Organizational skills

Former Ryder Cup captains disagree over ... organizing their golf bags?

January 18, 2023
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Cliff Hawkins

Golfers love debates. No, not just about professional golf’s existential crisis with the emergence of a controversial upstart tour. Sometimes it’s more innocent questions that stir the masses: Should you be able to move your ball out of a divot? What is the greatest feeling in golf? Is music acceptable on the course?

Enter: Which pocket of your golf bag do you put your putter in? The pressing question first surfaced on Reddit before Caddie Network took the debate to Twitter:

As of this writing the tweet had topped 840,000 views and over 1,000 people weighed in, unable to come to a consensus. Some insisted the putter go either on top or on the bottom, while others questioned the prevalence of a 13-pocket bag. Most notably, however, the post elicited thoughtful replies from a couple of major champions and former Ryder Cup captains.

It appears we have a bit of a disagreement. Turns out, Furyk—the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup captain—is a putter in top of the bag guy while Paddy—the 2021 European Ryder Cup captain—is adamant its place is in the bottom two pockets, defending his stance with a bit of … science. Yet, given both are tour pros who rarely carry their own bags, perhaps a tour caddie is best-positioned to settle this one. John Wood, the caddie-turned-broadcaster, weighed in:

The debate—not only over where the putter goes but over the 13-pocket bag itself—rages on. For what it’s worth, this writer—who grew up in the north—opts for the top of the bag alongside the driver. Furyk’s theory holds strong.