How to Become a Youth Golf Caddie

None of the sources we read offers a national sign-up for caddying. A young person joins one club’s caddie program, and each club runs its own. The Western Golf Association’s Caddie Manual says so directly: “Each club will have its own set of rules and procedures for caddies to follow.”

The person who runs the program is the caddie manager. The manual describes the job: “Caddie managers are given the task of recruiting, training, nurturing and supervising a golf club’s caddies.” A club may use another title for the same job.

The path, in order:

1. Find a club with a youth caddie program. The Western Golf Association’s Caddie Program Locator is the place to start. The next section covers what it does and does not show.
2. Contact the caddie manager. Ask whether the club is taking new caddies for the coming season and how a new caddie applies.
3. Ask before you commit. Use the first-contact question sheet below and write the answers down. The starting age, the pay, the schedule and the training all belong to the club.
4. Check the work rules. Federal rules, state rules and the club’s own policy can each bear on a teenager’s age and hours. This guide does not say how they apply to a caddie. The work rules section below says where they are published and who to ask.
5. Do the club’s training. Ask what it covers and when it runs.
6. Prepare for the first loop. A loop is one round worked as a caddie. The checklist below covers what to bring and what to expect.

What the job is, in the Western Golf Association’s words on its Caddie Resources page: “A caddie assists golfers during their rounds. Responsibilities include carrying the golfer’s bag, calculating yardages, replacing divots, raking bunkers and attending the flagstick.”

The Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation (the WGA) is the body behind the Evans Scholarship for caddies. It publishes a Caddie Program Locator, which we read on October 11, 2026. The page says: “No matter where you live, we can help you find a golf course with a youth caddie program.” Its instruction is one sentence: “Use the form below to find a course in your area, then contact the caddie manager to learn more about the caddie program.”

The form asks for an address or ZIP code and a search radius of 5, 20 or 50 miles, or Anywhere. It has two buttons, “Find a Club” and “Geolocate Me”. We read the page and did not run a search, so this guide does not describe its results and copies none of its listings. Use the locator itself.

Three limits to keep in mind:

• It is not a list of openings. The page says nothing about whether any club is hiring. Treat a club the search returns as a club to call, not as a job offer.
• It states no terms. The page gives no starting age, no pay and no training date. Those are the caddie manager’s to answer.
• It is one association’s search. A club with a caddie program may not appear in it. If a club near you is missing, call its golf shop and ask whether it has a caddie program and who runs it.

If the search returns nothing you can reach, the foot of the same page carries the WGA’s own phone number and a contact form. The WGA’s Carry the Game page is not a program to apply to: it describes “a nonprofit advocacy group aimed at increasing the number and diversity of youth caddies nationwide” and sends readers back to the locator.

The WGA also publishes free training materials on its Caddie Resources page:

• The Caddie Training Manual. The page calls it a “30-page comprehensive guide for beginner caddies”. The file it links is titled Caddie Manual, carries February 2022 in its file name and runs 15 pages with its cover. We read all of it, and the checklist below draws on it.
• A Caddie Training Video Series. The page says it “is designed to help beginner caddies”. We did not watch it.
• A Caddie Exam. The page says: “Many clubs use this exam at the end of caddie training.” Ask your club whether it does.

Some caddie programs are run by an organization instead of a single club. We opened three organizers’ own pages on October 11, 2026. Every term below belongs to that program alone, as its page read that day. None is a rule for any other club or program, and none of the pages printed a 2027 date.

