Hi Linda,
Glad you are back from the workshop. Hope you enjoyed it.
Recently at my club there was a trolley ban because of muddy conditions. Playing in a three-person team event, two players each carried several clubs belonging to the third member of the team who could not carry a bag owing to a bad back. There was no sharing of clubs.
Do you think this arrangement is in breach of Rule 10.3a(1), “Player allowed only one caddie at a time”?
Definition of Caddie: “A person who carries...a player's clubs during play…even if not named as a caddie by the player”.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Lou from Devon, UK
Dear Lou,
I would like to think that no Committee would penalize a player for having two caddies under such circumstances. Since players on the same side are allowed to advise and assist one another, I would find myself hard-pressed to consider this a violation of the one-caddie Rule.
Vocabulary clarification: Three golfers playing together as partners are a side, not a team. A team is a group of players playing as individuals or sides against another team or teams (think Ryder Cup or a college match).
Linda
Copyright © 2019 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
Response from Lou:
Would you agree that strictly speaking it is a violation?
My response:
Frankly, Lou, I don’t see it as a violation, but this is just my opinion. Why don’t you try asking an R&A official for another opinion?
Response from Lou:
I have just heard from the R&A Rules Department. They say, “Interpretation 4.1b(2)/1 clarifies that this is permissible. The other two players are not considered caddies.” My opinion is different but there we are.
