• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Practical Golf

Golf Tips Made Simple

  • Home
  • Tools
    • Golf Courses
    • Handicap Calculator
  • Content
    • Physical
    • Mental
    • Reviews
    • Videos
    • Practice Games
  • Practical Golf
  • Insider Access
    • Videos
    • Practice Games
    • eBooks
    • Interviews
    • Coupons
    • Contributors
  • Products
    • T-Shirt
    • Recommended Products
    • 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make
    • The Complete Guide To Course Management
  • Contact
golf tips
Get Our Free Ebook
Sign up for the newsletter and get our free 30-page eBook on course strategy!

Goat Hill Park’s Caddie Academy: Golf Can Be More Than Just a Game

caddie academy goat hill park

Anyone who is a lifelong golfer will likely agree that the game has taught them valuable lessons about life. It has taught me plenty about discipline, patience, and many other essential skills. In my opinion, that is why it is so important to expose today’s youth to the game in any way possible.

Since I started this website, I have seen numerous examples of great work being done at the junior level to help strengthen golf’s relationship with kids. One story in particular that caught my attention is what is happening at Goat Hill Park’s Caddie Academy in Southern California. I came across a recent fundraiser they had, which received more than $20,000 in donations. When I read more about how the caddie academy worked, it brought a smile to my face. People often talk about growing the game, but it’s nice to see real work being done.

The Caddie Academy at Goat Hill Park is a great program that was founded by John Ashworth and several others. Not only is the program exposing local youth to the game of golf, but it is teaching them about responsibility and helping to put them on a path to college.

goat hill caddie academy

You may recognize Ashworth’s name – he originally founded Ashworth Golf and now is behind Linksoul, one of my favorite clothing brands. Recently, I got a chance to speak with him about the caddie academy and what makes it so unique.

Much of the work they are doing can be summarized by something John told me at the beginning of our conversation:

Most golfers I have met are good people and are a product of their surroundings. If we can create positive environments on golf courses for kids, they will become a product of those environments.

How It All Got Started

Goat Hill Park is a fascinating story about municipal golf. Once a pillar of Oceanside, the course had fallen on hard times. The local community was considering shutting down the course in favor of development – a fate that has befallen many public courses around the country. After a very public battle, John Ashworth and several partners were able to take over operations of the golf course successfully.

This video gives an overview of the overall goal of the project:

Not long after they took over operations of Goat Hill Park, John discovered a caddie program in Colorado founded by local businessman George Solich. He was impressed with their progress and impact it was making in the community, and wanted to create a similar program for kids around Goat Hill Park.

John Ashworth reached out to Solich, and he offered his help and encouragement to get them started. Both men caddied in their youth, and credit the experiences as part of the foundation of their success later in life.

The Goat Hill Park Caddie Academy considers itself a “sister” to Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy. They were able to structure the program similarly as non-profit and employ similar guidelines for the teens to follow.

Humble Beginnings

The caddie program at Goat Hill Park is finishing up its second season. John Ashworth told me that they are still figuring out how to provide more structure to the program, but they’re off to a strong start.

They’re not just offering local kids a job, but are also providing them with skills that will help them as adults in the future.

All of the kids come from low-income families in local communities. The goal is to use the program as a tool to get them on a good path towards college and beyond. John Ashworth said he is a firm believer that the game of golf and caddying are powerful in their ability to instill good values in youth (as they were for him).

Anyone in the program has to adhere to a set of guidelines. The teens must complete six loops every two weeks, and earn $200. They caddie for golfers who are screened as suitable mentors. The golfers themselves don’t pay for their caddies. Instead, it is funded through the grants.

On top of that, the caddies must meet specific requirements with their grades, do community service, and attend weekly meetings with speakers.

linksoul caddie academy
A picture from the first weekly meeting back in July 2017

Sprouting Growth

While the caddie program is still in its infancy, Ashworth told me that they are seeing a positive impact from the 12 participants. A few of the teens are already heading to college. Others have received help with transportation, books, and other costs in their lives through various fundraisers. Most importantly, many are enhancing their relationship with the game of golf and learning valuable skills that will serve them later in life.

