2 October 2026 · 10 min read
Golf caddie rules: giving advice, alignment sticks and what your caddie may do
You may say distance, wind and position, but not club choice or line. Plus the rules for caddie, alignment stick and rangefinder, and the penalties at a glance.
You may tell a playing partner where the bunker is, how far it is to the flag and where the wind is coming from. You may not tell him which club to take or how to play the shot, and you may not ask him either. You may ask only your caddie. That is Rule 10.2a (R&A, Rule 10). The penalty is the general penalty: two penalty strokes in stroke play, loss of the hole in match play.
Advice and public information: where the line runs
The Rules of Golf define advice as any verbal comment or action that is meant to influence you in choosing a club, making a stroke or deciding how to play a hole or the round. As an example the definition names showing another player the club you just used. Public information is not advice: where things are on the course (hole, putting green, fairway, penalty areas, bunkers, another player’s ball), the distance from one point to another, the wind direction and the Rules (R&A and USGA, definitions).
Rule 10.2a forbids three things: giving advice to anyone in the competition, asking anyone but your caddie for advice, and touching another player’s equipment to learn something that would be advice, for example looking in the bag to see which club he plays. Typical sentences:
| Sentence | Advice or information | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| “The wind is coming from the left.” | information | wind direction is public information |
| “My laser shows you the distance to the flag.” | information | distance from one point to another |
| “With an unplayable ball you have three options, Rule 19 lists them.” | information | explaining the Rules is not advice |
| “Take one more club.” | advice | influences the choice of club |
| “Which club did you take?” | advice | the club used is the definition’s own example |
| “Play it left of the bunker.” | advice | influences how the hole is played |
| “I would declare the ball unplayable.” | advice | recommending a Rule is advice, even though the Rule is public |
| “Damn, the 6-iron was short”, said in anger | not advice | no intention to influence anyone |
Two rows need explaining. Naming the Rules is allowed, recommending that someone use them is not, writes a Senior Rules Official of the Oregon Golf Association. An outburst in anger is not advice, because intention decides.
The Rule applies only during the round. Before the round, while play is stopped under Rule 5.7a and between two rounds of a competition you may give and ask for advice. Partners may advise each other, and Rule 10.2a points to Rules 22 to 24 for that. How foursomes and four-ball work is in Scramble, foursomes and four-ball explained.
Your caddie: who counts and what he may do
A caddie carries, transports and handles your clubs, gives you advice and helps you in other ways the Rules allow. You must never have more than one caddie at a time. You may change caddies, but not for a short time just to get the new one’s advice. Anyone else who walks with you or carries your rain jacket, umbrella or food is not your caddie, unless you name him as such or he also carries your clubs (Rule 10.3a). A friend who only walks beside you therefore may not advise you..
| Action (Rule 10.3b) | May the caddie do it? |
|---|---|
| carry clubs, pull a trolley, drive a cart | yes |
| give advice, search for the ball, smooth bunkers | yes |
| attend or remove the flagstick, mark the ball on the putting green, lift it and replace it | yes |
| lift a ball outside the putting green that has to be replaced | only with your authorization, each time anew |
| drop or place the ball when you take relief | no |
| decide whether you take relief, for example for an unplayable ball | no, he may advise it, you decide |
| concede a stroke, a hole or the match to the opponent | no |
You are responsible for everything your caddie does. If he breaches a Rule you get the penalty, and what he knows counts as what you know (Rule 10.3c). If you have more than one caddie on a hole, you get the general penalty for each such hole.
Alignment sticks, clubs on the ground and the caddie behind you
Under Rule 10.2b(3) you must not set down an object that helps with aiming or taking a stance, for example a club on the ground showing where to aim or where to put your feet. If you take it away before the stroke you still get the penalty. Your caddie must not set anything down for the line either (Rule 10.2b(1)).
The alignment stick is also a training aid. During a round Rule 4.3a(6) forbids using a rod or a weighted headcover in a way that helps with swing plane, grip, alignment, ball position or posture (R&A, Rule 4). For general stretching you may use any equipment, including a rod across the shoulders, just not for a practice swing.
Your caddie must not stand behind you if he wants to help with aiming. The restriction starts as soon as you begin taking your stance, which means at least one foot is in position, and lasts until the stroke. It applies even when he walks away without a word and so tells you that you are aimed correctly. If he stood there by accident there is no penalty (Rule 10.2b(4)). For something other than aiming he may stand there, for example to check whether your club hits a tree, if he moves away before the stroke and it is not part of his routine. During the stroke he also must not stand where you are playing towards or point out a spot on the ground.
You also must not make a stroke while someone gives you physical help or is deliberately positioned to shelter you from sun, rain or wind. You hold an umbrella over your own head yourself (Rule 10.2b(5)).
| Aid or help | During the round | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| distance-measuring device for distance or direction | allowed, unless the course bans it with a Local Rule | 4.3a(1), Model Local Rule G-5 |
| measuring elevation changes, club recommendation from a device | not allowed | 4.3a(1) |
| measuring wind speed at the course, powder, handkerchief or ribbon as a wind gauge | not allowed | 4.3a(2) |
| alignment rod or club on the ground for aiming | not allowed | 10.2b(3), 4.3a(6) |
| alignment rod for stretching | allowed, just not for a practice swing | 4.3a(6) |
| caddie behind you at address to help you aim | not allowed | 10.2b(4) |
Whether your course bans the rangefinder with a Local Rule you ask the club before the round. What watches, lasers and apps measure and calculate is in Golf watch, laser or app.
