Zack Arbuckle likes just about every aspect of being part of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy.
Except one thing, that is.
After two years in the program, he has to leave CommonGround Golf Course and “graduate” to a different caddie program in the Denver metro area.
“We have to go to another club after our second year here,” the sophomore at Heritage High School said Sunday. “I wish we could stay here. The connections that I made this year, and the family that’s here, I wish we could stay.”
Such is the way it is with the Solich Academy. Golfers who utilize Solich Academy caddies love the experience, CommonGround staff likes being associated with the program, and the caddies themselves buy in in a big way.
On Sunday, the Solich Academy, now with three years under its belt, helds its annual season-ending barbecue and a graduation of sorts.
In 2014, a total of 27 caddies racked up 832 loops, a number down somewhat from last year due in part to CommonGround not opening up fully until June 1 following last September’s flooding.
“The way I look at this is, it’s kind of one kid at a time,” said George Solich, for whom the Solich Academy is named, along with brother Geoff. “Sometimes you think if you’re not helping a hundred kids, it’s not impactive. But it’s impactive if you help one kid. That’s what we’ve got to keep in mind. We’re obviously having a great impact on these kids. Some of the kids are going to rise up and take advantage of it, which is great to see.”
The Solich Academy — and other programs which have been modeled after it — uses caddying and the game of golf to help teach kids valuable leadership skills. The Academy promotes the use of caddies by paying all of their base fees. It also trains teenagers who eventually will be available to caddie at other courses in the Denver metro area — like Arbuckle.
And some participants will have the added bonus of becoming candidates for the Evans Scholarship, which fully pays for college tuition and housing for qualified caddies who meet caddie, academic, financial and outstanding character requirements.
Arbuckle is among the Solich Academy caddies who hopes to one day be selected for an Evans Scholarship at the University of Colorado. On Sunday, following a “caddie Olympics” (left and below), he was once again named the Solich Academy Caddie Leader of the Year after accumulating the most loops for the second consecutive season. He has racked up 103 loops over the last two years combined.
One of those this year was for former Colorado Rockies great Todd Helton. The retired first baseman came out to CommonGround over the summer and was warming up when Arbuckle noticed him. CommonGround director of golf Dave Troyer subsequently asked Helton if he needed a caddie. The slugger said that although his group already had carts, he would take Arbuckle as a cart caddie.
“It was really cool,” Arbuckle said of the experience. “He’s a lefty baseball player, but he golfs righty. That was kind of fun to watch. He hits the ball really far.”
It’s unusual for a public course to have a thriving caddie program. But with the Solich Academy, CommonGround has hit upon the right formula. And there’s not just caddying involved. Every caddie at CommonGround — which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA — must go through regular leadership training and participate in community service.
That leadership training took on new depth and became more quantifiable this year, and CGA executive director Ed Mate has further plans to expand it, with an emphasis on self-reliance, individual responsibility and ethics.
“That’s one thing I’m really excited about,” said Mate, who like the Solich brothers is a former Evans Scholar at CU. “Granters (such as the Daniels Fund, which has given $30,000 to the Solich Academy for 2014-15) want to see evidence of real leadership training going on. We’re doing more activity-based stuff, where it’s not just a lecture. It’s really hands-on.”
While there’s always room for improvement, Geoff Solich is encouraged by feedback he receives from players who have experience with the Solich Academy.
“I hear people come by and say, ‘I just want you to know that I went out to CommonGround to take one of the caddies and go play the course’,” Solich said. “People are coming out here for that. I think it’s starting to be a draw. I’ve had people remember (Solich Academy caddie’s) names (long after the fact). That doesn’t happen very often.
“Ideally, you’d like more golfers taking caddies, but there are people coming out here specifically to use the program, which is pretty unusual.”
This year, a total of 21 caddies at CommonGround posted at least 36 loops, which is the minimum the program prescribes.
The Solich Academy and the Evans Scholarship received some welcome national publicity early this month when Cherry Hills Country Club hosted the BMW Championship, which benefits the Evans Scholarship. George Solich was the general chairman of that PGA Tour playoff event. Among other things, NBC’s national broadcast of the tournament included a story by essayist Jimmy Roberts which featured George Solich, current CU Evans Scholar Melyzjah Smith and the Solich Academy, where Smith caddied. Smith is one of five CU Evans Scholars the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy has produced over its first three years of existence.
“It was a neat story and (Smith) did an awesome job,” George Solich said. “The publicity we had from the BMW Championship all throughout the state, I think it’s going to catapult the Evans Scholarship in applications, awareness and hopefully fundraising because that’s what it’s all about. With record attendance and really good TV ratings, a lot more people are going to know about the Evans Scholarship, so that will be great.”
Added Geoff Solich: “I don’t remember a BMW Championship or a Western Open (its predecessor) where there was ever more direct publicity and understanding as to what the Evans Scholarship is. I think a lot of people went, ‘Oh, OK.’ It was just really well done.”
