A caddie's guide for invited guests

Be the guest they invite back

I have carried bags at one private golf club for 28 seasons, and I have watched thousands of guests arrive. Most are fine players. The ones who get asked back are the ones who prepared, spoke plainly to the caddie, kept pace and thanked people. This book walks you through the day, from the night before to the thank-you note.

The Complete Good-Guest Standard: twelve habits for the whole day

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59 pages · 8 chapters · 13 figures · 1 twelve-point good-guest standard

Hugo BarksdalePrivate-club caddie, 28 seasons

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club · First Edition · 2026 · PDF e-book · 59 pages · 8 chapters

59Pages

8Chapters

13Figures

$19Your order

Before you arrive

Nobody hands you the unwritten rules

A guest can cause trouble at a private club without breaking a single rule. The mistakes are small, and almost every one is preventable.

You have an invitation and no idea whether to bring cash, a jacket, a change of shoes, or all three.
You do not know who to give your name to at the bag drop, where to park, or when the host expects you.
You want the caddie's help but do not know what to say, so you say nothing and get a guess.
It is your first member-guest. Your host's reputation rides on how you behave for several days.

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The book

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club

The book

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club

The Caddie's Handbook for Etiquette, Pace, Tipping, and the Member-Guest

The Complete Good-Guest Standard: twelve habits, from arriving prepared to thanking your host promptly, that make the day easier for everyone around you.

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club is a 59-page, 8-chapter PDF e-book written by a working caddie. It follows the day in order: the questions to ask your host, the first ten minutes, working with a caddie, pace, courtesies between shots, tipping, the member-guest, and leaving well. It has 13 figures, tables, step-by-step sequences, checklists and exact phrases you can say. It covers etiquette and conduct, not swing instruction.

Chapters

Before the Trunk Opens
The First Ten Minutes
Working with a Caddie
Pace Without Panic
The Courtesies Between Shots
Tipping Without the Awkwardness
Surviving the Member-Guest
The Eighteenth Green Is Not the End

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Where to start

Start with the part you are worried about

Read it front to back the week before your round, or jump to the chapter that matches your nerves. Each one ends with a checklist, a sequence or a short takeaway.

Working with a Caddie
Give your caddie something to work with: your ball, your distances, your usual miss. Includes the ten-second introduction, how to ask for yardage, and how to read a green together.
Tipping Without the Awkwardness
Who is paying, who you are expected to tip, what to ask your host and the golf shop, and how to settle quietly and promptly. Clubs and events differ, so it teaches you the questions to ask.
Surviving the Member-Guest
Before the first match, being the partner your host needs, the social program, shootouts, and how guests become famous for the wrong reasons.

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Look inside

Open a page and read it

Here are four real pages from the book. They show the plain voice, the field notes and the twelve-point standard that closes it. Tap one to enlarge it.

59 pages · 8 chapters · 13 figures · 1 twelve-point good-guest standard

Page 58 — The Complete Good-Guest Standard ↗

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From the author

From the bag room

I began caddying at nineteen because the caddie yard paid cash the same day. That was 28 seasons ago. I still carry bags at a private golf club, through early tee times, bad weather, member-guests and the quiet moments when a golfer shows more in how he behaves than in what he shoots.

I keep the club unnamed on purpose. The members there did not sign up to be on the internet, and a good guest should use the same judgment.

I am not a teaching professional, and I am not a golf rules official. I will not tell you how to fix your swing. What I can tell you is how guests, members, caddies and club staff move through a shared day, because I have watched it for most of my life.

— Hugo Barksdale

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Is it for you?

Who I wrote this for

This is for you if

You have been invited to play at a private club and want to arrive prepared and relaxed.
You are heading to a member-guest and want to be the partner your host is glad he asked.
You want exact phrases to say to the bag-drop attendant, the starter, the caddie and your host.

This is not for you if

You want swing tips or equipment advice. This book is about conduct, not technique.
You want an official rulebook or a rules ruling. I am a caddie, not a rules official, and your host, the golf staff and the event committee settle anything that matters.
You want one club's exact house rules. Clubs differ, and the book teaches you what to ask.

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What you get

The complete book

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club is a PDF e-book with 8 chapters covering preparation, the first ten minutes, working with a caddie, pace, courtesies on the course, tipping, the member-guest and the clubhouse finish. It gives you the whole day in order, with 13 figures, tables, checklists and the twelve-point Complete Good-Guest Standard.

Your order

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club

$19

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club · First Edition · 2026 · PDF e-book · 59 pages · 8 chapters

59 pages · 8 chapters · 13 figures · 1 twelve-point good-guest standard

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club · 59 pages · PDF
13 figures, tables, checklists and sample phrases
7-day money-back guarantee

Get the book $19

7-day money-back guarantee. Questions or a refund? Just reply to the purchase email you got from Hotmart. A real person answers.

Complete the set

Companion book

Read Greens Like a Caddie

The practical putting and course-management field manual. Seven chapters cover how a green behaves, the caddie's walk-in read, finding the fall line, grain and moisture, choosing pace before line, lag putting, and one read, one choice, one roll.

Companion book

Golf Rules Made Simple

The caddie's handbook to 30 everyday rulings, fair penalties and better etiquette, from the first tee to the scorecard. It is a caddie's practical guide, not an official rules publication, so check the current Rules of Golf and any local rules for anything that matters.

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club

Questions

How is the book organized?

Eight chapters in the order of the day: preparing at home, the first ten minutes, working with a caddie, pace, courtesies between shots, tipping, the member-guest, and finishing well after the eighteenth green.

Do I need to be a good golfer?

No. Nothing in it depends on your score. It is about preparation, plain speech, pace and manners, and the host and the staff remember those far longer than the number on the card.

Does it tell me exactly how much to tip?

It gives you the questions to ask your host and the golf shop and a way to settle quietly and promptly. Amounts vary by club, region and event, so check with your host or the golf shop before you go.

Does it cover the member-guest?

Yes. A whole chapter covers preparing, being a useful partner, the social program, shootouts, and the habits that make a guest memorable for the wrong reasons.

Which club is this based on?

I keep my club unnamed to protect the members' privacy. The advice is general, from a lifetime at one private club, and your host's club may do things differently.

Are you a golf pro or a rules official?

No. I am a caddie, not a teaching professional and not a rules official. For a rules question, ask the golf staff or the event committee.

What format is it?

A 59-page PDF e-book. It opens on a phone, tablet or computer, and you can print it.

What about delivery and refunds?

Hotmart emails you the download link after you pay, and the page you land on after paying also has the PDF. Every order has a 7-day money-back guarantee. Questions or a refund? Just reply to the purchase email you got from Hotmart. A real person answers.

Get the book $19

PDF e-book · 7-day money-back guarantee

Be easy to have along.

Read it the week before your round. Ask your host the right questions, introduce yourself clearly, keep moving, and thank people. That is most of what a caddie notices.

Get the book $19

PDF e-book · 7-day money-back guarantee

Be the guest they invite back

Nobody hands you the unwritten rules

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club

Chapters

Start with the part you are worried about

Working with a Caddie

Tipping Without the Awkwardness

Surviving the Member-Guest

Open a page and read it

From the bag room

Who I wrote this for

This is for you if

This is not for you if

The complete book

The Guest's Guide to the Private Club

Complete the set

Read Greens Like a Caddie

Golf Rules Made Simple

Questions

Be easy to have along.