When it comes to women assuming major leadership roles in Colorado golf organizations — ones traditionally held by men — the last five years have marked a seismic shift in the landscape.

— In 2014, Leslie Core-Drevecky became the first female president of the Colorado PGA.

— A year ago, when the CGA and CWGA joined forces and became one organization, Juliet Miner and Joe McCleary agreed to serve one year as co-presidents of the CGA, with Miner becoming the first female president of the association.

— This fall, Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee Janet Moore was chosen the new president of that organization. Moore is a five-time winner of the CGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship.

— Also this fall, Molly Greenblatt was selected chairperson of the board for the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, which adminsters the CoBank Colorado Open Championships and The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch. Greenblatt earned low-amateur honors in the 1999 Colorado Women’s Open.

— On a national level, last month Suzy Whaley became the first female president of the PGA of America.

— Then last week, Janene Guzowski (pictured) was elected president of the CGA’s volunteer board of directors, becoming the first woman to hold that position outright. It was just over two years ago that Guzowski and Tracy Zabel became the first women to serve on the CGA board. Before the CGA and the CWGA started down the road of integrating — at the behest of the USGA — “we were operating under the understanding with the CWGA that if there were any talented women that were being considered, the CWGA would sure appreciate the opportunity to have them join their board,” CGA executive director Ed Mate said. “And that would happen a lot. We’d have a woman we thought highly of, and we’d steer that individual to the CWGA.”

But nowadays, with the boards of the CGA and CWGA having merged a year ago, roughly 40 percent of the CGA board in 2018 were women. That will remain true in 2019. And next year, three members of the Executive Committee will be women, with Guzowski joined by Dana Murray (secretary) and Miner (past president). To see the CGA’s 2018 volunteer leadership, CLICK HERE.

Asked her impression of women taking more leadership roles in Colorado golf, Guzowski said, “It’s a phenomenon, and to me it represents what happened last year with the historic merger of the CGA and the CWGA. Women are coming forward and people are giving us a chance to show everybody what we can do with golf in Colorado. It’s not strictly a man’s world anymore with golf or anything else for that matter. For us it’s an amazing growth and coming together in Colorado golf.”

The CGA has obviously experienced major changes over the last year, and Mate is among those who see the selection of Guzowski as the association’s new president as ideal in several respects.

“We have a lot of positive momentum with the integration and we just want to continue that as we have a lot of work yet to be done,” Mate said. “Having a strong, positive leader like Janene, it became obvious she was the right choice. This was the decision of the Nominating Committee, chaired by Doak Jacoway. They looked at the talent and looked at the situation and what does the organization need right now, and Janene was the clear, head-and-shoulders choice for the job at this point in time.

“She has the right set of skills. She personable. She loves caddies; that’s been her passion. The work she does with the Western Golf Association (which administers the Evans Scholarship for caddies) is also part of our mission. She was the right person at the right time.”

Though McCleary ended up serving three years as CGA president/co-president — while Miner did two as CWGA president and one as CGA co-president — traditionally CGA presidents have served two consecutive one-year terms. That was the case for every president from 2000 through 2015, and likely will be true for Guzowski as well.

“I hope to take us into the new year strong,” said Guzowski, a resident of the Cherry Creek area of Denver who belongs to Lakewood Country Club and Frost Creek in Eagle and owns a 15 handicap. “The committee chairs are all picked and they’re all off and running. I have some big shoes to fill after Joe and Juliet. I have four huge shoes to fill. They were instrumental in bringing the CGA and the CWGA together and they’ve led strongly and wonderfully through the process. I’m looking forward to taking what they have done and running with it.”

Guzowski, a graduate of Southern Methodist University who sells the Carlisle clothing line, is certainly no stranger to being in golf leadership roles on boards traditionally dominated by men. As mentioned, she was one of the first two women on the CGA board. She was also the first female director in Colorado for the WGA, joining that organization in 2011. In addition, she was the first female chairperson of the caddie committee at Lakewood Country Club.

“She’s the most likeable person,” Mate said of Guzowski. “She made it so comfortable for everybody. Let’s be honest: There’s a patriarchal culture, but she came in and didn’t miss a beat (in the WGA role). Now there are more women being considered for director’s positions around the country, and she was a pioneer in that respect.”

Guzowski also has served on the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame board since 2015.

