Think Like A Tour Pro

Billy Foster has caddied for some of the world’s best players, including Seve, Tiger, Sergio and now Matt Fitzpatrick. Here, he shares some of the insight he’s built up over nearly 40 years on tour...

- Sam Tremlett

Work your strategy back from the pin You have to consider where the pin position is before you hit your tee shot. There’s no point hitting it down the right just because there’s more room there if from that side you can’t get anywhere near the flag with the second shot. If the pin is back right, you need to be hitting it down the left side of the fairway so you can leave yourself a better angle.

All fairway bunkers are not the same The safe thing to do is, of course, lay back and take them all out of play, but there might be certain holes where you want to be aggressive because it is quite open beyond them. Always check the depths of the bunkers in the landing zones and make a note, saying: “If I go in there I’m chipping out” or “that one’s a splash bunker and I can get it on the green easily.”

Know where you can’t afford to miss Tom Watson always said you win golf tournaments by limiting your mistakes. He won a lot of tournaments!

Do you know how far you hit a 7-iron? When I was caddying for Lee Westwood, his 7-iron went 175 yards. Not 170-175, or 175-180, but 175. You need to know to the yard how far you hit each club.