Quality of caddies/what to expect from caddies and Caddie Tipping norms in Southeast Asia
An Australian golfer, teeing off for the final time on his current Vietnam Golf Holiday remarked – “I am already used to this – a pretty caddy walking up and handing out the driver and a bunch of tees, I cannot imagine that she will not be there when I tee off again next week, back at home.” That comment, one would think, pretty much summarizes the golfing experience in almost all of Southeast Asia and exactly the feature that sets it apart from the rest of the world. It also adds a completely different dimension to playing the game, especially if you get an accomplice who is handy with knowledge of the course and the greens. And even if you do not get lucky with those skills, you really ought not to complain. You have already been spoiled by the golf caddies of Southeast Asia.
However, it is important to know the factors that will be key to your golf experience with caddies in South East Asia. At the most basic level, it is the communication ability. Here, just stick to English skills, and what you are really looking for is a clear ability to speak and to understand conversations relating to yardages, locations of hazards and where to aim, etc. Some golf courses are known to have a focus on such basic ability and this may make all the difference between having an enjoyable or a frustrating round. All the same, it is always a good practice to check at the time of checking in at the golf course, whether the caddie you have been allotted does possess such basic English skills. At another level, the experience of the caddies counts for something and can help shave a few shots off your round.
All said the caddies in South East Asia add a different flavor to your golfing experience, whether by skills, knowledge or just their friendliness. However, they are there to do a job and make a living for themselves and their families. While a caddie fee would have already been included in your round, the fee goes to the golf course towards the upkeep and maintenance of caddies. The caddie largely depends on the tip received from the players. As a general guide, the recommended tip for caddies for a round of golf in South East Asia is between USD 12-15, which translates roughly to about THB 400 in Thailand, VND 300,000 in Vietnam and IDR 200,000 in Indonesia. These are the minimum tipping norms in Southeast Asia, but it is not at all unusual for golfers to tip more than that, considering it is a small percentage of the cost of the whole golf round and it is for work that lasts well beyond 4 hours.
