Back in the Loop

Colorado Spearheads the Comeback of the Caddie

Denny Dressman

Caddies, many would think, are relics from the days of wooden shafts and balata balls. Save for the bag-toters on the pro tours, they’re a vanishing breed— rendered virtually extinct by golf carts.

Well, caddying is enjoying a revival. And Colorado is leading the charge, thanks to the shared passion of two former caddies— highly successful Denver oil and gas entrepreneur George Solich and Colorado Golf Association executive director Ed Mate.

Today more than 600 caddies—about a quarter of them adult professionals—work in thriving caddie programs at about 20 Colorado courses, mostly private clubs. More than 26,000 caddie-rounds—called “loops”—were recorded at these clubs in 2013. And all three numbers are increasing.

“Promoting caddie programs is a major priority for the CGA,” Mate says. “We believe it is one of the best traditions of the game.”

Solich, whom Mate praises for seeding the Colorado Golf Foundation with a $2 million gift that infuses the caddie effort with energy and momentum, declares: “We’re committed to ensuring that the tradition of the caddie lives way beyond my life, and our kids’ lives. It’s that good of a tradition.”

Mate acknowledges that the golf cart changed the face of golf, and he realizes a caddie comeback can go only so far. Still, he and Solich make compelling arguments for a revival effort.

“Golf course architecture has changed,” Mate begins, listing the drivers of cart golf. “Real estate and golf courses are a match made in heaven. Cart rentals have become a major source of revenue for golf courses. And many players prefer to ride, or because of physical limitations, have no choice.”

This modern progress, though, comes at a price. “Carts have diminished the social aspect of golf,” he says, and to support his point, tells the story of a round he played with a CGA Board member.

“We got to the fourth green, and I told him all the things I knew about him,” Mate says, “and he was surprised. I said, ‘Do you know why I know so much about you?’ I told him it was because we were walking, and we talked as we walked.”

The more ominous consequence is reflected in numerous reports over the last several years. As recently as July 24, The Wall Street Journal reported that golf participation, the percentage of the population that played at least once in the past year, dropped for the fifth straight year—down 13 percent during that time in the 18-34 age group, according to data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

The economic recession is a factor, for sure, but Mate argues a more fundamental cause. “Caddying was the way golf passed to the next generation,” he says. “When we eliminated some 90 percent-plus of the caddie programs in the United States between 1980 and 2000, literally millions of kids were not exposed to golf.

“Unfortunately, as we became cart-revenue junkies, the industry didn’t realize it was creating a hole in participation that would take a generation to appear. It has created a very tough marketing task because those kids are now adults, and the widespread re-institution of caddie programs is economically unlikely—and would only be a long-term remedy.”

Two companies, E-Z-GO and Club Car, control about 80 percent of the market. Ironically, both are located in Augusta, Georgia, home of the most tradition- rich tournament in the U.S., The Masters.

Industry studies peg cart usage at roughly two-thirds of all rounds played, and the number of carts in use at America’s 16,000 courses at around two million. In 1955, the year after brothers Billy and Bev Dolan founded E-Z-GO, 40 percent of the nation’s golf courses had carts available. Only 12 years later, 92 percent had them. Today? Try finding a course without them.

“The great clubs you can think of in the country all have great caddie programs,” Solich contends. “On a day-to-day basis, whether you’re at a public golf course or a private club, taking a caddie is such a better experience. When you hop in a golf cart, you tend to make conversation mainly with the guy in your golf cart, but when you walk in a foursome with caddies, the social interaction of that group is far better. Personally, I seem to play better when I walk and have the opportunity to have a little distance between one shot and the next, and not race up there and hit it again.”

RELATED LINKS

Web Exclusive: Chick's Magnet — The Evans Scholarship

Back in the Loop: Solich Caddie and Leadership Academy

Colorado Celebrates Caddie Scholarships at Evans Scholars Cup

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.