Official Caddying Story: Jim Ellis

Jim Ellis is a tenured professor at the University of Southern California and was previously the dean of its Marshall School of Business. Under his leadership, Marshall became one of the premier business schools in the world, and it was by caddying in his youth that Jim was first exposed to the business world, which helped shape his career path. Before entering academia, Jim was the president and chief executive officer of American Porsche Design, vice president for merchandising and developing products for Broadway Department Stores, founding director of Professional Business Bank in Pasadena, and director of Fixed Income Funds of the Capital Group. Jim serves on the boards of the Capital Group and Mercury Insurance as well as a number of nonprofits, like the Young Presidents' Organization, Kidspace Children Museum, Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Chief Executives Organization and World Presidents' Organization.

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

At first, my dad would take me with him when I was young. I wasn't much of a caddie. I’d usually just take a ball out of his bag and hit shots, but he'd still pay me, which was a good gig. He’d even tell me that I was a great caddie that day. 

But I really started caddying at Albuquerque Country Club when I was about 13 or 14.

Why were you compelled to become a caddie?

My parents were members at Albuquerque CC, but I started caddying because I needed to pay for my golf lessons. Then in high school, I was really serious about golf but also developed a temper and kept breaking clubs. So I needed to caddie after my dad told me that he was no longer going to pay to repair them. Out of necessity, I got better at caddying and also at re-shafting clubs.

The best part about caddying was the people that you got to meet. It was fun. I enjoyed it. 

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

Not sure about the first loop but there were some great guys in the caddie yard. They were all younger. Some had dropped out of high school and really needed the job to support themselves. Since they needed the dough more than I did, I’d let them take loops ahead of me, which they appreciated. Later, when I was in college, some of the really good ones would caddie for me in tournaments but wouldn’t charge me anything. It was their way of returning the favor, which was pretty cool.

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

There was one time that I started caddying for a guy. We had just had a thunderstorm go through New Mexico, so there was lots of water in the ground, which caused the mosquitoes to come out. I probably had 50 bites on one leg after the first hole, so I walked in and told the pro that someone else could have the job. My dad wasn’t too happy about that one.

There was another time where I was caddying for a good player and handed him his driver to hit his tee shot. He said, “Don’t you think I could hit this through the fairway and even out of bounds?'' I said, “No.” Well, he hit it, and the ball just sailed right out of bounds. It wasn’t even close. The tip was negligible that day. 

What did you most enjoy about caddying?

The real highlight for me was caddying for Marilynn Smith. When I was in high school, my golf coach told us that the LPGA Tour was coming to town and was looking for a couple of kids to caddie. He asked me if I wanted to do it. I was 16 years old at the time and agreed to participate. I was put on Marilynn’s bag, and she could not have been a more gracious person. She was wonderful to me. And we won the tournament!

It just so happened that not only did I know the course, but she and I hit our clubs the exact same yardage at that time. Every single club. All I had to do was tell her what club I’d hit on each shot, and she’d just execute it. Of course, she was way more consistent than I was. She’d hit it to 20 feet, and I’d be 30 yards to the right. But it was just like clubbing myself all week, so I was really able to help her out.

I was also able to contribute to her putting. We were in the mix after the first day but not leading, and she wasn’t making any putts. So she asked me to accompany her on the putting green after the round to watch what she was doing. I noticed that her head was a little crooked, causing her to push her putts. She straightened it out and just started making everything. 

After the victory, she was being interviewed by the local radio station, and the guy asked her how she’d managed to play such flawless golf? She said, “On every shot, I’d just ask my caddie what I should hit. He’d just say that’s a 4-iron or that’s a 5-iron or that’s a 7-iron.” So then, the reporter looked over at me and asked “How did you know all of that?” I told him that I knew what to give her because we hit our clubs the exact same distances; so all I needed to do was hand her what I’d normally play and she just nailed. 

It was the highlight of my life at the time. She won $7,000, and I think she gave me 200 bucks; it wasn’t a time when caddies didn’t get 10%, and I was just a high school kid anyway. But I could not have been more excited. It was the pinnacle of my caddying career, and I kind of retired after that. However, I really enjoyed that weekend and will never forget it. 

Fast forward to a few years ago, I came across an article about Marilynn in one of the golf magazines. She was eighty some years old living with her dog Benji in Goodyear, Arizona. So I wrote her a letter saying “you probably don’t remember me but I caddied for you in Albuquerque when you won in 1963. I saw the article on you and just wanted to say hi.” She wrote me back with the nicest handwritten letter and even invited me to come visit. She was so kind and was effusive in her praise of the career I’d led, especially being the dean of a business school. Marilynn sponsored a tournament where she raised scholarship funds for women golfers and asked me to participate. I couldn’t do it because of work obligations but sent her a check to show support. We continued to stay in touch and exchanged Christmas cards. She recently passed away before I was able to go see her, and it’s something that I’m really sorry about. Just would have been really cool, would have been great to close that loop.

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

It’s so far back that I really don’t even remember a lot of the members. But in addition to caddying for Marlynn Smith in the LPGA event, I also got to caddie for Judy Torluemke in 1962. Judy didn’t win the tournament, but she went on to become one of the true gurus in women’s golf. Later known as Judy Rankin, she had a hall of fame career on the LPGA and also became an on-course commentator. She was a really tiny woman but man could she hit a golf ball a long way!

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

The biggest thing was how I was exposed to business people. They were all successful, and I wanted to be like them. They were so interesting and also interested in me, so I knew that I wanted to go into business. My father was a successful banker and had kind of pushed me in that direction. But caddying was the first look at life outside of my own family. I got to meet other successful people and hear their philosophies, which were the same that my dad espoused, so there was some consistency and confirmation for me.

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

It’d be pretty cool to hear more about Steve Ballmer caddying back in the day.