Caddy Programs

[Bucki1968]

Growing up in Ohio/Michigan, I was able to work summers at golf courses as a caddy. I learned the game, made some money and it gave me a place to play free golf with my friends a couple times a week. Just wondering how many board contributors did the same thing. I don't see many caddy programs here (Florida) as most people are not going to walk in the summer. I have also noticed that some the caddy programs I grew up in, are no longer around. It's too bad. I think kids just learning golf Etiquette  would be a good thing.

[bkuehn1952]

I don't play many private courses as most of my friends are a bunch of bums and can't afford the initiation fees & dues.  The only courses in MI I've played where there is an active caddie program are Oakland Hills and Barton Hills (Ann Arbor) but a fair number of private clubs still maintain programs here in SE Michigan.

Walking and having a decent caddie is one of golf's true pleasures.  To me the biggest issue is cost.  At the end of the day, shelling out $50 plus a $20-$30 tip (or a lot more at some of the top venues) makes the experience a bit painful financially.  As such, I tend to indulge in the caddie experience only when I am playing as part of special golf trip.

[David in FL]

I started caddying at 13 at Kenosha CC in Wisconsin.  Happily, they still maintain their caddy program.

Sadly, there are far too few programs these days.  Carts generate more revenue and always show up for work.  

[bkuehn1952]

19 minutes ago, David in FL said:

... and always show up for work.  

Ha ha ha!  Our visit to Waterville (Ireland) was on a Saturday and none of the caddies showed up that day.  Perhaps a bit too much fun Friday night?

[WUTiger]

I caddied regularly from 1964 to 1974, and saw the advent of the electric carts. Toward the end, we would get about as many cart runner rounds as bag-carrying rounds. Cart runners went with a cart foursome, spotted the balls, raked traps and tended pins.

One of the contributors to slow play these days is no one uses cart runners. Golfers have no one out ahead to see where offline shots end up.

In my early years, I had the misfortune of caddying at a club that was faint-hearted about letting the caddies play. The club had too many caddies, so we didn't have much bargaining power.

Fast Forward to 2017...

In the St. Louis area, just a few clubs still have caddies. PGA Tour stops Bellerive CC and Old Warson CC have caddie programs with training; Bellerive often sends caddies to the pro tour. Among other clubs, Algonquin GC and Sunset CC also have caddie programs. I'm not sure what other clubs have active caddie programs. In these times, the caddies don't just sit around hoping a golfer shows up - golfers usually need to schedule a caddie 24 hours out.

I live on the Illinois side in St. Clair County (around Belleville). Our one true country club - St. Clair CC -  has no caddies. The rest are semi-private or public, and have no caddies.

LPGA Decatur-Forsyth Classic seeks caddies

Decatur IL area hosts the annual women's Symetra Tour tournament, set this year for June 16-18. The call just went out seeking volunteer caddies for the event. I may consider it if I can clear my schedule that week.

[Wally Fairway]

45 years ago caddying at the County Club of Jackson really started my interest in golf, make a little money and play the course on Mondays.
They still have a caddy program, and have had several Evans Scholarship winners recently.

[GolfBond007]

7 hours ago, Bucki1968 said:

Growing up in Ohio/Michigan, I was able to work summers at golf courses as a caddy. I learned the game, made some money and it gave me a place to play free golf with my friends a couple times a week. Just wondering how many board contributors did the same thing. I don't see many caddy programs here (Florida) as most people are not going to walk in the summer. I have also noticed that some the caddy programs I grew up in, are no longer around. It's too bad. I think kids just learning golf Etiquette  would be a good thing.

 

 

Completely agree. I think fewer kids are working nowadays and they just get $$$ from their parents...

[Double Mocha Man]

6 hours ago, WUTiger said:

.

 

6 hours ago, WUTiger said:

 

Fast Forward to 2017...