The WGA Caddie Academy, for a student who cannot caddie where they live. Its Who we are page gives the mission: “to provide summer caddie opportunities to at-promise high school students who excel in the classroom and in their communities”. Its Frequently Asked Questions page states its terms:

• Who may apply: “All applicants must currently be in their freshman year of high school and exhibit character and leadership, academic success, financial need and the inability to caddie based on geographic location.”
• What it is: “The program runs for seven weeks from mid-June through early August.” Participants live at one of the chapter sites the page lists and “are expected to caddie six days a week, including weekends”.
• Cost and earnings: “The program is free for all participants, and participants keep the money they earn from caddying.” The page gives no amount: “The amount of money each participant makes varies”.
• Applying: “The application is available on the Caddie Academy home page starting December 1. All applications and supporting documents should be completed and submitted by February 1.” Applicants are told of a decision on March 15. The page prints no year beside those dates. On October 11, 2026 the Academy’s home page read “Application opens December 1”, again with no year, so confirm the cycle and its dates on the Academy’s own site before you plan around them.

The Who we are page also says which chapter is open to whom: one is “Open to young women from Minnesota”, another “Open to young men from across the United States”. How the Academy connects to the Evans Scholarship is covered in our Evans Scholarship guide.

A state golf association’s program: Colorado, as one example. The Colorado Golf Association’s Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy page lists four chapters in Colorado and these terms:

• Who may apply: the page lists “Must have completed 8th grade”, “Minimum 3.0 GPA (report cards required)” and “Family income $80,000 or less”. It adds: “No golf experience necessary, but strong work ethic and positive attitude required”.
• When: “The program runs Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.” Training is “April and May, after school and on weekends”.
• What a participant receives: the page describes educational grants: “Complete monthly requirements and receive $600 educational grants per month ($1,800 total per summer). You may also receive tips from golfers.” The monthly requirements it lists include 12 loops, weekly leadership classes and 2 volunteer hours.
• What the page does not say: which season those terms are for, or when applications open or close. It marks 2026 applications as closed at the three affiliate clubs it names.

Those are Colorado’s terms, and they show how far a program can differ from a club’s own: entry by school grade, a grade average, an income limit and monthly educational grants. Your own state or regional golf association may run a caddie program, a caddie scholarship or neither. Check its site or ask its office.

A First Tee chapter: Greater Philadelphia. An article on First Tee’s own site, dated May 11, 2026 in its address, reported that “First Tee – Greater Philadelphia’s 2026 Caddie Academy graduated 67 new caddies this year, including seven girls”. The article states no entry age, cost or application step for that academy and no 2027 date. That is one chapter’s program. If the player already belongs to a First Tee chapter, ask that chapter whether it runs caddie training.

These are questions, not facts. Nothing below assumes an answer, because the answers are the club’s. Write down what your club says and who said it.

The sheet starts where the WGA’s Caddie Manual starts. It tells a new caddie: “Do not be afraid to ask your caddie manager questions”, and it names four: how, when and where to report to work, what to do when given a daily assignment, how the caddie “will be compensated”, and where “to obtain information on college scholarships granted to caddies”. We added the questions a parent needs answered as well.

Getting in

• Is the club taking new caddies for the coming season, and how does a new caddie apply?
• What is the youngest age or school grade the club accepts?
• Does a new caddie need to play golf or know the game already?
• How does the club engage its caddies, as its own employees or in some other way, and what paperwork follows from that?
• Does the club need a work permit, proof of age or a parent’s signature before the first day?

Training

• When does training run, how many sessions is it, and is any of it on the course?
• Does training cost anything, and is training time paid?
• Which manual, video or exam does the club use, and must a caddie pass a test before a first loop?
• Does a new caddie walk a round beside an experienced caddie before working alone?

Schedule

• When does the club’s caddie season start and end?
• Which days and times does the club most need caddies, and how many days a week does it expect a new caddie to come?
• What time should a caddie arrive, and how long might the wait for a loop be?
• Can a caddie come to the club and go home without a loop?
• How does a caddie tell the club about school, a high school golf season or a tournament weekend?

How loops are assigned

• Who assigns loops, and in what order?
• How does a first-year caddie get loops when experienced caddies are waiting too?
• What are the club’s caddie ranks, and what does a caddie do to move up?
• Will a new caddie carry one bag or two?
• Will a new caddie be asked to forecaddie for a group riding in carts?