As Guzowski begins her term as the CGA president, we conducted a Q&A with her last week. Here’s some of that conversation:

Q: How does it feel to be one of first women to become president of the CGA?

Janene Guzowski: “Of course, I’m honored and I’m humbled. I’m looking forward to leading the united group (after the merger of the CGA and the CWGA) and serving golf in Colorado for all people. I’m just thrilled. It’s going to be a learning experience for all of us.”

Q: Whenever you were first approached about possibly taking the role as president, what compelled to say yes?

JG: “I didn’t say yes right away. I was first of all very stunned. I understand the reason why they have asked me. I needed to see what kind of time commitment was involved, which is a lot. I’m approaching it as a full-time unpaid job. It already is. I had to think about it, talk to my husband (Alan). I have an 82-year-old gorgeous mother who I spend a lot of time with. I assume it’s going to take some time away from everybody — friends, family — and I wanted to make sure that it was OK with everybody.

“Of course, I was honored and flattered. I feel I can do a good job and do what they’ve asked me to do and expect me to do — and I’m excited to go forward.”

Q: What are your priorities for your time as president?

JG: “We’re introducing our new branding, our new logo, which is amazing. That will all come out at the end of January, and I look forward to representing that logo and getting it out there for people to look at and know what it stands for. I’d like to work with a lot more women’s groups and getting more women involved with the CGA. I’d like to have tournaments that serve a broader range of mainly men — a handicap or flighted tournament for a golfer of any handicap, which we don’t have right now with the CGA. Women have all kinds of (those types of) tournaments, but there aren’t any for the men. I’d like to see if we can get one of those tournaments implemented (possibly for 2020 or 2021). I’d like to have a co-ed tournament sponsored by the CGA open to all level of players as well. Those are some top issues for me.”

Q: Caddies are close to your heart. Will that be another priority for you, whether it be the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course or the Evans Scholarship at CU or whatever the case may be?

JG: “I’ve been on the caddie committee at Lakewood Country Club for 18 years. I chaired the committee for five years on and off. Next year will be my ninth year on the board of directors for the WGA. I’ve work with the Solich Caddie Academy kids. I was the chairman of the Caddie Development Committee for the CGA. All that will continue. It’s all near and dear to my heart.

“I was put on the caddie committee at Lakewood Country Club 18 years ago and watching these 13- and 14-year-old children — they’re children at the time — being trained to be a caddie, trained to talk to adults, trained to get up and be at a job at 6:30 in the morning … These kids are trained to be accountable and to have a future job throughout high school and perhaps college. Watching these kids grow and mature, talking to them about the Evans Scholarship and the possibility of getting full-ride tuition at CU, it changes children into adults and it’s an amazing thing to see. I’ve enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it. I enjoy training caddies (left), I take caddies, I keep in touch with caddies. It’s going to continue to be a big thing for me. One of my favorite things that Ed Mate always says is the ‘C’ in CGA stands as much for caddies as it does for Colorado. That’s perhaps one of the reasons I became so involved so quickly because I have that same love that Ed does.”

Q: Having been on the CGA board, how do you think the integration of the CGA and CWGA has gone?

JG: “It could not have gone better. Joe and Juliet are now almost best friends. They got along so famously. I love Juliet’s analogy of a marriage. She gave up her name, her bank account, she moved. The CGA offered the CWGA so much in return for what they gave up. Golf in Colorado is going to be so much better for everybody. The Colorado Golf Association is all people, all ages — women, kids, men, people of all backgrounds and all inclusive of golf — whereas it wasn’t in the previous years.”

Q: What’s been your experience like since joining the CGA board in September 2016?

JG: “I think it’s one of the best boards I’ve ever served on. I think the Colorado Golf Association is the best golf association in the United States if you ask me — not that I’ve served on other ones. But in comparison to other boards I sit on, it’s organized and it runs smoothly. The staff … Ed Mate is amazing as our executive director. Meetings are run efficiently and timely. The issues that are brought up are important for golf in the state of Colorado. The talent on the board itself, there’s so much talent that can be tapped. I hope to do that as well; I hope to bring out the best in every person on the board, to get them involved in volunteering. There are so many smart, intelligent, talented people to work with. It’s thrilling.”
 

The Evans Cup of Colorado raises money for the Evans Scholarship for caddies, and Western Golf Association board member and director and state chairman Geoff “Duffy” Solich said he estimates that Monday’s event will net about $165,000 for the cause, a notable increase from last year.

