Having grown up as a caddie, Paul Lobato has a soft spot in his heart for kids who tote clubs for a little spending money and learn valuable lessons along the way.
In fact, when Lobato wanted to start a small caddie program at Meridian Golf Club in Englewood, where he’s the head professional, he personally kicked in $20 for each caddie loop, with the member utilizing the caddie ponying up another $20.
But when it got right down to it, there was a better way — and why reinvent the wheel?
The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course has been thriving since making its debut in 2012. And Lobato is friends with brothers George and Duffy Solich, for whom the Solich Academy is named, and he’s given lessons to George over the years.
So when the subject came up, George Solich and Lobato figured that establishing a new chapter of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at Meridian made sense. And after working out the details with CGA executive director Ed Mate and CGA manager of caddie development Emily Olson — the CGA and CWGA own and operate CommonGround Course — Meridian this year will become the third Colorado course to feature the Solich Academy, joining CommonGround and the Spike Baker Chapter at Fort Collins Country Club.
“I think the program is unbelievable,” said Lobato, who played intercollegiate golf at the University of Colorado, where the Solich brothers went to school on Evans Caddie Scholarships. “We had the best day out at CommonGround when I played with George, Duffy and (noted instructor) Bill Harmon (son of 1948 Masters champion Claude Harmon and brother of renowned instructor Butch Harmon). I think every one of the caddies with us have gone on to earn Evans Scholarships. I love caddying and how people learn the game through caddying.
“Afterward, I said to George and Duffy, ‘You guys are changing lives.’ I fell in love” with the program.
The Solich Academy is novel in that base caddie fees are paid by the Academy, with participating golfers having the option of adding a tip. The caddies attend weekly leadership classes and do at least six hours of volunteer community-service work each summer. (Duffy and George Solich are pictured at left.)
Lobato certainly isn’t the only one enamored by the template the Solich Acadeny established. Besides Colorado now having three chapters of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, there are others who have followed — or are following — the same path. There’s the Caddie & Leadership Academy of Southeast Wisconsin, and people in Philadelphia and Oceanside, Calif., have also expressed a significant interest.
“The whole goal is to get more kids introduced to caddying,” said Mate, who plays an integral role in overseeing the Solich Academy at CommonGround. “We can only reach so many kids at CommonGround, so this is all part of the master plan.”
But the key, Mate said, is to have at least one person at each Academy site that will go to the mat for the program.
“We always talk about planting the seed,” Mate said. “You need somebody on the ground that really owns it. That person is John Hanrahan (director of golf) in Fort Collins and Paul Lobato at Meridian. You have to have someone who gets it. It’s better if someone comes to us (to demonstrate that interest and commitment). And if the facility won’t embrace it, it won’t succeed.”
As is the case at Fort Collins Country Club, the Solich Academy at Meridian will be much smaller scale than at CommonGround, where about 30 kids participate each year. Lobato is currently training eight caddies — all currently in seventh through 10th grades — with the fourth and final training scheduled for April 28. Then on May 2 during men’s opening day at Meridian, Lobato plans to lay out the program for members. The eight kids, including one “graduate” of the CommonGround Academy who has about 40 caddie loops to his credit, will caddie through the summer, with the goal of each getting 36 loops by the end of the season.
“When the members understand, they’ll get behind it,” Lobato said.
Melyzjah Smith, who’s completing her sophomore year as an Evans Scholar at CU, will be the caddiemaster at Meridian.
“Meridian is perfect” for a Solich Academy chapter, Mate said. “There are a lot of walkers.”