John told me at a recent fundraiser one of the caddies showed up unexpectedly and carried his bag all day for more than 100 holes – all with a smile on his face.

The goal is to keep growing the program larger every year and refining the guidelines. The more impact it can have on the local community, the larger the chance similar programs can sprout up at other golf courses.

How You Can Help

Hearing about programs like these is very inspiring to me, and I hope it does the same for you. Golf is a business, but it’s nice to see that the game still can serve as a positive influence on this world.

If you’re interested in lending a small hand to the program, there are a couple of ways you can get involved.

Linksoul has designed an awesome tee-shirt for the academy, and all proceeds will go towards fundraising for the program. You can purchase it here.

caddie academy t shirtAdditionally, you can donate directly to the North County Junior Golf Association on their website here.

About the Author

Jon Sherman is the owner of Practical Golf, a website dedicated to being an honest resource for the everyday golfer who is looking to enjoy the game more, as well as improve. He is the author of the bestselling book 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make (and how to fix them). You can find him on Twitter here - @practicalgolf, where he is happy to chat about golf with anyone.

More Practical Golf Articles:

puttout pressure putt trainer review

PuttOut Trainer Review – A Simple Design Removes Barriers to Putting Practice

How to Hit Your Driver 20 Yards Farther (Seriously)

Nexbelt Golf Review

Nexbelt Golf Review – The Belt With No Holes

getting ready golf round

How To Get Ready For Your Next Round of Golf

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bill says

    September 26, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    Very good article. Sadly caddying is a lost art/feature of golf. I caddied some when I was a youth. My memories are still vivid.
    Locally where I live I’ve managed to launch a First Tee program and we’re almost ready to launch our The First Tee Chapter. Currently, we have approximately 8,500 kids being introduced to golf and core values at their schools during their P.E. classes. We’re still expanding and by this time next year we’ll be reaching over 28,000 kids.

    Reply
    • Jon says

      September 28, 2018 at 12:02 pm

      Great to hear! I hope similar programs can start sprouting up, I think they can do a lot of good for today’s youth, and golf in general.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

Before Footer

  • Insider Access
  • Account
  • Logout
  • Login

Footer

About The Site

Practical Golf is an honest resource for the everyday golfer who is looking to enjoy the game more, and find ways to improve - Learn More
golf tips

The Book

101 Mistakes All Golfers Make is your complete guide to golf. It will be your reference guide for years to come!

Subscribe To The Newsletter

Join over 15,000 golfers and receive email updates when new articles post. We'll also send you a free copy of our bestselling eBook on course strategy

Become a Fan On Facebook
Follow Us On Twitter

Copyright © 2019 Practical Golf | Powered by: WP Engine | Built on: The Genesis Framework
Advertise With Us | Privacy Policy | Affiliate Disclosure | Site Design by 3200 Creative

/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Single Post - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /*.logged-in .non-logged-in-ad-block { display:none; } .non-logged-in-ad-block { display:block; position: fixed; right: 0px; top: 250px; } @media only screen and (max-width: 1400px) { .non-logged-in-ad-block { display:none; } }*/ .code-block-2:nth-of-type(even) { display:none !important; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Single Post - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */
Practical Golf
  • Home
  • Tools
    • Golf Courses
    • Handicap Calculator
    • Back
  • Content
    • Physical
    • Mental
    • Reviews
    • Videos
    • Practice Games
    • Back
  • Insider Access
    • Videos
    • eBooks
    • Interviews
    • Practice Games
    • Coupons
    • Back
  • Products
    • T-Shirt
    • Recommended Products
    • The Complete Guide To Course Management
    • 101 Mistakes All Golfers Make
    • Back
  • Insider Login
  • Contact
​