A change is currently sweeping through the professional golfing industry in terms of how its key workers are being treated. The veteran caddies highlighted the stark difference between the rival circuits.

This has been particularly true for LIV Golf, which has revolutionized the lives of those carrying bags by giving them business-class flights, paying for car rentals, and putting them up in expensive hotels. Veteran caddie Billy Foster pointed out how they were not getting the respect in the PGA that they deserved.

"You've worked all week, miss the cut so you get nought," Foster stated to The Times, speaking from his decades of experience on the bag for legends like Matt Fitzpatrick and Tiger Woods. "Then flip it to the LIV Tour, you’re not treated like a rat tied up outside the clubhouse."

LIV Golf entered the scene as a Saudi-backed challenger to the PGA Tour. It grabbed attention by signing players away from the established PGA Tour, leading to heated debates about ethics, rankings, and the future of golf.

Since starting as a caddie in 1983, Foster has worked for some of golf’s biggest names, including Seve Ballesteros, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjørn, Sergio García, and Lee Westwood. Because of that experience, he says caddies who moved with their players to LIV Golf now enjoy a much better quality of life.

Caddies receiving better treatment was also doubled down by Colin Byrne, who joined LIV in 2022 to caddie for Louis Oosthuizen.

"We were in some grubby old tent or waiting under a tree to be picked up by our master coming out of the luxurious clubhouse," he said, recalling his old days.

These improved conditions have fundamentally changed the career trajectory for many veterans.

Financial Security and Professional Respect 

As reported by Golf Monthly's Mike Hall, caddies often take home 10% of a winner’s prize money and roughly 5% to 7% for other high finishes. Considering LIV Golf’s lucrative payouts, many caddies are earning a comfortable income.

The biggest attraction was the enormous prize pool. The caddies would still make money even if their player finished last, thanks to the guaranteed $120,000 (£88,000) payout.

"It’s transformed so many caddies’ lives; their earning ability, their quality of life. For us, this has been a revelation, the best thing that could have happened," Byrne concluded.

They believe that the LIV circuit has provided a necessary correction to the long-standing inequities within the professional caddying industry.

Share your thoughts on the caddies' treatment in LIV Golf.

Read more at Club Golf.

Written by

Abhishek Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar