Good players make good caddies

Caddie's role:I have been frequently asked the question "what makes a good caddie?".

There are certain things that all good bagmen do and they tend to be the basics. Realistically a very good player makes a very good caddie. It is a similar situation with swing coaches. Few golfers have been turned into talented players by a swing coach - they simply bring their ability to the fore.

The same can be said of us caddies; we try not to get in the way of good players, providing them with the space and information they need to perform at their best.

The best caddies in the world have a style of their own. Take the likes of Steve Williams. He has a strong build and he certainly takes his space in a crowded area. He walks as if someone has just offended him and is catching up with them as quickly as possible in order to give them a piece of his mind. He has an aggressive movement, almost like he is pumping iron as he strides. The 15kg bag seems part of his person.

There is very much a part of the player in each caddie. Despite carrying out the same basics in our daily toting routine, there are certain things we do for one player that would not suit another.

Our first-round three-ball in Wentworth last week was made up of three diverse characters; Colin Montgomerie, Retief Goosen and Johan Edfors. Their bagmen have learned to blend with their player's requirements. When we got to the sixth green last Thursday afternoon I noticed that Edfors caddie, Mike, had a gash on his leg which was bleeding profusely.

Given that he had tacked his way across the previous six fairways I supposed both of them had seen more of the Burma Road's undergrowth than the closely mown areas. When I pointed out that his leg was bleeding he replied: "Yes I know, I have been off-roading".

Mike is very much a hands-on caddie who will literally get stuck into a situation very quickly.

When Edfors hit his tee-shot into the trees on the 13th his ball came to rest among debris. When I looked over at Mike, he was stretched out face down by Johan's ball removing the loose impediments surrounding it. Many players would not like you getting this intimate, but obviously Edfors is quiet happy with Mike's extremely attentive approach .

When Edfors hit his ball into the water beside the eight green the next day the rest of us were peering into the murky swamp trying to identify his ball. Meanwhile Mike was clutching onto the bank with one hand while poking around with a club in his other, the water just short of his neck as he desperately tried to scoop the ball up from the sludgy bed. There is no questioning this caddie's commitment.

Of course the same caddie's behaviour would not be appropriate for Edfors' playing partners given their different dispositions. It is part of Alistair's duty as Monty's bagman to have peripheral vision.

Monty could spot a horsefly on a rhododendron petal 150 yards down the fairway and the chances are he would not want him flying while he was preparing to hit his shot.

So you can imagine the crowd- and nature-policing that Monty's man has to exercise throughout the course of a normal round. Throw a few bad shots into the mix and Monty's hyper-sensitivity demands even more control.

My guy Retief, on the other hand, is as nonchalant as a living being could be on the course. If there is someone moving or making noise he either blocks it out very discretely or genuinely does not notice. Asking the crowd to be quiet or keep still would only be highlighting it to my boss, so it's best to say nothing.

As caddies, we learn that there is usually plenty of emotion flowing from the player during the course of a round. Normally it's best for us to keep as level as possible emotionally on the course. A birdie is sometimes greeted with the same expression as a bogey.

I caught a few holes on the TV at the end of play on Saturday. Marcus Brier from Austria was standing over a six-foot birdie putt on the 18th green.

His caddie, Max, was also in the shot and as Marcus' ball trickled towards the right edge of the hole the burly Max stood on his tippy-toes and contorted his big frame enticing the ball to catch the lip of the cup and fall in.

What a pleasure to see a grown man bend his body in such an animated fashion to influence the path of the ball.

What makes a good caddie?

Doing what your player expects from you as discretely as is appropriate.