Minnesota Golfer - Travel 2022 - 30

CADDIE CORNER
A Successful Revival
K
eller Golf Course, home to the PGA Tour's St. Paul
Open from 1930-1966, featured a robust caddie program
that catered to both the PGA Tour players and
public play. Once the St. Paul Open was disbanded, so was the
caddie program with the rise of carts and more lucrative caddie
opportunities elsewhere. That is now changing with the help of
longtime Keller Men's Club member, Dan Magnuson.
Magnuson is an Evans Scholar alumnus who grew up
caddieing at Hillcrest Country Club. Historically, Hillcrest
had one of the largest and most active caddie programs in the
state. In 2017, the course was shut down permanently. Hillcrest
was located within just three miles of where Keller is. With no
course in the area running a caddie program, Magnuson saw an
opportunity to start one at Keller.
" We are talking about the same geographic area, the opportunity
for these kids is big...Frankly, no one was reaching out
to them. I wanted to give these kids the same opportunity
that I had growing up and give something back to the Evans
Scholarship that was not just money, " Magnuson said.
With that, the caddie program at Keller was reborn. To start,
Magnuson reached out directly to high schools and middle
schools in the area, including North High, Johnson High School,
Hill-Murray, telling them his background of being an Evans
Scholar and retired grocery executive. He then gave them a
pitch on restarting the caddie program at Keller using materials
explaining the benefits of being a caddie-learning how to interact
with adults, responsibility, being on time and most importantly
the opportunity to earn an Evans Scholarship. From his initial
reach out, he received numerous responses from principles,
kids and parents showing their interest in the caddie program.
" I wanted to give these kids
the same opportunity that
I had growing up. "
-Dan Magnuson
In the end, they trained 12 caddies, some of them never having
seen a golf course before. By the end of the year, 11 of the 12
caddies had at least one loop with six to seven caddies making
up their core group getting loops regularly. They amassed 125
loops during the season with the caddies only available to their
men's and women's club members. Next season, they are planning
to open up the caddie program to the general public with
30
MINNESOTAGOLFER Travel 2022
Keller Golf Club member and caddie advocate,
Dan Magnuson (second from right), with the
author and three seasoned Keller caddies.
* BY JACK MENDESH *
the goal to surpass 200 loops for the 2023 golf season.
Keller is one of only a few public courses in the entire state to
run a caddie program. Magnuson says it is not as hard as you
think to start a caddie program at a public course.
" Getting it started is probably easier than you think. Kids are
looking for work and parents are looking for ways to keep their
kids occupied during the summer. Secondly, make sure you
have support from your local pro, your course specific leagues, "
Magnuson explained.
Mark Foley, the head golf pro at Keller, has been very supportive
along with the Keller membership, says Magnuson,
and without the support, he does not believe the program would
have been able to get off the ground. Magnuson encourages
all courses, especially public courses, to start a caddie program
if there is any interest in providing opportunities to
deserving kids.
It takes one caring adult to make a difference not only in
one kid's life but an entire community. With the addition of
the caddie program at Keller, Magnuson has created the same
opportunities he was afforded growing up for kids in the same
neighborhood he grew up in.
Jack Mendesh is the MGA's caddie development manager, and can be
reached at caddie@mngolf.org.
mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Travel 2022

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