How far away from the course do you live? What's the cost of living like?

hi and welcome.

if i was planning a trip to pebble, what part of the year would be the best combo of good weather and least crowded? basically if you were planning a trip with friends, when would you go based on your experience there?

thx

interested that you like #1..... i do think it's an interesting hole for duffers: i can see myself parring it easily but also double or even tripling it pretty routinely too. as golf should be.

i mentioned people saying pebble is pretty ordinary ex. the ocean holes... i don't agree with that. inland holes are much nicer than riviera in LA for instance.

The average pace of play is 5 hours for PB, 4:45 for Spyglass, and 4-5 at Spanish Bay depending on the tee sheet. It takes longer more because of the course being backed up. First off the tee can get done in 3:30. The perfection aspect does come into play a little bit, but it is not the major factor in the slow pace of play.

Pebble Beach does double bagging. Most of the senior guys do doubles only, but a lot of times they say to hell with procedure and throw them on a cart. If the guests say no, they just head back to the barn and wait til the next tee time. Double bagging is at least twice as hard as single bagging, but still worth it because you get a double bag fee. The funny thing is that I average a lot better tips on a single( per bag). It is not too hard to double bag, most caddies have Pebble Beach change out bags(super light), so that helps a lot. That being said, doing it 7 days in a row is a grind. I would say I have done in between 500-600 loops at the three courses with 300 at PB

Haven't played Cypress yet. I would like to get my handicap down before I ever play there. I haven't looped it, they have their own caddies. Their caddies get to play once a week (lucky bastards). A lot of the older guys are ornery. They are spoiled. That is why they mostly work off of requests. For a single, anything over 60 bucks is good. For two bags 100 is pretty standard. I have never heard of a caddie being overtipped though

-Slicky

I live in Monterey. It takes me 15 minutes to get to the parking lot at PB. It is a lot closer as the crow flies but inside the PB gates is a collection of windy roads.

My cost of living is pretty (LO)Low. I just moved back in with my parents. I was splitting rent with my gf for 2 years but she had to move back home so we're doing long distance for now. Cheapest rent you will find around for a reasonable place is 650 per month. Most young people will live in Marina or Seaside, still a reasonable commute. I could live with one of my buddies but I don't mind living at home and not having to pay as many bills. I do try and make myself useful around the house though

We have an indian summer here. The last half of September until early november is the best weather. It is normally very foggy during the traditional summer months, but people from places like Texas actually like it. The course is always crowded. With friends I would come in late September. There won't be as many tourists because summer will have ended and you will have the best weather. Anytime is good, but I would avoid Dec-March because you will have more chance of rain.

If I was playing it might be different. I think the reason I like it so much is because as a caddie you can get off the day to a good start easily. It scores me a lot of points when I read the first green because it breaks opposite of the way it looks.

I think people that think of those holes as ordinary are spoiled, oblivious to the subtleties, or maybe trying to impress someone with their knowledge lol. There is a feature on every hole that will test you. You might not encounter them, especially if you have a good caddie. For instance, hole 15 is not hard if you keep it simple. If you hit it in the fairway pot bunker,however, a good player will make par only 10 percent of the time. 12 isn't super special but it still requires a pretty big shot from the tees.

awesome. thx!

yeah, our indian summer here in socal is still crazy hot in late sept. but i can definitely imagine the cool ocean breeze cooling it down up there in nocal.

What do you think of Pacific Grove?

I am assuming you mean the golf course. I like it for a cheaper muni. The front nine and the back nine feel like different courses because the front nine was built 30 years before the back. The front nine is pretty ho hum in terms of the holes. two par threes to start off is strange. I think they have back to back par 5s too. The back nine feels like the truest links course around the area. It was designed by Jack Neville who also did Pebble Beach with Douglas Grant. The tenth hole is very bland but then after that you go near the ocean. On a windy day, this nine is pretty hard.

How do the hours work? Did you ever show up and wait all DA without getting a bag?

You can show up or call in the morning. It is based on seniority so I have certainly come in and sat for a while and left without a loop, but that doesn't happen very often.If you come in and sit down and a job suddenly pops up at Spyglass or Spanish Bay then (the management company that hires us out) they might ask us to drive over there. you don't have to though.

You have to be at the course at least 30 minutes before your loop if it is on request. You go to the tee 15 minutes before to meet your players. 5 hours later you ride a cart back to the first tee, clean clubs, get tipped and go home.

So on the days you leave without a player do you get anything from the company?

nothing but a "thanks for coming in today"

I went to Pebble once and looked around. I looked at the 18th hole and thought the houses along the right hand side spoil the hole... Your opinion?

What's your handicap? What's your education? How long do you see yourself at this for? Will you try to get on tour?

So does a usual group bother with retrieving golf balls on the beach/rocks?

Surely most do not bother playing shots out of there like Furyk?

Has anyone else got seriously hurt like Bettencourts' Caddie was would think that would be rare?

I have never seen the hole without the houses. I am trying to envision it right now but I can't. Most of the houses on 18 look nice, but the one closest to the tee is kind of ugly.

Handicap now is probably around a 12. The lowest I have had it is a 6. I graduated high school and then attended junior college. I wanted to make some money to support myself before I go back to school, so I will probably start taking classes again next January. The sweet thing about my job is when I do decide to transfer to a university, I can still put myself on schedul for school breaks. I haven't planned ahead of that. If I could be lucky/good enough to caddie on tour I would love to do that, but I don't think I would do it forever.

Quite a few people working there are college graduates who caddie part time, or just enjoy the lifestyle so much that they wouldn't rather do anything else.

Seems like a cool part time job for a young kid living at home/going to school. If your doing this full time 3 years from now, you might want to up your life goals. If you want to live poor/have cool experiences. Travel and see the world while doing it, get away from Mom and Dad. Not hating at all, just my 2 cents.

Cool thread - hopefully a few questions are okay.

What would you say are the top three ball brands/models being played by those at PB, and do you subscribe to the theory that a lot more people play ProV1 than should, based on ability?

How does management address the issue of people trying to forage for golf balls to resell? Do they not care if it's after hours, or is it basically just short of a "release the hounds" situation?

In terms of recreational golfers, what percentage do you think would play the right club more often than not (other than the obvious situations like putting and driving) if the decision was left up to them?

Have you ever witnessed a medical emergency on the course, like a guy having a cardiac event or a diabetic episode? What about disagreements among players that got heated?

I'm sure you answered this already but how is the money out there....any bets placed on the course? Highest prop bets etc wbn to hear a decent 10k/hole story

Appreciate the constructive criticism. I lived on my own for a good 4 years before recently moving back in to save money so that I can leave fairly soon. You are right about it being a great job for a kid, and about it being dead end. I wasn't planning on staying full time. However, it is not a bad fall back job. There are quite a few caddies who make 75K, and one or two who make 100. I am going to Japan next month. I have traveled a lot for someone my age and I know how cool and important it is. I don't know what I would like to do as a career yet, but I am pretty determined once I decide on goals. Hopefully the job market picks up a little more before I finish school.

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