The penalties at a glance and a worked example
The general penalty is two penalty strokes in stroke play and loss of the hole in match play (R&A, Rule 1). For advice and help it works like this:
| Breach | Penalty | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| advice given or asked for | general penalty on the hole being played or just completed, between two holes on the next one | 10.2a |
| help with the line, object for aiming, caddie in the restricted area, physical help | general penalty | 10.2b |
| more than one caddie at a time | general penalty for each hole | 10.3a |
| prohibited device or aid | first breach general penalty, second breach disqualification | 4.3 |
An example in stroke play: on hole 7 you ask your playing partner which club he would take, and he answers. You need 5 strokes and get 2 penalty strokes on top, which makes 7. He also gets 2 penalty strokes, because he gave advice and you asked for it.
Caddies in Switzerland: person or trolley, and what it costs
The German dictionary Duden knows the caddie as a person who carries clubs for golfers and as a two-wheeled cart for the clubs (Duden). Anyone typing “golf caddy cost” may therefore mean the cart. What a trolley and a bag cost is in Golf bag and trolley.
The Golf Club Klosters writes that caddies have disappeared from amateur sport. In Graubünden, though, 13 Bündner Caddies were available in 2022, free to book. They are not classic caddies but accompany guests off the course too. Whether they are available this season is on golf.graubuenden.ch (Golf Club Klosters).
For a caddie in the classic sense I found no current price list of a Swiss club on 2 October 2026. One example from 2018 is the guest price list of the Golf & Country Club Zürich: under “Caddie Fees” it says CHF 45 per bag for 18 holes and CHF 25 for 9 holes (Golf & Country Club Zürich). I have not checked whether that still applies.
What this means for you, and where to practise without a penalty
- Say distance, wind and the position of hazards, never club or line.
- Do not put a stick or a club on the ground for aiming.
- A rangefinder is normally allowed. Ask whether the course bans it.
- Your caddie may advise you, but must not stand behind you while you line up.
The Rule applies in the round. A practice hour in the bay is not a round under these Rules, so you may ask and be shown whatever you like there, and the launch monitor shows you the distance itself. You put the other Rules in order with Golf rules for beginners, Golf etiquette and dress code and, for a ball that moves, Ball moves: the rule.
Plan the first visit with golf simulator for beginners, and the map shows the nearest venue. The directory lists 110 indoor venues (as of 2 October 2026, our own entries). To work on distances and club choice with a pro, use the venues with coaching under indoor golf training.
Frequently asked questions
May I tell a playing partner which club I used?
No, during the round that counts as advice. The definition names showing the club you just used as an example. Under Rule 10.2a you get the general penalty for it, two penalty strokes in stroke play and loss of the hole in match play.
May I tell a playing partner the distance or the wind direction?
Yes. The distance from one point to another, the wind direction, the position of hole, green, bunkers and penalty areas and the Rules are public information, not advice. It becomes advice only when you add which club or which line he should choose.
Is an alignment stick allowed during a round of golf?
Not for aiming. Rule 10.2b(3) forbids any object on the ground that helps with aiming or your stance, and Rule 4.3a(6) forbids the stick as a training aid. You get the general penalty. For stretching you may use it, just not for a practice swing.
What may a caddie do in golf, and what not?
He may carry clubs, give you advice, search for the ball, attend the flagstick and mark and replace the ball on the green. He may not drop, decide on relief or concede anything. You are liable for his breaches (Rules 10.3b and 10.3c).
May I use a rangefinder during a round?
Yes, for distance and direction, unless the course bans it with a Local Rule (Model Local Rule G-5). Measuring elevation changes and a device that recommends a club or a line are not allowed (Rule 4.3a). The first breach costs the general penalty.
Sources
- R&A: Regel 10, Vorbereitung und Ausführung des Schlags, Rat und Hilfe, Caddies (Rat (10.2a), andere Hilfe (10.2b), Caddies (10.3))
- R&A: Regel 4, Ausrüstung des Spielers (4.3, Gebrauch der Ausrüstung) (Entfernungsmesser, Wind, Trainingshilfsmittel, Musterortsregel G-5)
- R&A: Regel 1, Strafen (1.3c) (allgemeine Strafe, Disqualifikation)
- R&A und USGA: Rules of Golf, Ausgabe 2023, Definitionen (Rat und öffentliche Information)
- Oregon Golf Association: Rule of the Month, Advice and Consent (Regeln nennen ist erlaubt, ihre Anwendung empfehlen nicht; Ausruf im Ärger)
- Duden: Caddie (Person oder zweirädriger Wagen)
- Golf Club Klosters: Bündner Caddies (13 Caddies 2022, kostenlos buchbar, im Amateursport verschwunden)
- Golf & Country Club Zürich: Gästepreise 2018 (Zeile Caddie Fees: CHF 45 je Bag für 18 Loch)
- Swiss Golf Simulators: eigene Einträge (Indoor-Anlagen mit Coaching, Stand 2. Oktober 2026)