one caddie at any one time.”  A player will receive a two-stroke penalty for each hole at which a breach occurred, with a maximum of four strokes per round.  A player may not ask for advice from anyone except his or her caddie (Rule 10-2).  A player must not make a stroke while his or her caddie is positioned on or close to an extension of the line of play or line of putt behind the ball (Rule 10-2b).  A player and his or her caddie are responsible for knowing the Rules.  During a stipulated round, for any breach of a Rule by his caddie, the player incurs the applicable penalty (Rule 10-3c).

Caddies cannot make final decisions on rulings.  If the advice of a caddie leads to a breach of the Rules, the player will incur the applicable penalty.  We encourage you to become familiar with Rule 10-3 and help juniors through this process when there is a situation on the golf course where the players do not know how to proceed.

Caddie Dos/Don’ts

We encourage caddies to offer assistance but ultimately allow players to make their own decisions and develop their golf skills independently.  On-course golf swing instruction should be kept to a minimum.  We strongly believe in golf’s values and tradition of sportsmanship, integrity, and honesty.  We expect all caddies to abide by these values and traditions.  Most importantly, we hope caddies do their best to ensure all competitors are having fun!  In the end, golf is just a game!

Caddies CAN do the following:

  • Give advice and assistance with yardages, club selections and reading greens
  • Help ALL juniors in the group play at a good pace and get around the golf course in a safe manner by:
    • Assisting with ball searches
    • Helping players place their bags in the proper position on tee boxes and greens
    • Encouraging ready golf
    • Helping juniors know when it is their turn to play, etc.
  • Give guidance on relief options and drops.
  • If a player has a situation where they do not know how to proceed, encourage them to use Rule 20-1c3 and find a Rules official after the round to clear up the situation.
  • Rake bunkers, replace divots and attend the flagstick.
  • Repair old hole plugs and ball marks
  • Clean the player’s golf ball within the Rules of Golf (Rule 14.1c)
  • Use a push cart
  • Help explain issues/incidents on the golf course to PJT Staff

Caddies CANNOT do the following:

  • Ride in a golf cart or have golf clubs transported in a golf cart unless it is authorized by PJT Staff
  • Use smoking or chewing tobacco products and/or alcohol

Sometimes a well-intentioned caddie will go beyond what a caddie is supposed to do.  If you see this happen, please notify a PJT Rules Official as soon as possible.  The PJT Staff will address this concern with the caddie and will make note of the violation.  If another complaint is made at that event or at any future PJT event, the individual will lose their caddie privileges.  Caddie complaints will be kept on-file at the Philadelphia Section PGA Office.

The opportunity to caddie at a PJT is tournament is a PRIVILEGE, not a RIGHT!  The Philadelphia PGA reserves the right to ban any individual from caddying at any and all PJT events.