[PHOTO: Michael Reaves]
Hitting golf balls is difficult, but caddieing is hard.
“I’ve seen a lot of shoulder and leg injuries,” says Brennan Little, Gary Woodland’s caddie. “Those areas take the most strain… you need to take care of them because there can be a lot of strain over the season.”
The wear-and-tear that caddies go through isn’t something we think about often. But this week at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, caddies will get something of a helping hand in the form of a caddie recovery zone. The designated recovery zone is a portion of the clubhouse decked out with a slate of Hyperice products, from Normatec Leg Compression boots to the Hypervolt Massage Gun. Those have become go-to products for the tour players they loop during their intensive post-round recovery routines.
It’s the first caddie recovery zone organised this PGA Tour season, but is a perk that is growing increasingly common on tour – with more planned in the coming months. It’s a benefit aimed at the tour’s underrated workhorses, but one with a larger message: that taking care of your body means being more proactive and targeted in the way you recover.
“Recovering more effectively has short term benefits in that it will prevent things like soreness, but also long term benefits for your body, in that you’ll be able to play golf for longer,” says Alex Reinhard, director of sports partnerships at Hyperice, says.
“We’ve seen many tour players begin to utilise these tools because they’ve realised the benefits. Now caddies can’t experience that, and hopefully more golfers will, too.”
