Official Caddying Story: David Podas PGA

David Podas is the Bel-Air Country Club’s Director of Golf. Dave, as he’s more casually known, is not only a longtime member of the PGA of America but also serves on its Rules Committee. Additionally, Dave is a devoted member of Titleist’s national advisory board. Though a Minnesota native, it was caddying in Arizona that helped launch his venerable golf career. Whether it's working as a rules official in one of golf’s majors, competing in the 2007 Buick Invitational (won by Tiger Woods), desperately trying to improve Al Michaels’ golf swing, or regularly squaring off against Corey Pavin, there isn’t much that he hasn’t experienced in the game.

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

I started in my early 20s at Arizona’s storied Phoenix Country Club. Looking back, I didn’t fully understand what I was getting myself into but am sure glad that I did it.

Why were you compelled to become a caddie?

I ended up kind of backing into caddying and really this whole golf career. I was a pretty decent player growing up in Minnesota but didn’t have a lot of direction in my college career, though I did ultimately graduate. Around October when the weather started going sideways, a lot of guys at the public course I hung out at would hop in the car and head to Arizona to pick up whatever jobs they could, play some golf, and beat the winter. One fall, I decided to jump in the car with them. Of course, my parents wanted to kill me. In a matter of a week, I was busted; the $200 I'd left Minneapolis with I’d run through. So one of the guys in the little studio apartment that we all shared recommended that I try to caddie at Phoenix Country Club, which was only a few blocks away.

I went over to the course, knocked on the door, and met the caddiemaster. When he asked me if I’d ever caddied before, I said, “Oh yeah, plenty.” In truth, I’d never caddied in my life! He told me that I was hired, and within 20 minutes, I had two bags on my shoulders walking down the first fairway. 

I’ll say that there’s a big difference between having the clubs in your hands versus handing them out. I had to learn quickly but look back on caddying very fondly.

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

I can remember my first loop like it was yesterday. One was Brian Goldsworthy, who later became my longtime financial advisor. The other was Doug Ward, a general contractor, who remains a close friend to this day. They were both excellent players, and I must have done OK because they started asking for me in the future.

The caddy yard was also worth noting. A little bit like Bel-Air, Phoenix CC was comprised of professional caddies. It was scary. It was really scary. I was just a kid from the Midwest in my early 20s, and these guys were hard charging and hard drinking. You’d wind up at a caddie bar with these seasoned drinkers, almost being carried out of there. It’s a rough scene in those old, stayed caddy yards. There were such characters with great names, like “Chicago Bill” or “Cigar Tony,” who were infamous around those yards. 

It was a melting pot, and you learned a lot about life. You come in and mind your Ps and Qs. Don’t step on anyone’s toes. There is a pecking order, and you have to bide your time. You take whatever you’re given. But the members are smart and recognize quality caddies. Pretty soon, they start asking for you, and the money takes care of itself. 

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

Not any major ones that I can recall but I certainly remember that it was $15 dollars a bag. You got $15 on each shoulder, and it could be a lot of work. When you have one player who hits it 170 yards left and the other 260 to the right, you have to take care of both of them and do it with a smile. That takes some talent.

What did you most enjoy about caddying?

Not teaching golf out there but I really enjoyed helping players shoot lower scores. Getting them to lay up or play sideways from bunkers when necessary, the guy might be a 15-handicap but, of course, thinks he’s a scratch. As you know from caddying, you can size ‘em up by the 3rd tee. When you can help someone who normally shoots in the 90s put up an 86, that smile is ear to ear.

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

Phoenix Country Club was the epicenter of both Phoenix business and Phoenix golf. Today, things are more spread out with so many courses that have been built, but back then, it was THE place. It was very expensive to join, even in the 1980s. Everybody who was anybody played golf there. I saw a whole part of golf that I never knew existed, people like Barry and Bob Goldwater. They would play golf four days a week and all drove Cadillacs. As the son of a high school English teacher from south Minneapolis, it was a big change from our public course filled with local hustlers, gamblers, and golf junkies. Don’t get me wrong, there were some very good players there who helped me hone my game, but Phoenix Country Club was completely different.

The head pro, Ralph Bernhisel, became a great mentor and had a huge impact on my career. I always tell people that as a player “I wasn’t good enough to make it but was too good to quit.” And if golf didn’t work out after college, my plan was to attend law school. Every time I shot 77 in a tournament, I'd start going through those application papers. But Ralph pulled me aside and showed me that the path of a golf professional was “a pretty nice way of life.” He recognized that I had the golf playing aspect but also a decent way with people. And this was at a time when golf was exploding, so there were a lot of jobs being created at newly built courses. So after caddying the first winter in 1983 or ‘84, the next winter I moved into the bag room. After that, I became a PGA member and ascended to first assistant at PCC. By the time that I was 27, I’d landed my first head pro job.

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

There was a fellow who owned and ran the Phoenix Suns by the name of Jerry Colangelo. He probably never knew this, but he taught me a lot. Watching people like him, seeing how they carried themselves, and interacted with people, especially the staff and the help, I was able to pick up on things. To me, those people were bigger than life but how they treated even the bag room kids made a lasting impression.

Golf wise, keep in mind that I’d never seen a professional golfer hit a shot at that point, and I finally got to see my hero, Johnny Miller, play in-person. Golf teaches you so much but that experience caddying really raised the bar for me.

What are your thoughts on caddying today and what would you want young people to know?

At the great clubs, caddying is here to stay. I can’t tell you how often a guest will play our course and talk about how great the experience was, making special mention of the caddie. At $150 bucks every time you play, it’s certainly a luxury, but I think that players recognize the value in it, especially at the storied clubs. It’s tightly woven into the traditions of the game. Of the 24 rules of golf, there must be a caddie reference every few pages or so. It’s integral.

For young people, in general, golf builds character. It promotes honesty and integrity. It breeds good people; the game requires goodness, sportsmanship, and etiquette. 

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

In addition to Jack Druga at Shinnecock, who you’ve already interviewed, I’d talk to Don Berry at Edinburgh USA. We were in the car together heading down to Phoenix, and he’s been National Player of the Year once and Section Player of the Year 17 or 18 times.