Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme allied commander in Europe during World War II, was an avid golfer throughout his long military career, two-term presidency, and retirement.

He understood—certainly from his military experience, but perhaps from his golf game as well—that many decisions didn’t need to reach his desk. They could be made by others. To ensure that, he became the first U.S. President to have a formal, full-time Chief of Staff to control access, information, and decision-making.

A chief of staff has one of the most demanding jobs imaginable, often requiring the skills and temperament of a traffic cop, gatekeeper, data aggregator, analyst, strategist, psychologist, and decision-maker, while serving as the discrete confidant—some use the word “partner”—of a high-ranking official or C-suite executive.

Chiefs of Staff At Work, On The Golf Course

Their skill set, in fact, is similar in many respects to a top-notch golf caddy’s. Sure, you can play golf without a caddy; many weekend “duffers” do. But professionals, and other serious golfers, don’t. While a professional caddy’s duties may not perfectly parallel those of a government or corporate chief of staff, they come close.

Caddies, like most other chiefs of staff, have multiple responsibilities, from keeping score to the more mundane, such as carrying the golfers’ equipment, keeping the clubs clean, and raking the sand to restore the contours of a bunker after their golfer chips out of a sand trap.