The University of Colorado has been home to an Evans Scholars house since the 1960s, and many of the 59 current CU Evans Scholars (left) attended the festivities at DCC.

A total of 28 foursomes played at Denver Country Club, with 150 people attending the dinner.

Golf resort developer Mike Keiser, the founder and owner of Bandon Golf Resort in southern Oregon and a major supporter of the Evans Scholars, was the keynote speaker on Monday and also participated in a Sunday night dinner fundraising event. Keiser has been inducted into the WGA-administered Caddie Hall of Fame for promoting the use of caddies and their role in golf. He’s been a WGA director since 2007 and has played a key role in developing strategies have have substantially increased fundraising for the Evans Scholarship.

As Keiser said at his Hall of Fame induction in 2014, “Caddying is the best job a teenager can have. You learn about golf but you also learn a lot about life, what it takes to be successful and what it means to work hard.”

All in all, Monday proved another very successful gathering in support of the Evans Scholarship.

“It was a great event and having Mr. Keiser there made it very special,” Solich said in an email.

The Evans Cup of Colorado dates back to the early 1980s, when it was founded as the Par Club Tournament. The full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship is awarded to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means, The WGA, which adminsters the Evans Scholarship, has long partnered with the CGA in supporting the scholarship at CU.

All told nationwide, 985 Evans Scholars are currently enrolled at 18 universities.

The next Evans Cup of Colorado event is scheduled for Oct. 14, 2019 at Castle Pines Golf Club.
 

Executive director Ed Mate likes to say, only half-jokingly, that the “C” in the CGA organization he represents not only stands for Colorado, but for Caddie.

There are numerous reasons there’s some truth in that for the CGA and for Mate.

As he noted in a recent interview with We Are Golf, “Caddying embodies some of the most important and fundamental attributes of our sport that make it great. Golf is a game of a lifetime and caddying puts young and old together to share it. Golf promotes health and wellness and caddies make it more enjoyable for adults to walk and gets kids outside and away from their video screens. Golf is a social game; show me a group of four golfers with four caddies and I will show you eight people having a great time.”

In addition, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy is a cornerstone initiative at CommonGround Golf Course, which is owned and operated by the CGA.

But the association’s commitment to caddying extends well beyond CommonGround. That was evident on Monday, when the CGA conducted its annual Caddie Summit for the seventh time, in this case at Denver Country Club. Clubs and courses with caddies programs from around the state met to exchange ideas, chat about subjects integral to caddying, see caddie trends in Colorado and listen to a few topic-appropriate speakers.

And this year, featured was a high-quality VIDEO — produced by Columbine Country Club — which focuses on the value of caddying and the full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship for caddies. It was filmed at Columbine and at the University of Colorado Evans Scholars house. Columbine had a once-thriving caddie program which produced numerous Evans Scholars before that program largely went by the wayside. But it’s been resurrected in the 21st century and is once again successful.

The CGA sees enough value in this annual Caddie Summit that it — through the Colorado Golf Foundation, which supports Colorado-based programs and organizations that use golf to build important life skills and character — awards a caddie grant of $500 to each club which attends with multiple representatives.

On Monday, 19 of the more than 20 caddie clubs/courses in Colorado were expected to participate in the Summit. Overall, nearly 70 people were in attendance, after 50 being the norm in recent years.

“If anybody sat through this session and was asked how do you measure the health of caddie programs and the enthusiasm, it’s the highest it’s ever been — absolutely,” Mate said. “The video we saw from Columbine, the attendance today, the energy level … we’re on the upswing for sure.”

Indeed, the Caddie Summit seems to be paying dividends — or at least helping the cause. The number of caddie/forecaddie rounds in Colorado — which is tracked by a survey the CGA sends to caddie clubs and courses — has been trending up in recent years. In 2017, that number hit almost 40,000 as a total of 39,919 were reported.

“The more loops for the kids, the more summer jobs — healthy jobs — there are for youths,” said Janene Guzowski, who chairs the CGA Caddie Development Committee and has been a director for the Western Golf Association (which administers the Evans Scholarship) for about eight years. “In the end, it can lead to a scholarship if everything else falls into place and they apply for an Evans Scholarship and have all the qualfications.

