4 Industries Where Former Caddies Have Huge Advantages Right Out of College
Since 2020, we’ve profiled some of the most successful executives who grew up caddying. They’ve all stressed how it was a life-changing experience and opened many doors for them in their careers. It also equipped them with a range of skills and attributes that set them apart, including:
Customer service
Effective communication
Teamwork and collaboration
Reliability and accountability
Performance under pressure
But, perhaps most importantly, caddying provided them with a built-in network of relatively affluent supporters who wanted to see them succeed. And, in industries where product offerings are more homogenized, the biggest point of differentiation can be the people providing the service and the strength of their networks. For this reason, former caddies possess a distinct advantage in the following popular industries:
Insurance
The Travelers Championship, the Farmers Insurance Open, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, and the Zurich Classic, insurance might be the industry most synonymous with golf. Most leading insurance companies are involved with the game on some level, including the sponsorship of events and/or athletes. A person, even with little experience, can quickly provide insurance services to people that she knows.
Read Zach Kuperman’s story involving insurance.
Wealth Management
As it relates to golf, the financial services industry may be just as significant as insurance, particularly wealth management. Morgan Stanley, Citi, and RBC are just a few of the larger brands tied to golf. Charles Schwab actually grew up caddying and details the experience in his book, Invested. The majority of private golf clubs tend to have wealth management professionals as part of the membership, and, having been a caddy, can serve as a major catalyst when starting out.
Read Dick Connolly’s story involving wealth management.
Real Estate Brokerage
Having a GHIN handicap might as well accompany the issuance of each broker’s license, since you’ll be hard-pressed to find many who don’t play golf. Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, and CBRE are some of the biggest names, but there probably aren’t many real estate brokerage firms in the US that are void of golfers. While the transactions can take a long time to materialize, former caddies are equipped with a powerful network that can help them break through faster.
Read Skip Bronson’s story involving real estate.
Enterprise Sales
DemandScience is a leading provider of business-to-business intelligence solutions, and it should come as no surprise that it is an official partner of the PGA Tour. When sales people are calling on corporate accounts and trying to build a book of business, it’s a huge advantage to know a host of business owners and executives from having caddied for them. In this respect, former caddies are in position to hit the ground running at the entry-level, often thriving in roles like sales reps and account managers.
Read Eddie Melendez’ story involving sales.
