Volunteer Caddy Tells His Story

We asked one volunteer at the Duramed to tell us what it was like to be ‘on the bag’.

Wow, what an experience I had this past weekend working as a volunteer at the Duramed Championship for the Duramed Futures Tour in Mason, Ohio. I volunteered as a caddy. Some people ask why volunteer and I say “it’s a chance to rub shoulders and meet the upcoming stars of ladies golf.” Who knows,  you could be standing with and/or talking to the next Lorena Ochoa, Christina Kim, Laura Diaz or so many others. All of whom got their start on the Duramed Futures Tour. These girls work so hard to make it to the LPGA and to be up close and interact with them will is a chance of a lifetime.

I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to caddy for Tiffany Joh. She just graduated the week prior to the tournament from UCLA after an outstanding collegiate career for the Bruins. This was Tiffany’s first tournament as a professional. The first time we met was a brief meeting on the practice green, but the real introductions were Friday afternoon on the driving range an hour before the tee time. She joked with me that she added a few bricks to make the load even better for me. We both laughed. We had the draw of a 1:00PM tee time.

If you know anything about the Cincinnati area in the summer the afternoons can be brutal. This Friday was no exception. The temperature was in the low to mid 90’s and the humidity was probably close to 70%. The heat index was close to 105 to 110 degrees. It was a day to stay hydrated. We did our best – combined I think we drank about 15 bottles of water.

Tiffany was nervous and it showed on the 1^st tee which was actually Hole #10. She pulled the tee shot left and hit the marshal’s cart. It just so happened that her mom was standing next to that cart at the time. What a way to start!  It wasn’t a great scoring day for her but she hit some wonderful shots.

Keeping hydrated was a key as I stated earlier and I thought I had but my legs started to cramp up on the 17^th hole, but I didn’t show it and kept going and no one was the wiser. We finished and made plans to meet the next day an hour before the tee time. I was exhausted after that first day but felt good at the same time.

Saturday was a different day…

and I felt good. We met at 8:30 for her 9:20 tee time. She was less nervous today and it showed. She was a lot more consistent and scored 7 shots better. After her round I had lunch with Tiffany and her mother. It was quite an experience to talk to both of them.  Tiffany talked about how much she learned from her first tournament as a professional and about herself over the past two days. She is an amazing and hilarious person and I am glad to call her a friend for life.

I thought my weekend was done because she didn’t score well enough to make the cut. I went to the volunteer area to turn in my caddy bib and the head volunteer in charge of all the caddies, Brian, asked if I could come back on Sunday to possibly caddy or do something else. I said “What time do you want me here?”

On Sunday morning I arrived at the Golf Center at Kings Island around 7:30am and Brian asked if I could caddy again.  Of course I jumped at the chance.  Not two minutes later a golfer comes up and Brian introduces me and we get going, This golfer is Mo Martin, two-time winner on the Duramed Futures Tour. I was in for a treat and didn’t even know it yet. She has one of the best short games that I have ever seen. She signed numerous autographs and took a few pictures with fans, and never turned anyone away. She was very gracious in giving me a signed card to give to my son. She finished tied for 52^nd.

Working the Duramed was absolutely amazing. Standing on the driving range you are in awe of people you see. Warming up next to us one day was Amanda Blumenhurst, standout at Duke and 2008 US Amateur winner. She will be a force on the LPGA.  Also there were Kim Welch, Ashley Prange and Brianna Vega – all winners of the Golf Channel’s Big Break series.

This experience has given me even more respect for how competitive and enjoyable the women’s golf tour is. These ladies deserve more respect than what they get. They travel half the year and most are paying their own way with little or no sponsorship help. If you want to see great competitive golf go check and see if the Duramed Futures Tour is in your area. If they are, sign up to be a volunteer.  I am sure you will have your own experience that you can share as well. Check it out at www.duramedfuturestour.com

Tim Appledorn, Volunteer Caddy

Thanks to Tim for sharing his insight and experience with Ladies on the Tee Golf Blog at www.sherrytabb.com Without people like Tim volunteering their time these events would not be successful.

Tags: Amanda Blumenhurst, Ashley Prange, Brianna Vega, caddy, Duramed Championship, Duramed FUTURES Tour, golf, Golf Channel's Big Break, Kim Welch, Mo Martin, Tiffany Joh