The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy and the Broadmoor Caddie & Leadership Academy capped off another great year of caddying! The four Solich Academy chapters (CommonGound, Meridian, Grand Junction, and Fort Collins) completed a total of 1,662 loops in the 2023 season. The Broadmoor Academy alone completed 1,294 of those loops.
Since its inception in 2012, 458 caddies have participated in the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy. Additionally, 40 of which have received the Evans Scholarship: a full tuition and housing caddie scholarship to the University of Colorado-Boulder. In 2024, six Solich Academy graduates hope to become scholarship recipients themselves.
“Watching these young caddies learn the game of golf through caddying and then watch them receive the Evans Scholarship is truly the highlight of my job,” said Emily Olson, CGA Director of Caddie Development. Olson, who just celebrated 12 years with the CGA has seen all the kids go through the program. She has been instrumental in creating the other Solich Chapters as well.
Down in Colorado Springs, the Broadmoor Caddie & Leadership Academy has just completed its third season. The Broadmoor Academy got off to a rough start as the first full season was cut short due to the pandemic, but this didn’t slow anything down. The program has already had five caddies receive the Evans Scholarship and four more are hoping to join the Evans Scholar ranks in 2024.
“Around the CGA we always say that the “C” in CGA doesn’t just mean Colorado, but it also stands for Caddie,” says CGA Executive Director/CEO Ed Mate. Between the Solich and Broadmoor Academies, this CGA flagship program hopes that caddying only continues to get elevated and more young people get to learn the game through caddying.
However, caddying is only one aspect of the program as caddies attend weekly leadership and financial literacy classes. “These kids are the future, and it is important to equip them with a full toolbox to be successful in the future,” says Olson.
To learn more about the program - CLICK HERE