“For me, the more kids that are on the course learning how to talk to adults and being on time at 7:30 in the morning, learning accountability … it’s all good. It’s better than flipping burgers or mowing lawns.”

The fact that the CGA tracks the number of caddie rounds in Colorado puts it in better position than many states, said Tim Orbon (left), the manager of caddies and scholarship development for the WGA. “That data is awesome.”

Though the number of caddie loops has headed upward in the Caddie Summit survey, Mate is reluctant to draw any conclusions at this point. But he likes the fact that the data is being gathered.

“It’s too short a line to really see a trend,” said Mate, himself a former caddie — at Denver Country Club — and an Evans Scholars alum. “We’re asking the right questions and we actually have a number. If you don’t have a number, how do you measure? You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Let’s track it and get our clubs to report rounds consistently.”

Orbon was the keynote speaker for Monday’s Caddie Summit, providing updates on the Evans Scholarship, the new “Carry the Game” youth initiative designed to create lifelong golfers through caddying, and on the WGA’s Caddie Academies. At the Academies, for seven weeks each summer, participants caddie at courses in the Chicago area while living together in a community. Orbon also gave some tips on how to build caddie programs and make them thrive.

“When you have a speaker like Tim, whose enthusiasm and passion for caddie programs is really intoxicating, that was like a coach motivating a team,” Mate said. “The whole day is about getting people enthused, and I think we accomplished that for sure.”

Orbon was one of two WGA staff members on hand for Monday’s Caddie Summit. Director of the West Region Bill Moses was also in attendance. Moses was planning to visit the CU Evans Scholars house in Boulder later in the day.

Sixty-two caddies were on the Evans Scholarship at CU starting the school year, among the 965 current Evans Scholars nationwide.
 

The Evans Cup of Colorado raises money for the Evans Scholarship for caddies, and Western Golf Association director and state chairman Geoff “Duffy” Solich said it’s hoped that Monday’s event will net about $140,000 for the cause.

The University of Colorado has been home to an Evans Scholars house since the 1960s, and many of the roughly 60 current CU Evans Scholars (left) attended the festivities at Cherry Hills.

About 112 golfers played in the tournament despite temperatures in the 40s, and 200 attended the dinner.

Highlighting that dinner was World Golf Hall of Famer and three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin, who grew up in Boulder and played golf and football at CU. Irwin participated in a Q&A with TV sports personality/emcee Vic Lombardi, and he provided advice and encouragement to the current Evans Scholars.

Dale Douglass, like Irwin a former CU golfer who’s a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, was also in attendance as an honored guest.

“It was a great event,” Solich, himself a former CU Evans Scholar, said via email. “We had great sponsors; BMW continues to support our event, (and) we had a very lively auction. All the Scholars joined us for dinner and took the stage at the same time. Hale was fabulous (and) Cherry Hills did an amazing job hosting the event.”

The Evans Cup of Colorado dates back to the early 1980s, when it was founded as the Par Club Tournament. The full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship is awarded to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means, The WGA, which adminsters the Evans Scholarship, has long partnered with the CGA and CWGA in supporting the scholarship at CU.
 

The words “life-changing” are sometimes thrown around casually. But when people use them when speaking of the Evans Scholarship for caddies, they never seem to ring hollow.

Peter Evans, an Evans Scholar at the University of Colorado, recently put into words what thousands of Scholars have felt when they realize their good fortune in being awarded full tuition and housing to college thanks to the brainchild of Charles “Chick” Evans.

“It was a dream of Chick Evans,” Peter Evans noted in a recent speech at a CU Evans Scholars house function. “He believed in a bunch of poor caddies — and it turned out so well.”

And now, at least 12 more Colorado caddies will get to share in the experience, following in the footsteps of more than 10,400 Evans Scholars alums nationwide, plus roughly 935 currently in school. It’s now estimated that the scholarship is worth an average of more than $100,000 if renewed for four years.

On Monday, the Illinois-based Western Golf Association/Evans Scholars Foundation, which administers the Evans Scholarship, announced the new recipients from Colorado, who will begin school at CU in the fall semester. The finalists for the scholarship were interviewed by a group of about 130 people on Jan. 18 at a selection meeting at Cherry Hills Country Club, home to the largest caddie program in the state.