Pay and how it is recorded

• What is the club’s rate for a first-year caddie, and where is it written down?
• Who pays the caddie, when, and how: cash, a caddie ticket or card, or an electronic payment?
• Are tips separate from the rate?
• Does the club keep a record of every loop, and can the caddie have a copy?
• Does the club give the caddie an earnings record or a tax form at the end of the year?
• Is a caddie paid when weather stops a round?

Getting there and back

• Where does a parent drop off and pick up, and where do caddies check in and wait?
• May a caddie keep a phone in the caddie area or on the course, and how do they tell a parent when a round will finish?
• Who can a parent call at the club during the day?

Weather and safety

• What happens in lightning, heavy rain or extreme heat, who makes the call, and where do caddies shelter?
• Is drinking water available on the course, and may a caddie carry their own?
• Who does a caddie tell if they feel unwell or get hurt?
• May a caddie under 18 move or drive a golf cart?

Supervision

• Which adults supervise the caddie area, and what are its rules?
• What are the club’s rules for adults who work with caddies under 18?
• Who does a caddie or a parent tell if a golfer, a staff member or another caddie treats a caddie badly?

What to wear and bring

• What is the dress code, and which shoes are allowed?
• Does the club supply a bib, shirt or hat, or does the caddie buy them?
• Should the caddie bring a towel?
• May a caddie bring food and a water bottle, and is there somewhere to keep them?

Scholarships and golf

• Does the club take part in the Evans Scholarship or another caddie scholarship, and who at the club handles it?
• Does the club give caddies any chance to play the course?

Three of those questions have a line behind them in the WGA’s own documents. Its Caddie Playbook, written for clubs, says: “Every caddie program pairs caddies and golfers differently.” On pay it says: “Standard caddie rates should be made public to all members.” And the Caddie Manual tells a caddie under 18 who is asked to move a cart to say that “you are not permitted to drive the golf carts as an underaged caddie”. Each is the WGA’s guidance, not a statement of what your club does. The Playbook calls its own contents “general recommendations rather than a formula for success that all caddie programs must follow”.

Three sets of rules can bear on a teenager who caddies: federal rules, state rules and the club’s own policy. This guide states no working age of its own and does not say how any labor rule applies to a caddie. It is not legal advice. What follows is where the U.S. Department of Labor publishes its rules, what its pages do not settle and who to ask. We read the Department’s pages on October 11, 2026.

Where the federal rules are. The Department’s Age Requirements page says the Fair Labor Standards Act “sets wage, hours worked, and safety requirements for minors (individuals under age 18) working in jobs covered by the statute”, and that “The rules vary depending upon the particular age of the minor and the particular job involved.” Its young workers pages set those rules out for non-agricultural jobs in three age groups. Read the one for the player’s age in the Department’s own words:

• Under 14
• Ages 14 and 15
• Ages 16 and 17

What those pages do not settle. None of the Department pages we read names caddying, as permitted work or as prohibited work. Nor does the Department’s Child Labor Bulletin 101, revised November 2016, which the page for 14- and 15-year-olds links and which we read in full. The Act’s rules are written for “jobs covered by the statute”. Whether a caddie at a given club is in such a job, and so whether any age or hours rule on those pages reaches that caddie, is a question the pages do not answer. This guide does not answer it either. Do not read the Department’s lists of jobs as saying that caddying is allowed or not allowed at any age. That is why the question sheet asks how the club engages its caddies and what age it accepts.

Who the Department says to ask. Its pages for ages 14 and 15 and for ages 16 and 17 both say: “There may be some exceptions that apply to your particular situation, so check with your local Wage and Hour Division office if you have questions.”

State law. The Age Requirements page says: “Each state also has its own laws relating to employment, including the employment of minors. If state law and the FLSA overlap, the law which is more protective of the minor will apply.” It adds: “Child labor laws vary from state to state. Please consult your state department of labor for this information.” We opened no state’s law and no state labor department, so this guide states no state rule. The Department keeps two tables to start from:

• Its Employment/Age Certificate table, dated January 1, 2024, shows for each state whether an employment or age certificate is mandated, issued on request or not issued, and whether the labor department or the school issues it.
• Its table of state child labor standards, stated as of July 15, 2025, shows each state’s daily and weekly hours and night work limits for minors in non-farm employment.

