Complicated realities crave simple solutions.
Many products seek to slim down a golfer's on-course kit, but most of them seem to create new issues, or look bad, or don't last long enough to imprint their utility on us.
Enter SkinnyGolf's Pocket Caddie, which stood out for its distinct lack of flash or pretense when I first spied it at the 2022 PGA Merchandise Show. With a single brass prong and a rubbery handle, it's a minimalistic pitch mark tool.
But there's more to it. That prong's sharp, flat end also enables it to gouge gunk out of club grooves. At the other end, stiff plastic bristles form a small but mighty brush. The body is magnetized, so it'll hold onto your favorite metal ball mark, too.
I approached the Pocket Caddie tool with some trepidation, as the brass prong starts out with intimidatingly sharp corners. I worried that I might drive it into my thigh while walking, but I'm happy to report no ER visits as a result of using it. Those sharp corners round off after a round or two.
At $20, its value is totally dependent on longevity, which is why I've waited a year and 80-plus rounds to pass judgment on it. The verdict: it's excellent. The first feature I figured would deteriorate, the brush end, has held up shockingly well. I feel as though it will see me through several more years of heavy duty. I have traditionally preferred two-pronged pitch mark tools, but in the end, that shortcoming is no match for the rest of the Pocket Caddie's small, potent package.
$20, available in nine colors.
