Ted Scott

PGA Tour caddy for Scotty Scheffler and co-founder of Dominus pickleball.

Claims

As speaker

Mentioned in

Key positions and views

The caddy's primary role is to function like a NASCAR pit crew, managing all peripheral tasks to allow the player to maintain singular focus on their core competency.

Effective leadership in a high-performance context requires direct, sometimes uncomfortable, confrontation to address negative attitudes that hinder results.

A commitment to continuous learning is essential, which involves intentionally seeking environments where one is not the expert and believing every person offers a learning opportunity.

Communication must be tailored to the individual; some elite performers are paralyzed by too much information, while others thrive on receiving all available details.

Winning at the highest level requires taking calculated risks, as consistently conservative strategies may lead to financial stability but will rarely result in tournament victories.

Podcast consensus on Scott

Points of consensus

▶Ted Scott's caddying philosophy is rooted in active psychological management, adapting his communication and level of intervention based on the player's personality and in-the-moment performance.Apr 2026

▶He believes direct, sometimes confrontational, communication is essential for correcting a player's negative on-course attitude, viewing it as a necessary tool for unlocking peak performance.Apr 2026

▶Scott's leadership style is heavily influenced by external principles, such as John Maxwell's definition of leadership as influence and the idea that every person offers a learning opportunity.Apr 2026

▶He posits that elite performers are defined by a relentless drive for improvement and a willingness to embrace challenges, contrasting with players who opt for safer strategies that secure earnings but rarely lead to wins.Apr 2026

Points of debate

▶Scott's approach to communication is highly situational, contrasting the minimal information he provided Bubba Watson with the comprehensive details he gives Scotty Scheffler.Apr 2026

▶His strategy for intervention is paradoxical; he will step in with forceful, simple instructions when a player is struggling but becomes a non-interfering 'yes man' when the player is performing at their peak.Apr 2026

▶There is a tension in his view of the caddy profession: he believes the most effective caddies are confrontational and thus frequently fired, yet his own success is built on forging deep, impactful relationships with players.Apr 2026

▶Scott's career trajectory shows a contrast between his planned retirement to pursue ministry and teaching versus his decision to re-engage at the highest level of golf with Scotty Scheffler.Apr 2026

Key themes

▶The Psychology of High-Stakes PerformanceApr 2026

Ted Scott's commentary focuses heavily on the mental and emotional aspects of elite golf. He emphasizes how a player's attitude, mindset, and work ethic are critical determinants of success, citing both Bubba Watson's attitude shift and Scotty Scheffler's intense focus as key factors in their victories.

For analysts, this suggests that evaluating top-tier talent requires looking beyond technical skill to psychological resilience and the quality of their support system's interpersonal dynamics.

▶Adaptive Leadership and CommunicationApr 2026

Scott articulates a highly flexible leadership model, tailoring his communication style to the specific needs of his player. He contrasts giving Bubba Watson less information to avoid paralysis with providing Scotty Scheffler every detail, demonstrating a core belief that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to coaching.

This highlights the value of emotional intelligence and adaptability in management roles, where understanding an individual's processing style can be more important than the information itself.

▶The Caddy as a Strategic PartnerApr 2026

Scott rejects the notion of a caddy as a passive assistant, instead framing the role as a strategic partner analogous to a NASCAR pit crew. This philosophy involves managing all peripheral details, challenging strategic decisions through guided questions, and even setting behavioral expectations as a condition of employment.

This perspective reframes support roles as integral strategic functions, suggesting that the performance of key personnel can be a significant, often underestimated, value driver for a primary talent.

▶Calculated Confrontation for GrowthApr 2026

A recurring theme is Scott's belief in the necessity of productive conflict to achieve breakthrough results. He recounts confronting Bubba Watson's on-course behavior and requiring an attitude adjustment from Scotty Scheffler, positioning these challenging conversations as catalysts for subsequent success.

This underscores the idea that avoiding conflict to maintain harmony can be detrimental to long-term performance, and that a culture allowing for direct, constructive feedback is crucial for elite teams.

Source episodes

Timeline

Early Career

Secured a caddying position on the PGA Tour with Paul Azinger after impressing him with his world-champion foosball skills.

During tenure with Bubba Watson

Had a pivotal confrontation with Watson over his on-course attitude, which Scott believes directly led to Watson winning his first PGA Tour tournament the following week.

After a 22-year career

Planned to retire from caddying to focus on teaching golf and ministry work.

Pre-Scheffler Partnership

Came out of his planned retirement to work with Scotty Scheffler, but only after securing Scheffler's commitment to improve his on-course attitude.

During the Olympics

Intervened when Scotty Scheffler was struggling, giving him three simple instructions in a fatherly tone that he credits with resetting Scheffler's mindset and enabling his victory.

Recent Entrepreneurship

Co-founded the pickleball paddle company Dominus, creating custom Ryder Cup-themed paddles for their first production run.

Suggested prompts

How does Ted Scott's leadership philosophy balance direct intervention with strategic non-interference, and what criteria determine which approach he uses? &nearr;In what ways does Scott's approach to caddying for Scotty Scheffler differ from his methods with Bubba Watson, and what does this reveal about his principles of adaptive coaching? &nearr;How does Ted Scott's concept of the 'effective but frequently fired' caddy inform his own career decisions and his requirements when partnering with a new player? &nearr;Beyond golf, how could Ted Scott's principles of learning from superiors and placing oneself in unfamiliar environments be applied to corporate leadership development programs? &nearr;

Key concepts

Scotty Scheffler 8 ep Player Psychology 7 ep Caddying Strategy 6 ep Leadership Philosophy 3 ep Bubba Watson 3 ep Confrontation & Challenge 3 ep Personal Development 2 ep Communication Styles 2 ep Entrepreneurship 1 ep

Notable quotes

“hey, man, you're acting like an idiot out there and you're costing yourself shots. You know, if you continue there, I don't want to do this anymore. That's what I told Bubba... And the very next week, he won his first tournament on the PGA Tour.”

Ted Scott · The Man Behind the #1 Golfer in the World

“I said, come here and look at me in my eyes and listen to every word I'm saying to you. And don't say a word while I'm talking. You got it. I talked to him like a father... And then he went on to shoot 29 on the back nine and win.”

Ted Scott · The Man Behind the #1 Golfer in the World

“Ted Scott observes that in the caddying profession, the most effective caddies are often fired more frequently because they are willing to challenge their players, whereas caddies with longer tenures may be less confrontational.”

Ted Scott · The Man Behind the #1 Golfer in the World

“Ted Scott follows the leadership philosophy, learned from Brandon Parsons, that a caddy's role is analogous to a NASCAR pit crew: to handle all peripheral tasks so the player can focus exclusively on their core competency.”

Ted Scott · The Man Behind the #1 Golfer in the World

Report last updated: Apr 21, 2026

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