Both tables are summaries with their own dates, and neither names caddying. Confirm what you find with your state labor department.

Work permits. The bulletin says the federal child labor provisions do not “require minors to obtain” working papers or work permits, “though many states do”. Ask the club what paperwork it needs from a minor, and ask your state labor department whether the state requires any.

Golf carts. The bulletin names golf carts once, among the power-driven machinery in its list of jobs that 14- and 15-year-olds may not be employed in. Separately, the WGA’s Caddie Manual tells a caddie under 18 who is asked to move or drive a cart to decline. Ask the club for its own rule.

The club. The WGA’s manual says each club has “its own set of rules and procedures for caddies to follow”, and a club may set a starting age of its own. Ask for both, in writing if the club has them written down.

So, before the first loop:

1. Ask the caddie manager how the club engages its caddies, what starting age it accepts and what paperwork it needs from a minor.
2. Read the Department of Labor page for the player’s age, and look up your state in its two tables.
3. Take any question about whether a rule applies to the player to your state labor department or the local Wage and Hour Division office. Rely on their answer, not on this guide.

No. Rule 2 of the Rules of Amateur Status lists the actions that make a golfer a non-amateur, and working as a caddie is not one of them. The Guidance Notes for Rule 2 go further and list it among the things an amateur golfer is allowed to do: “Work as a caddie, even when caddying for a professional golfer or on a professional tour.”

We read both on The R&A’s site on October 11, 2026. The R&A’s Rules of Amateur Status page says the Rules, “published by The R&A and the USGA, came into effect on 1 January 2022”. What does end amateur status, and what an amateur may accept as a prize, is in our amateur status rules guide.

The Rules of Amateur Status do not decide two other things:

• College eligibility. The NCAA has its own rules, and this guide states none of them. If the player is thinking about college golf, take any question about paid work to the compliance office at the college, or at any college that is recruiting the player.
• High school eligibility. If the player competes for a school team, ask the athletic director whether the state association has a rule of its own about paid work in golf.

Lines marked “WGA manual” come from the Western Golf Association’s Caddie Manual, read in full on October 11, 2026. Lines marked “Our advice” are Tessaira’s own. Your club’s instructions come before both.

The week before

• Our advice: read the manual the club uses. If the club has none, the WGA’s is free on its Caddie Resources page.
• WGA manual: learn its 10 Rules of a Caddie. Three of them: “Replace all divots.” “Rake all bunkers.” “Stay ahead or even with your player, but never behind.”
• WGA manual: “Find out from your caddie manager when and where to check in.”
• Our advice: walk the distance beforehand in the shoes the caddie will wear. The manual says: “During one round of golf, you will walk approximately five miles.”
• Our advice: finish any paperwork the club or the state requires, and agree who drives, where pick-up is and how the caddie will say the round is over.

What to wear and bring

• WGA manual, a towel: it calls a white towel of 20 by 40 inches ideal and says: “Many clubs require the caddie to bring a towel from home.”
• WGA manual, small tools: a ball mark repair tool, and “An extra pencil and a few tees for the player.”
• WGA manual, shoes: “A comfortable pair of shoes. Never wear golf spikes or ripple soled shoes that can damage the greens.” It adds: “Always wear socks.”
• WGA manual, clothes: “Most clubs recommend a caddie to wear a club shirt and a hat. You may have to purchase these items from the club.” Ask your club what it requires.
• WGA manual, weather: “You should always carry a windbreaker or raincoat on days that are forecasted for rain.” On extremely hot days it says to “drink large amounts of water to keep from getting dehydrated” and to wear sunscreen.
• WGA manual, food: “Make sure to eat a good breakfast prior to caddying.”
• Our advice: a filled water bottle and a snack if the club allows them, the caddie manager’s phone number, and a phone only if the club permits one.

