Fun facts about golf's bag men and women

A teen golf enthusiast who is graduating this month from Suncoast High has landed a scholarship not from her record of competitive play, but for her experience as a caddie ... and of course some other factors including academics. The decision to caddie is paying off for Jayda Dookie to the tune of a full-ride scholarship — including housing — to Michigan State University worth about $125,000.

The scholarship, established to honor amateur golfer Charles "Chick" Evans Jr., dates back to 1930 and has put nearly 12,000 students through universities since then.

But what exactly does a caddie do and, beyond a university scholarship, how does it pay? We've got your answers and some other bits that might come handy in a round of ... trivia.

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More than 13,400 caddies are working in the United States, according to Zippia, an online job recruiting service. The service also reports that a majority are men — 92.8%, and the women who caddie are earning 99% of what the men earn.

A caddie on the PGA Tour is making a base between $1,500 and $3,000 per week plus a percent ranging from 7% to 10% of the golfer's winning based on their finish, according to the publications Golflink and Golf Monthly.

A caddie is the golfer's chief scout and advisor when it comes to knowing the lay of the land — literally. They are responsible for knowing the yardage from tee to green to water hazard and everything in between. In competitive golf, they arrive to a tournament early and take copious notes about the breaks, slopes and grass. They help a golfer choose the correct clubs. They also play cleanup, raking sandtraps and replacing turf divots after the golfer has played through. And that pin in the hole? Players get very particular about when it's left in and pulled out, and the only one who can touch that pin? The caddie.

Well, there is a Caddie Hall of Fame. It was created in 1999 by the Professional Caddies Association and is administered by the Western Golf Association.

The latest inductees listed, announced in 2022, include Jim Dent, a Black man and native of Augusta, Georgia, who caddied his first Masters at age 15 and, after caddying for champions, went on to play professionally on the PGA Tour for 50 years, clocking 12 victories.

Also inducted that year: Ed "Porky" Oliver, who began caddying at age 12 and turned pro golfer, in 1934, at 18. He played on three Ryder Cup teams. Oliver died in 1961, and landed in the Hall of Fame posthumously.

The final 2022 inductee was Madelyn "Moochie" Turner, who got her start in the later 1950s caddying for her mother because it was "difficult to find anyone who would carry a bag for a Black female golfer," according to the Hall of Fame website. "Together, they won numerous United Golfers Association Championsips around the country with Turner on the bag." They also made the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 2021 as the only mother-daughter duo to win a UGA championship in the same year. Turner won the girls junior division that year and then caddied later that week for her mother, who won the women's division.

Steve Williams, also in the Hall of Fame, has won 14 majors as a caddie, 13 of those with Tiger Woods. Currently caddying part time for Adam Scott.

Jim “Bones” Mackay, who caddied for Phil Mickelson from 1992-2017. Currently the caddie for Justin Thomas, who lives in Tequesta.

Mike “Fluff” Cowan, known for his fluffy mustache, caddying for nearly 45 years. He was on Tiger's bag when Woods won his first major, the 1997 Masters. Currently with Jim Furyk on the Tour Champions.

In 2017, Golf Digest came up with a list of the 36 Greatest Caddies of All Time worth checking out. The qualifications seem to run deeper than just smart on the greens to traits including humor, sports psychologist, swing coach, pack mule and friend. As you may have already noticed, many also have great nicknames ... Willie "Cemetery" Poteat? (He was Dwight D. Eisenhower's caddie at Augusta National during Eisenhower's presidency.)