12TH ANNUAL CADDIE SUMMIT

Nevaeh Martinez

9 months ago

The 12th annual Caddie Summit, hosted by Cherry Hills Country Club, brought together caddie clubs from across the state for a day of networking, learning, and inspiration. The event featured discussions on a variety of topics, including updates on golf legislation in Colorado from Bowditch & Cassell Public Affairs and CGA Lobbyist Jennifer Cassell, as well as insights on classifying caddies and independent contractor updates from Brian Bianchi with Western Golf Association. It was a day filled with valuable exchanges of best practices and camaraderie among caddie leaders.

The Summit is sponsored by the Colorado Golf Foundation, the charitable arm of the CGA to provide funding for Colorado-based golf organizations and programs, using golf to build important life skills and instill hard in young people.

The CGA Caddie Summit, which began in 2012, attracted many caddie leaders representing 21 clubs from around Colorado.

CGA Lobbyist Jennifer Cassell opened the event with an informative update on the current state issues and legislative developments in the Colorado State Legislature, shedding light on their potential impacts on golf in Colorado.

Brian Bianchi from the Western Golf Association provided a comprehensive breakdown of the various options for classifying caddies and offered insights into the latest independent contractor updates and laws applicable in Colorado, along with updates from WGA.

Paul Knue delivered updates from the Evans Scholar Foundation, covering a range of topics including the scholarship processes and success stories, training and onboarding initiatives for caddies, best practices for caddie clubs, and programs facilitating Evans Scholars serving as mentors to support the growth and development of fellow caddies.

Duffy Solich provided updates on the BMW Championship, highlighting schedule details, hospitality and ticket sales, and the palpable excitement surrounding the upcoming PGA event in Colorado, set to unfold at Castle Pines.

Emily Olson, CGA’s Director of Caddie Development, presented the findings of the Annual Caddie Survey, which included general information on loop totals for 2023. She then initiated a discussion on best practices to promote caddie utilization at their respective clubs.