June marks the beginning of my favorite season—Caddie Season! Over the past three months we have recruited, interviewed and trained the 2025 “rookies” for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at our four chapters as well as our Broadmoor Caddie & Leadership Academy in Colorado Springs. For the next 10 weeks our caddies will take to the course with the goal of completing 30 “loops” (caddie-speak for a round of golf) by the first week in August.
All caddies have demonstrated financial need, academic excellence and a track record of service and leadership. These attributes align with the core requirements to receive an Evans Caddie Scholarship. But there is one thing missing—caddying!
To compete for an Evans Scholarship, youth caddies strive to complete 100 or more loops over three or four summers of caddying. Since the inception of the CGA’s Solich and Broadmoor Academies, these two programs have produced nearly sixty Evans Scholars! Considering the value of a full tuition and housing scholarship to the University of Colorado that is over $7 million in college aid!
But even if a caddie doesn’t earn an Evans Scholarship the lessons learned in the Solich and Broadmoor Caddie & Leadership Academies are life-changing. For nearly all Solich and Broadmoor caddies, this is their first job. With that comes responsibility, work ethic and self-reliance. Caddying instills a service-first mentality, great exercise, a 5-hour outdoor respite from “screen time,” and, most importantly, one-on-one time with a variety of different adults.
When we survey our caddies at the end of a summer we learn a lot about their experience. The most common survey response is this: “I learned to talk to adults.” As simple as that may sound, it is a life-skill that unlocks doors. And we see it. There is nothing more gratifying than watching a shy 8th grader blossom over the course of the summer. What better way to build confidence to prepare for high school and the challenges that come with this transition into adulthood.
To supplement what our caddies learn on the course, we add weekly classroom sessions that focus on ethics-based leadership and financial literacy. This year we have partnered with Junior Achievement Rocky Mountains to bring all our caddies on a field trip to their amazing new facility in the Denver Tech Center to experience the Dream Accelerator. This exciting new partnership provides an interactive framework to inspire and encourage these young people toward a career path that aligns with their aspirations, values and life goals.
And here is where you come in. Golf is the ONLY sport that creates this opportunity. What other recreational activity bridges the generation gap in this manner? What other sport allows a participant to use that time to change the life of a young person?
So, if you have read this far, I have a BIG FAVOR. The next time you make a tee time at CommonGround, consider checking the box on the booking screen to “request a caddie.” You will be doing much more than playing a round of golf. You will, quite literally, be changing a life.
To help support the CGA Caddie Programs, enter the CGA Dream Golf Vacation Raffle