By Mike May

Of all the many people I have met in golf during the last 50 years — which include golf pros, tournament playing professionals, superintendents, club presidents, fellow golf writers, and, of course, hundreds of amateur golfers – the one category of people in golf that stands out the most would be the professional golf caddie.  They come in all shapes and sizes….men and women…..young, middle-age, and older….and all nationalities.  And, with that introduction, my story begins…….

There’s an old saying that the keys to being a successful golf caddie are your ability ‘to show up, keep up, and shut up.’  In other words, you must be on time, be able to carry a 30-35 pound golf bag for 18 holes (or more), and know when to talk and when to be quiet.  It also helps to know a little bit about golf. 

One of those individuals with the unique job title of a professional golf caddie – and unique skill set — is Sarah Butler of suburban Minneapolis.  She is a Minnesota native as she grew up in Roseau, Minnesota.

Since June 2021, Butler has had a consistent presence on the LPGA Tour carrying the golf bag for a number of LPGA Tour players.

I have worked for Lindy Duncan, Cydney Clanton, Katherine Kirk, Sarah Jane Smith, Joy Chou, Kristy McPherson, Jenny Coleman, and Elizabeth Szokol,” said Butler, 40, who is now working for Australian golfer Sarah Kemp.

Butler has only worked one tournament for Szokol and it was a two-person team event at the LPGA’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational in July 2023 at the Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan.  Szokol’s partner was Cheyenne Knight and the team of Szokol and Knight won the tournament.

Butler enjoyed that trip to the winner’s circle with Szokol and she’s looking forward to being there again, soon, alongside Kemp.

Prior to becoming a caddie, Butler was an aspiring golfer in ‘The Land of 10,000 Lakes.’

“I am a golfer…or I was a golfer! Ha!,” said Butler.  “I don’t play much anymore. I grew up in northern Minnesota, about 10 miles from the Canadian border. During my six years on the varsity team at Roseau High School, my team won the state title twice, finished second twice and fourth twice.  Individually, I placed in the top ten every year, including a fourth-place finish in the eighth grade and finally winning the individual Minnesota state championship as a senior. I was inducted into the Roseau High School Hall of Fame in 2015.”

After high school, Butler kept climbing up the golf ‘ladder.’

“I played college golf at the University of Minnesota and attempted to play professionally for four years,” added Butler, who graduated from Minnesota in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  “I think, technically, my handicap is around a scratch although my game does not feel up to that level right now.”

Anybody’s handicap will suffer when you are a committed caddie — logging nearly nine miles a day walking on a golf course and carrying a golf bag holding clubs, golf balls, tees, golf gloves, rain gear, and various accessories.

“The bag gets heavier when it’s windy and rainy,” noted Butler.

When Butler realized that while she was a talented golfer, but not good enough to make it as a playing professional, that’s when ‘Plan B’ became a reality.  And, getting to ‘Plan B’ also included a lengthy stint as a college golf coach at Old Dominion University, Iowa State University and Colorado State University, all between 2014-2020. 

“I knew a couple of caddies and was interested in trying something new after college coaching for seven years,” recalled Butler.  “I asked a fellow caddie friend if she knew anyone looking for a caddie and she responded an hour later saying I had work for the next five weeks.”

And, the rest, as they say, is history.

Butler has survived in this very unique profession by being focused on collecting key details, on a daily basis.

“Being a professional is very important,” noted Butler.  “I get the course work done early in the week. I try to pay attention to everything going on around me during the rounds, whether that is club selection, golf ball reactions, or wind directions.  It’s all important to the decision-making process during the actual tournament.”

For Butler, a typical LPGA Tour day starts early and can often finish late.

“I typically wake up three hours before the tee time,” added Butler.  “I like to have some quiet time for myself before the day gets going. I like to have about 45 minutes at the golf course prior to meeting the player so, depending on the player, this could be two hours before the tee time or more.  After the round, typically, there’s a brief practice. If we play early, we will grab lunch and then practice for 20-30 minutes following the round. If we play late, what we do afterwards depends on daylight and what is in store for the next day. Most of the time, I call it a day after a late round to get ready for the next day.”

While out on the course with Sarah Kemp, Butler’s biggest contribution is providing mental and emotional support.

“I tend to think I’m pretty calm and that’s one positive trait for any caddie to have — calmness in stressful situations,” added Butler.  “Kempy (Sarah Kemp) has been on Tour for a long time so she’s been in many different situations, but I want to be able to support her in good and hard moments.”

In many respects, being a caddie is a perfect job for Butler since her experiences as a child were so sports-centric.

“I loved playing all sports growing up, especially baseball,” said Butler.  “We played football or baseball every day during recess, depending on the time of year. I also enjoyed playing basketball, but tore my ACL my freshman year of high school and stuck to golf after that.”

Since the LPGA Tour conducts events throughout the U.S., in western Europe, in Canada, and throughout Asia, Butler has been to more countries than many international diplomats.  She, of course, has a list of her favorite golf destinations in the U.S.

“A few of my favorites are Wilshire CC in Los Angeles; Upper Montclair CC in New Jersey; Congressional CC in Bethesda, Maryland; Lancaster CC in Pennsylvania; and, of course, the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California,” confirmed Butler, who attended the AIG Women’s (British) Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland this past August.

Two tournaments that change venues every year are the ones which Butler doesn’t want to miss.

“The Canadian Open and the U.S. Open are the two best events for caddies,” added Butler. “They treat us really well. There are many options for recovery including a massage therapist.”

When Butler is not working as a caddie at a golf tournament, she likes to relax and ‘recharge her batteries’ at home.

“In my time away from the Tour, I like to recover!” said Butler.  “When I’m home during an off week, I like to caddie at a course called Spring Hill in Minnesota. It’s walking-only and I carry two bags so it’s a great workout. If I’m not on the course, I’m probably watching sports.”

Wherever Butler goes in golf, she knows that the keys to surviving and thriving on the golf course as a caddie remain having the ability ‘to show up, keep up, and shut up.’  And, clearly, she has mastered all three skill sets.