YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Their numbers have dwindled to extinction in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys. Indeed, not a single golf club in the region today boasts a program that uses or develops caddies, once a fundamental part of a golfer’s experience.
Still, there are clubs in larger metropolitan markets – Cleveland, Akron and Pittsburgh, for example – that keep opportunities for caddies alive. For young people, the experience as a golf caddie helps build not just a knowledge of the sport but extols life lessons such as the value of work, character development and communication skills, say those in the industry.
Even seasoned professionals have elected to pursue the vocation full-time, carrying bags for – and interacting with – some of the best golfers in the world.
“I didn’t start caddying until late in life,” says John Diana, PGA professional and teaching professional at The Bunker, an indoor golf facility in Boardman. He and his brother, Henry, were already renown local golf pros by the time they considered joining the PGA Tour as caddies, he says.
Diana, a 1984 graduate of Howland High School, said he decided to take up the caddie position to support his good friend, Jason Kokrak, a 2003 graduate of Warren JFK High School. “I had met Jason at Trumbull Country Club when I was the pro there,” he says. “I knew him as a person, and that’s important as a caddie.”
Kokrak joined the PGA Tour in 2012, and Diana first carried his bags during the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida that year. In 2015, Kokrak asked him to caddie full-time as he pursued his career on the tour.
Changing Duties
Diana says that the entire caddie profession has changed considerably over the last decades. “Now, they’re part of the team,” he says. Often, a tour professional’s team consists of fitness experts and trainers, agents, even psychologists. “Their caddie is the key element.”
To be effective, a caddie needs to understand the golfer, Diana says. “Knowing the game, knowing the swing – it’s vital to the player.” Much of this was already in place before Diana opted to become Kokrak’s caddie. “I knew him as a person, I knew how he’s going to react, and that’s important,” he says.
The caddie profession is far more involved than simply hauling a bag of golf clubs around a course, retrieving the proper club when asked, or advising a player of variables such as wind direction, Diana says. “The best thing is to be the most prepared caddie out there, and that requires a lot of work prior to when the first round starts on Thursday,” he says.
Often, a caddie will arrive at the course the previous Sunday evening or Monday morning, and for several days carefully study the course’s topography, site plan, how current pin placements on the greens have played in the past, status of hazard areas, elevations, and overall course conditions, he says.
“You’re mapping the whole golf course,” Diana says. “You roll balls to get the contours of the greens, mark them in your yardage books.” Essentially, the caddie must place himself in the shoes of the player, understanding what part of the course presents opportunities for the golfer and potential challenges. “It’s everything that would affect you if you were playing,” he says.
The objective is to develop a strategy before the first ball is struck on the first tee, Diana says. “Most of my work is done Monday through Wednesday. Come Thursday, you just let it happen.”
Among the first things you learn as a caddie on the professional tour is that you never tell a player which club to use, Diana says. “You only offer if they ask, because if you make the wrong call, you’re done,” he says with laughter.
Understanding the player is vital, especially when it comes to the psychological aspect of the game, Diana says. An experienced golfer such as Diana has a good idea of how the pressures of the sport and high-level competition can impact players. “When you’re in the hunt, those players are jacked up,” he says. “They’re playing above what their normal limits are, so you’ve got to take that into consideration. The adrenaline and everything are an important piece of the whole puzzle.”
Moreover, the less a caddie says, the better, Diana notes. And, when asked for advice, caddies should always talk in positive terms. “You don’t want to say, ‘don’t hit it left here’ you want to say, ‘Let’s keep it right.’ Anytime negativity comes into it, it affects anybody,” he says.
Diana spent approximately two years as a caddie on the PGA Tour, predominantly for Kokrak, who today golfs on the competing LIV Tour. His brother has caddied on the PGA Tour for 25 years, paired with professionals such as Charles Howell III, Billy Haas and Tom Hoge. He currently is the caddie for Stephan Jaeger.
Caddying can also deliver its share of wear and tear on the body, since the profession is also physically demanding, Diana says.
“It’s challenging,” Diana says. “You’ve got to be on top of the game and understand it.”
Caddie Development
First Tee Cleveland, an organization that helps develop youth skills through golf, several years ago partnered with the Western Golf Association to start a caddie training program spanning three Saturdays in the spring as clubs open their courses.
“We encourage the kids to fail with us,” says Brian McFarland, associate director at First Tee. “If they fail with us, they’ll get better, and they won’t fail with a member of the club.”
There’s room for 16 students ages 14 to 18 in the program, McFarland says, and each year is regularly booked. “So, there is interest,” he says. The program helps teach students proper golf course etiquette, how to interact with adults, and other soft skills. Some never make it past the first day since many do not understand the physical work needed to tote a golf bag for 18 holes.
Students that stick with it learn basics such as filling out a job application and receive some insights from past caddies about what is expected on a private golf course during the first session. During the second week, students can caddie for a golfer at Washington Learning Center Golf Course, a nine-hole 29-par course in Cleveland.
“The last class, he’s working to get the kids out to a club for a field trip,” he says. “Many of our kids have never been to one.”
Those who finish the program successfully can earn a letter of recommendation to a club, either as a caddie or perhaps another job opening that better suit the student. “Roughly half of the kids get placed at a club,” McFarland says. Those that are not placed are usually at a disadvantage because of transportation issues, he says.
Fortunately, some of the major markets still present opportunities for caddies. Caddie programs in the Cleveland area, for example, have helped young people earn full scholarships to Ohio universities, enhance their knowledge of golf, and develop interpersonal skills that benefit them for years to come.
“We’ve got about 100 to 110 caddies in our database here, most of which are in high school or college,” says Steve Bordner, PGA Golf professional and director of golf at The Country Club in Pepper Pike, a Cleveland suburb. A small number of the club caddies work year-round, temporarily relocating in the South for the winter months.
Interaction Skills
The Country Club has a training program specific for caddies, he says. It looks for those who are eager to learn, mature and like to engage.
Bordner says the caddie program presents an opportunity for young people to earn money – on average, approximately $100 per 18-hole round – and to develop important soft skills that could help them connect with influential businesspeople.
“You can make a couple hundred bucks a day,” Bordner says. “But you also learn how to interact with the membership and talk with the CEOs and people who are managing businesses,” he explains. “We’ve got a lot of caddies who have parlayed that relationship into internships and full-time jobs.” At least two former caddies at The Country Club are today members, he says.
“We look for people who want to interact, who want to connect with the golfer and make it a better experience for them,” he says. “Those are the ones that are the most successful, the ones that get the biggest tips.”
Other opportunities include the Evans Scholarship program, a full college housing and tuition grant made available to golf caddies, Bordner says. In January, 23 caddies from across Ohio won awards, four of whom are from northeastern Ohio. Eligibility is mostly need-based.
“There are some commitment levels, but it’s an unbelievable program,” Bordner says.
Pictured at top: John Diana in front of a golf simulator at The Bunker at Southern Park Mall in Boardman.