Where the hell did you hear a caddy cannot help a player read a putt. The new rule about caddies is they cannot line the player up, no matter if it's on the green or any other area of the golf course,absolutely nothing wrong with him or her helping read a putt.
I haven't played many rounds where the didn't lose at least one ball, either in the water and lost in the woods. Obviously, play couldn't continue unless you replace the ball you lost. I didn't see there was any rule about changing balls. There was this one hole on a course I used to play that almost every time I put one in the pond. One day I saw a ball in the pro shop that was supposed to float so I bought it. When i got to the spot where the odds were that I would hit it in the water I used the floater. I flubbed the shot and the ball went straight up and then straight down into the water. The ball went straight down to the bottom. Didn't even pretend to float for a second. In the average MLB game they go through 100 or more baseballs. How many do they use in a softball game?
I thought I heard it on this thread. It is the caddy's job to help the player make a better score and to give advice on all kinds of shots and situations. Seems to me that anything short of the caddy actually touching or otherwise influencing the path of the ball should be permissible.
That sounds high for MLB but I’m not disagreeing cause I don’t know. Don’t know about softball either.
Before every game the umps are given 10 dozen baseballs. The umps then rub every ball with a special mud from the banks of the Delaware River.
When I played, I played two types of rounds. Weekend or mid week rounds with my normal group or rounds in a tournament. Like you I didn't know ALL of the rules, but I think I knew most of them that impacted the game I played. During play if I was in doubt as to whether my shot had or was going to violate a rule I would consult with my playing partners or opponent in tournament play. I would accept whatever the group or opponent felt was appropriate. Knowing the basic rules that effect the type of golf you play is not that difficult. However knowing ALL of the rues is. That's why you see Tour players ask for a rules official if they are in doubt. Like us, they don't know ALL of the rules. If you play the ball as it lies, apply the appropriate penalty for a ball OB, lost, or unplayable , don't ground your club in a bunker then I think you are satisfying the intent of the rules for the type of golf you play. And that's why it's important to hit a provisional ball if you think your shot MAY be OB or in a hazard. It helps speed up play. OK, I'm done with my sermon. Fire away.
I doubt that any Tour caddy/player relationships are the same as another player/caddy. Some players only rely on the caddy to carry the bag, clean the club and ball, and tend the flagstick. Others rely on the caddy for that plus club selection and help reading a putt.
