The CSGA Links Volume 6 Issue 2 May, 2018 | Page 17

“Our goal is to provide young people with an early introduction to
golf by creating life-changing opportunities to work as a caddie,” said Kacz-
kowski. “We believe the experiences and mentorship gained through caddy-
ing are invaluable to a young person’s development and will help cultivate
a lifelong passion for playing golf.”

CSGA Executive Director Mike Moraghan is enthusiastic about the
initiative. “So many people found golf this way,” said Moraghan. “In a room
with industry leaders, be they teaching professionals, coaches, tour pros,
course owners or club officials, inevitably a large percentage of them be-
gan as caddies.”

Ouimet Fund President Jim Blue called it a very
important. “The roots of American golf go back to Francis
Ouimet and his caddie, Eddie Lowery, and the great image of
them together in 1913,” he said. “We are very grateful to the
Western Golf Association and the World Golf Foundation for
their roles in this program, and look forward to seeing the
exciting results.”
One of the program’s first steps will be to determine
just how many youth caddies there are. Numbers, surpris-
Bill Murray on ingly, are scarce. It will also support caddie academies and encourage new
why “everyone hi-tech caddie delivery systems such as CaddieNow, essentially an Uber
should caddy.” service for hiring, rating and managing caddies. Such services relieve clubs
of the requirements of managing “independent contractors” and the legal
issues involved. Carry the Game will support caddie academies, such as
those run by caddie associations and clubs like Sankaty Head Golf Club in
Massachusetts, and encourage caddie delivery systems.

CaddieNow’s president David Cavossa, a member of the task force
that created Carry the Game, says his company’s research proves that their
is a demand for affordable caddies:

—36% of golfers would take a caddie using on-demand service

—38% want the opportunity to mentor youth caddies

—44% say caddies elevate the golf experience

—49% say the main hurdle to caddie usage is ‘lack of access’

“Our best estimate is that about 5 per cent of clubs and courses offer
caddies,” said Cavossa, “but that about 40 per cent of golfers would like to
take a caddie at least part of the time.”

For more information on Carry the Game see wagesf.org.

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CSGA Links // May 2018 17