In 1681 , a grudge match posing as an “ international golf tournament ” was held between two Englishmen and two Scots . The Englishmen claimed that golf was a British invention ; however , Led by the Duke of Albany in Scotland , the Scots vigorously begged to differ . The winner of the match at Leith Links would claim the right to call their country the game ’ s originator . The Scots won , though that ’ s not the point .
The Duke refused to carry his clubs and assigned an attendant to that task . In the minds of many , that made the man golf ’ s first caddie . His name ? Who knows .
“ We believe walking with a caddie is the best way to play golf .” — Dave Cavasso
Pardon the horrid pun , but isn ’ t that par for the course for loopers ? Only a few caddies have gained notoriety , among them Eddie Lowery ( Francis Ouimette ), Angelo Argea ( two decades with Jack Nicklaus ), Carl Jackson ( Ben Crenshaw at the Masters ), Michael Greller ( Jordan Spieth ), and Mike “ Fluff ” Cowan ( a bunch , including Tiger ). The vast majority labor in anonymity .
For seven years , CaddieNow ’ s goal hasn ’ t been to make caddies more famous ; it ’ s been to make them more plentiful . It seems to be working . Despite the restrictions imposed by the pandemic , in 2021 the number of potential caddie candidates registered with CaddieNow exceeded 7,000 . That ’ s a 20-percent increase from the previous year .
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Included among CaddieNow ’ s more than 110 clients are Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke and Washington Golf and Country Club in Arlington . But the company ’ s Virginia roots run much deeper .
The founder of CaddieNow , and still its chief executive officer , is Dave Cavasso of Haymarket . The company ’ s chief operating officer , Tom Joyce PGA , managed upscale golf clubs in Roanoke , is a former Middle Atlantic PGA professional of the year and Bill Strausbaugh Award winner . In 2011 , he was recognized by U . S . Kids Golf as one of the top 50 Masters Kids Teachers in America .
“ We believe walking with a caddie is the best way to play golf ,” Cavasso said . “ That ’ s why we started CaddieNow . We want to see every golfer at every club have the option of taking a caddie again , when they want .”
Joyce estimates that 80 percent of CaddieNow ’ s clients have existing caddie programs that the company makes more efficient by recruiting and training caddies , using a dashboard to match interested golfers with available caddies , handle payment options , and track performance reviews so that the highest-rated caddies receive the most work .
CaddieNow also builds caddie programs from scratch , as they did at Ballyhack and Washington Golf .
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“ The high-end clubs who want to offer an ‘ experience ’ are pushing it a little bit more ,” Joyce said .
As you ’ d imagine , the main obstacle in the way of growing CaddieNow is the golf cart . Clubs look at the revenue they make renting out carts and look at the revenue they lose by offering their members a caddie option . It ’ s easy to figure out which they prefer .
“ A new club must change its culture ,” Joyce said . “ That ’ s hard . It ’ s just convenient for players to show up at a golf course and jump on a cart . You must plan ahead and schedule it .
“ We ’ ve been able to do it on several accounts , but it always takes a commitment at the course level , just really pushing it , committee members pushing it .”
If you ’ ve not heard of CaddieNow , there ’ s a good reason . Many golfers aren ’ t even aware they ’ re using the system .
“ High-end clubs are all about their image ,” Joyce explained . “ We work behind the scenes to make their lives easier by training the caddies , improving the technology for them , and teaching them better caddie skills .”
Part of the process for caddies is an online orientation program , then an in-person certification program that reviews the online teachings and covers customer-service basics , how to use the CaddieNow app , and reviews basic on-course training .
Among CaddieNow ’ s many partners are the First Tees of Washington , D . C ., and Hawaii . The company also has forged a relationship with the Western Golf Association / Evans Scholarship Foundation , opening the way for caddies to receive full rides to college and housing allowances .
At several large clubs , Titleist teaches caddies about ball fitting and golf ball characteristics , allows them access to Titleist University , and offers discounts on products . Bushnell and REVO also offer caddies discounts .
All in all , it ’ s a winning combination , for clubs , golfers , and the caddies who accompany them .
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