At the club

• WGA manual: check in, go to the caddie area and wait for an assignment, and “follow the rules posted by the club”.
• WGA manual: “Count the clubs in the bag (the USGA rules of golf allow a maximum of 14).” If the count is different, tell the golfer.
• WGA manual: learn how to say the player’s name, then introduce yourself. Its example: “Hello Mr./Mrs. Smith, my name is John Doe and I will be your caddie today.”
• WGA manual: on the course, “Stay quiet on the tee when a player is hitting.” And: “Never touch a golf ball while it is in play.”
• WGA manual, safety: “If your player is playing through trees or a large hill, stand where you will not be hit by the ball but can still watch its flight.” The manual has no lightning or storm procedure, which is why the question sheet asks the club for its own.

At the end of the round

• WGA manual: “Thank your player.”
• WGA manual: “This is when your player will compensate you for your work and evaluate your performance on a ticket that you are handed when you begin the round.” Your club may do this another way. Ask.
• WGA manual: “Ask your player where they would like the bag to be placed and return it there promptly.” Then return to the caddie area and wait for a second assignment or check out, as the club’s rules say.
• Our advice: write down the date, the number of bags, the hours and what was paid. Keep your own log of every loop, whatever record the club keeps.

This section is Tessaira’s own plain guidance for a family. Where a line draws on a WGA document it says so. None of it is a rule, and your club’s practice may differ on every point.

• It is physical work. The WGA’s manual puts one round at approximately five miles of walking, and the caddie carries a bag for it. Its advice is to look after your feet, dress for the weather and eat sensibly. Build up to it before the season, not during it.
• There is waiting. The manual’s first step is to check in, go to the caddie area and wait for an assignment. Ask the club whether a caddie who comes in can go home without a loop, and plan the day so that outcome is acceptable.
• A new caddie starts as a beginner. The manual says: “When you begin caddying, many clubs will classify you as a ‘B’ caddie.” It adds: “Promotions can result in more money for your work.” Ask what your club’s ranks are and how a caddie moves up.
• Pay may come straight from the golfer. The WGA’s Caddie Playbook says: “In most instances, a golfer will pay a caddie directly immediately after the round. Methods of payment include cash, a signed caddie ticket or caddie card, or a form of electronic payment.” It also says that “what the golfer actually pays is at his or her discretion”.
• There is no standard rate. The Playbook says: “The typical range of compensation for caddies varies by club, city, state or even region.” This guide gives no rate, because none of our sources gives one for a club’s caddies. Ask the club for its own rate, and ask what earnings record it provides. We give no tax advice.
• The caddie is evaluated. The manual describes the player rating the caddie on a ticket after the round. A first season is where a caddie learns to hear that feedback and use it.
• It takes weekends and summer days. The Playbook tells clubs to look for caddies who are “available during peak times (weekends, tournaments, leagues, guest play)”. Those can be the same days a junior golfer plays tournaments. Settle the summer calendar before the player commits to a club, and check when the school season falls with our high school golf guide.
• It may come with golf. The manual says: “Most private clubs are closed on Mondays. Your club may offer ‘caddie golf’ on these days.” Ask whether yours does.
• A parent’s part is logistics. Early drop-offs, an uncertain finish time, and knowing which adult to call. Agree those with the club and the caddie before the first day, then let the caddie do the job.

A first season is where a caddie record begins. The WGA’s manual lists the Evans Scholarship, a college scholarship for caddies, among a caddie’s benefits. Its instruction is: “For more information, ask your caddie manager” or contact the WGA.

Starting to caddie is not a promise of that scholarship or any other. Who is eligible, what the record has to show and how to apply are in our Evans Scholarship guide. What a family can do in the first season is ask whether the club takes part, and keep the caddie’s own log of every loop.

One thing this guide does not cover: a parent carrying the bag for their own child in a junior tournament. That is a different job under different rules, and it has its own guide, caddying for your own junior golfer.