In the St. Louis area, just a few clubs still have caddies. PGA Tour stops Bellerive CC and Old Warson CC have caddie programs with training; Bellerive often sends caddies to the pro tour. Among other clubs, Algonquin GC and Sunset CC also have caddie programs. I'm not sure what other clubs have active caddie programs. In these times, the caddies don't just sit around hoping a golfer shows up - golfers usually need to schedule a caddie 24 hours out.

I live on the Illinois side in St. Clair County (around Belleville). Our one true country club - St. Clair CC -  has no caddies. The rest are semi-private or public, and have no caddies.

 

I grew up caddying at Norwood Hills Country Club.  Would soak my tennis shoes in the morning walking across the course to get to the caddy shack.  Regulars and winos got bags first.  As a kid I'd be lucky to get out in the early afternoon.  On slow days I didn't caddie at all.  But loved Fridays before the NOON horn blew... caddies could play as many holes as they could get in.  I once won the Caddy Championship.  Later played on the golf team at SIU in Edwardsville.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Double Mocha Man

[WUTiger]

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Later played on the golf team at SIU in Edwardsville.

Didn't do as well as you. I was a back-up player on the Meramec Community College golf team for 2 years. Each season, I prevented us from having to forfeit a match for insufficient players.

[Double Mocha Man]

37 minutes ago, WUTiger said:

Didn't do as well as you. I was a back-up player on the Meramec Community College golf team for 2 years. Each season, I prevented us from having to forfeit a match for insufficient players.

Those courses you mention... I have played them all except Bellerive.  I tried to sneak on there but made the mistake of doing it just weeks before the U.S. Open was to be played there.  Security nabbed me and two friends... said to check with our parents (who he thought were members)... that it was closed in prep for the tournament.   The others I had no problem sneaking onto.  Old Warson I got on by playing in the Missouri State Amateur.

[Buckeyebowman]

10 hours ago, bkuehn1952 said:

Ha ha ha!  Our visit to Waterville (Ireland) was on a Saturday and none of the caddies showed up that day.  Perhaps a bit too much fun Friday night?

Or there was a big soccer match on the telly that day!

There are only a few private clubs around here that still offer caddies, and they are all "golf only" outfits, not "Country Clubs". No tennis courts, no swimming pools, no debutante balls, etc.! They are golf clubs!

[boogielicious]

14 hours ago, GolfBond007 said:

Completely agree. I think fewer kids are working nowadays and they just get $$$ from their parents...

Not sure about that. My son started working at 14 at a greenhouse. His friends all got jobs young too, just not caddying. I don't know a course near me that has caddies. 

I worked at a Country Club when I was 15 that had caddies, but that is the last place I've seen.

[Patch]

I was a seasonal caddy at a little 9 hole course in Oregon when growing up. Irony was I was not "into" golf that much. I was playing all the other sports at that time. Football, basketball, baseball, and track.

Jobs for youngsters were pretty scarce in the area. None of the other kids even thought about working at the golf course. Those who did have jobs,  were mostly at the eateries, working for their parents, or chopping firewood for the various motels in the area. 

I made $1.50 an hour, and any tips that came my way. Any day I went home with more than 9 or 10 dollars was a big deal. Worked 3 days a week, sometimes 4, 3-5 hours a day, for 3-4 months. 

In addition to my caddy job, I cleaned carts, collected balls from the range, dumped trash cans, and just about anything else that the boss wanted done. I was the only kid working there. Only caddy too. 

Another irony was there was a really good golfer who lived in the area who had some friends who played on the PGA tour. Since I was just there for the job, I had no idea who these guys were. They were the better tippers though. I wish now I would have paid more attention to the game back then. 

When I finally started golfing and needed a caddy, which was usually a requirement for that course, the caddy was usually an adult. I don't recollect any youngsters helping me out. 

Our daughters had various jobs when they were old enough. Usually during their summer vacations from school. Getting good grades were a prority we clobbered them with, so working during school hours was something we didn't want them to do. Plus by that time, most employers had replaced their part time youngsters with full time working adults. My youngest daughter did drive a beverage cart at a course I frequented while attending UNLV. A few funny stories there.