Fore Caddie
A fore caddie is a caddie who walks ahead of a whole group and keeps an eye on the balls.
The fore caddie, also called a forecaddie, carries no bag and advises no individual player. His task is marking the landing zones: he positions himself where the balls are expected to come down and memorises every position. That saves search time and speeds up the round, because nobody pokes around in the rough for minutes. You will hardly meet a fore caddie on normal amateur rounds; he is common above all at tournaments, on very long holes or on courses with many blind shots.
In practice his value shows on a blind hole. An example: a par 4 over a crest, the fairway is not visible from the tee. The fore caddie stands at the top of the crest and raises his hand as soon as your ball has landed safely, or shows the direction in which it has drifted. At tournaments he often marks the ball position with a gesture or stays next to the spot until the group catches up. This keeps the pace of play high even on difficult terrain.
The typical misconception is confusing him with the classic caddie. The caddie belongs to one player, carries the bag and advises on club selection and line. The fore caddie belongs to the group and may not give advice on play; he only locates balls. Whoever plays at a facility with a forecaddie service should clarify the signals before the round — a brief arrangement on the first tee saves misunderstandings when searching for balls later.
FAQ
How do I recognise that a fore caddie is in use on a course?
Above all at tournaments, on very long holes or on courses with many blind shots, a forecaddie positions himself in the expected landing zone. He raises his hand as soon as your ball is lying safely, or shows the direction in which it has drifted. Clarify the signals briefly on the first tee, then there will be no misunderstandings when searching for balls later.
May a fore caddie help me with club selection?
No, that is not his job. The fore caddie belongs to the whole group and only locates balls — advice on club, line or way of playing may only be given by the classic caddie assigned to an individual player. Whoever mixes up the two roles risks rule infractions in a tournament.
Does a fore caddie really save time?
Yes, considerably. Instead of poking around in the rough for minutes, the group knows straight away where every ball lies. Especially on blind holes this keeps the pace of play high even on difficult terrain.