AUGUSTA, Ga. — No, caddies don't hit the shots. And yes, caddies do carry the bag. But it's not where they make their money. The best caddies aren't pack mules, they're like catchers in baseball. They're helping the main man make the right decisions; putting him in a position to succeed.
It's why putting together their yardage book, and all the research that goes into it, is where good caddies make their money.
This week at Augusta National, Paul Tesori—former caddie for 2000 Masters champion Vijay Singh, among others—gave us a peek into his notes from the 9th hole and 1st green.
Let's break it down.
- The arrows are obvious—those are the slopes.
- Notice how Tesori has added some reminders for the really severe ones (AKA, "very fast")
- Around the greens you'll see numbers like "2 all" or "3 ML". Paul uses a 1-to-4 grading system for chip shots. One is the easiest, four is the hardest. "2 all" means it's a medium hard chip to all pins. "3 ML" means it's a pretty hard chip to middle left pins.
- On the fairway you can see numbers to specific spots. So a note like 145 BC means it's 145 yards to the back corner.
- Sometimes you'll notice three-letter notes, like 169 "1 LOT" or "MAG". Those are aimlines. So, for the first, 169 1 LOT means hit a 169 yard shot aiming one yard left of the [TV] tower. MAG means aim at the magnolia tree.