Official Caddying Story: Alan Fadel

Alan Fadel is the senior partner of the Aurora Group at Morgan Stanley, a former PGA Tour pro, and one of the more accomplished amateurs of his generation. But he first fell in love with the game working as a caddie in Ohio. With almost too many club championships to count at places like Inverness, Pine Valley, and Seminole, he is a member of the Ohio Golf Hall of Fame. He is also one of amateur golf’s biggest stalwarts through his leadership of the Amateur Golf Alliance and the Coleman Invitational. Most recently, Alan has united the First Tee and the Boys and Girls Club in Toledo, Ohio for a pilot program that uses golf as a potentially life-changing medium for underserved kids, which may soon provide a model around the country.

At which golf course did you first caddie and how old were you when you started?

I first started working in some capacity at Highland Meadows Golf Club when I was nine years old. I later caddied there and at Sylvania Country Club. 

Why were you compelled to become a caddie?

At the age of nine, it was my first year of eligibility to play Little League Baseball, and I was the youngest kid to make the team. But my family moved abruptly, and my parents said, “Sorry, you can’t play.” When we moved into a new development right next to a golf course, there was nobody around. But one day, I was playing in the backyard, and the golf pro came over, and he said, “He can come over here (to the course).” And my mom said that I never came back! The pro, his name was Herman Lang, and he was actually Byron Nelson's first assistant when he was at Inverness. 

Take us through your first day on the job, who was your first loop?

That first year, Herman would give lessons, and I just sat on the golf bag watching. I would help by picking up the balls, and he would take me out once a week. Then toward the end of that year, there was an LPGA event at the course, and they didn’t have anybody to carry the standard. The member assigned to the group didn’t want to do it, so they had me carry the standard for Kathy Witworth, Mickey Wright, and I believe Sandra Haynie. You could just tell how good Mickey Wright was, and it just kind of stuck with me.

One thing led to another, I started caddying. I worked in the pro shop. I picked up the range and then managed the range. I managed the first tee. So by 13 years old, I’d done it all. 

I was there pretty much everyday in the summers. And then in 6th/7th grade, I would go over there on Mondays to practice, Since we weren’t members or anything, that was my time to practice. My mom would make me a bologna sandwich that I’d eat while riding my bike to the course, and then I’d go back to school afterwards. I was addicted from the first day. It was my environment. I felt right there. You know? Everybody was so gracious, and they all tried to help me because I was so small. I think they thought I was about 7 or 8 when I was actually about 10. Then, I started playing, and they all knew me from playing because I was very good right away.

What was the biggest mistake that you made during your caddying career?

A friend of mine from high school reminds me of a time when we were caddying together, and I went ahead of the players to the left. One player pulled his shot and hit me right in the nuts. I was taken to the hospital but ended up being fine. I never got ahead of anybody when I caddied again. I can tell you that.

What did you most enjoy about caddying?

The club, Highland Meadows, was great. It was all about golf. When I was growing up, I was just a caddie there. But even after my family became members, I still worked in the bag room, even though you technically weren’t allowed. But because it was a familial club, everybody tried to support one another. They tried to help one another and advance one another in golf and in life.

I loved caddying. When you get into the game from that perspective, it makes you a better player. I just hated carrying two bags. I was just too small. I was more of a boutique caddie, loved working in tournaments. When it was a tournament, you knew that it was important.

I’ve still caddied on occasion later in life. I caddied for Vinny Giles at Augusta National in the par-3 tournament. When they asked my relationship to the player on the first tee, I told them I was his spiritual advisor. 

What was it like working with Claude Harmon Sr.?

Claude was a show. He was a show, and I learned a lot. Gordon Johnson, now the pro at Houston Country Club, and I were assistants. He’d give three lessons in the morning. He was very good with bad players, could get a bad player to hit it pretty good. He kept it simple. There was an address position, a position at the top, and a finish position. We had a lot of fun. 

First day I met him, I had it at seven-under after 15 holes at Oak Hill, just the two of us. But it got too dark to play, so we went in. The next day he took me out to play again but on the easy course and bet me 20 dollars that I wouldn't break par. He said, “The pro’s gonna be there the entire time, see how you do with the pro right on top of you!” I was one-under when we got to the last hole but made bogey. When I gave him the 20 dollars, he ran into the club and told everyone that he’d won the bet. Mind you, he was 69 at the time. That was Claude. Almost sounds demeaning but it’s not. He was tough. He challenged you to be better.

When I got out of golf, I went out to a conference in Palm Springs. I went over to Thunderbird to see Claude. When I walked into the pro shop, right as I’m entering, Gerald Ford was on his way out. Claude got up and nearly knocked Ford over on his way to give me a big hug. That’s really a culmination of him. If he endeared himself to you or you endeared yourself to him, he was a sweet man. He was great to me and taught me a lot.

Tell us about some of the people for whom you caddied, did any of them contribute to your career in a meaningful way?

Sure, I saw one of them not too long ago, who had sat me down growing up. He was a good golfer and very successful. His name is Jerry Sullivan and had built a very big landscaping business. He grew up caddying, too, so he would try to guide me through golf and also through life. He said, “You’re a pretty good player, and I’m just going to give you some insights.” Things like how playing against country club kids, I had to be a notch better. He and others kept very close tabs on me.

Another person was Ned Barnes. He was a short hitter but a very good player. When I was in high school, he beat a very good amateur for the local district championship. It was on the radio. I was cleaning clubs listening to the whole thing. About a month after, he came into the bag room and said, “Here’s my clubs. I want you to have them. They’re yours now.” Really great HMB stainless steel irons, I played with them almost all through high school. Stuff like that.

I got to carry a standard in an exhibition for both Arnie (Palmer) and Jack (Nicklaus) when I was about 12. They each gave me a box of balls. Now, Jack is an honorary member of my board. What are the chances of this little, dark complected caddie getting to later hang out with these guys?!? When I was the teaching pro at Canterbury, Arnie came by. He remembered me caddying for him. He was class, just a class guy, always more interested in the people doing the heavy lifting than anyone else. 

What was the biggest lesson that you learned from caddying that helped you succeed as you progressed in life?

I distinctly remember an incident when I thought I was pretty good and made some statement about how I could beat a certain player to a member. The member grabbed me and said, “You don’t ever talk like that about an opponent. When you get good, we’ll know about it. You don’t need to tell anyone.” That was a big lesson that stayed with me. Just do what you have to do and don’t worry about the periphery, the rest will take care of itself.

Another one was that we were so impressed with people back then, but these highly accomplished people are still just human beings. They were just like us and wanted us to do well.

If you could nominate one former caddie who went on to enjoy success, whose Official Caddying Story would you like to hear?

You ought to talk to Jerry Sullivan at Sylvania. He has a great story. Also Ken Langone, who helped build Home Depot, that’s certainly a story that I’d like to read. He’s a great guy.