Rules · Tip
How Your Caddie Can and Can't Help You Aim
Part of our rules programs. Build a program with it
Your caddie can talk about the line with you before you play. But Rule 10.2b sets limits. A caddie can't set something down to show you a line. Picking it up before you hit doesn't avoid the penalty. While you make your stroke, nobody can stand on a spot for you to aim at or point to a spot on the ground. Your caddie can still tend the flagstick. And other people besides your caddie shouldn't help you with your line.
Step by step
- Discuss the line before the stroke.
- Don't set objects down to show a line.
- No one stands on your line as a target during the stroke.
- Tending the flagstick is fine.
- Others shouldn't help with your line.
Why it works
Rule 10.2b exists so you pick and hold your own line. Advice before the stroke is allowed because it is information, like a distance or a break. Setting down an object or standing in place gives you a physical aid while you aim, so the rule limits it. Once you take your stance, the aiming has to come from you.
Common mistakes
- Letting your caddie lay a club or tee on the ground to show the line, then removing it before you hit.Do not set anything down at all, because removing it before the stroke does not avoid the penalty.
- Having your caddie stand behind you or beyond the target to give you something to aim at as you set up.Ask your caddie to step away before you take your stance, and keep them clear until the stroke is made.
- Letting a playing partner or spectator point out the line while you set up.Only discuss the line with your caddie, and ask others to stay out of it.
How you'll know it's working
- You choose your line and your aim spot yourself, with only talk from your caddie beforehand.
- Your caddie is standing clear, not on or behind your line, when you start your stroke.
- Nothing is lying on the ground near your line as an aid when you make the stroke.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Agree a routine with your caddie beforehand: they give the line information, then step away before you set up.
Harder: Pick your line without any help at all and set up using only an intermediate spot that you choose on your own.
Common questions
Can my caddie stand behind me while I line up a putt?
Your caddie can discuss the line before the stroke. But they can't stand on or near your line as an aiming mark while you take your stance and make the stroke.
Can my caddie tend the flagstick?
Yes. Tending the flagstick is allowed and is not a breach of the aiming rule.
