Caddies Gain St Andrews' Approval

St Andrews Links Trust and Elmwood College saw the first 24 trainee caddies complete the Caddie Connect course. Following the commencement of the course in April, they will awarded their certificates at a ceremony on Monday 2 July at the Eden Clubhouse.

"We are delighted with the success of our first trainees. There has been enormous interest from around the world in Caddie Connect and we felt it was important to run a pilot course in-house with trainees before making the course more widely available."

The course has been validated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and is comprised of three parts covering both theory and practical areas of being a caddie. Etiquette, the rules of golf, customer service and course yardage are just some of the topics covered. This all culiminates in a two hour exam and practical assessment, where each caddy must complete one round and be assessed by the Caddie Master.

"Caddie Connect offers anyone pursuing a career in golf an opportunity to achieve a professional caddying qualification, the St Andrews Standard, which will have resonance throughout the golf industry," said Carol Borthwick from Elmwood College. "Caddying is an increasingly important aspect of the game and we see Caddie Connect as a welcome addition to our growing range of golf-related training courses."