The WGA has long partnered with the CGA and CWGA in supporting the scholarship at CU. The Evans Scholarship, awarded to high-achieving caddies with significant financial need, is a flagship program for both the CGA and CWGA. Through CGA and CWGA bag-tag sales and Par Club contributions, Colorado donors fully fund the year-to-year scholarship costs at the CU Evans Scholars house.

To qualify for an Evans Scholarship, applicants must have excellent caddie records and academic results, show strong character and leadership, and demonstrate financial need.

The new recipients include 10 young men and two young women. Of the dozen, three caddied at Cherry Hills, three at Denver Country Club and two at Boulder Country Club. A record-tying four new Scholars started caddying at the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course before graduating to Denver CC or Cherry Hills CC. Four recipients reside in Aurora.

Overall, they’ve averaged a 3.625 grade-point average and a 27.4 ACT score. Six are members of the National Honor Society.
 
“Each of these deserving Evans Scholars epitomizes what our program has been about since its creation in 1930,” said WGA chairman David Robinson. “Their dedication, hard work and sacrifice is humbling, and we are honored to be able to help them pursue their dreams.”

Here’s the rundown of the dozen new Evans Scholars from Colorado:

— Ayanna Hwang of Aurora, Smoky Hill HS, caddied at Cherry Hills Country Club.

— Isaiah Monroe of Denver, Cherry Creek HS (2016 graduate), caddied at Cherry Hills Country Club. Was a freshman at Metropolitan State University of Denver in the fall.

— Ian Sevier Barrios of Aurora, Regis Jesuit HS, caddied at Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course and at Cherry Hills Country Club.

— Joshua Garcia of Denver (pictured at top), Faith Christian Academy, caddied at Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course and at Denver Country Club.

— Kalil Miles of Aurora, Aurora Central HS, caddied at Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course and at Denver Country Club.

— Madison Rivas of Aurora (left), Overland HS, caddied at Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course and at Denver Country Club.

— Quinton Kelly of Littleton, Dakota Ridge HS, caddied at Bear Creek Golf Club.

— Richard J. Biggs of Lakewood, Bear Creek HS, caddied at Lakewood Country Club.

— Dietrich Berning of Longmont, Silver Creek HS, caddied at Boulder Country Club.

— Elias King of Lafayette (below), Fairview HS, caddied at Boulder Country Club.

— J. Creek Kamby of Edwards, Battle Mountain HS, caddied at Country Club of the Rockies.

— Jack Cohan of Basalt, Aspen HS, caddied at Roaring Fork Club.

At least two of the above will be the first in their family to go to college.

The 12 averaged 112 caddie loops, with Cohan accumulating 200 and Barrios 180.

“Based on their excellence in the classroom and their service to their schools and communities, there is little doubt that these young men and women have earned this life-changing opportunity,” said John Kaczkowski, WGA president and CEO. “We welcome them to the Evans Scholars family.”

The Evans Scholarship, one of the nation’s largest privately funded scholarship programs, was established in 1930 by Chick Evans, winner of the 1916 U.S. Open and two U.S. Amateurs.

Nationwide, there are Evans Scholars at 20 universities, 15 which feature E.S. houses. The scholarship has produced 10,412 graduates, including about 450 from CU since the 1960s. Roughly 270 scholarships are expected to be awarded for the incoming class of 2017-18.

Over the last 87 years, the Evans Scholarship has provided more than $348 million worth of tuition and housing to caddies. The scholarship costs for Evans Scholars in 2016 were $17.6 million.

Evans Scholars typically excel academically, with a cumulative college GPA of 3.2, and a 95 percent graduation rate. In the fall semester, the CU Evans Scholars averaged a 3.3 GPA.Ӭ

For those interested in donating to the Evans Scholars Foundation, CLICK HERE.
 

Short and Sweet: This month’s Evans Scholars Selection Meeting was the ninth of an anticipated 15 that will be held nationwide during this academic year. The number of people in attendance at Cherry Hills — about 130 — was among the most for any selection meetings the WGA holds. … Among those in attendance at Cherry Hills was WGA president and CEO John Kaczkowski, along with numerous WGA directors, staff and supporters; Evans Scholar alums; several staffers and leaders from both the CGA and CWGA; and some head golf professionals and others from the Colorado golf industry. … Almost 60 caddies currently reside at the CU Evans Scholars house, with about a quarter being young women. The CU house underwent a $6 million renovation and expansion, with the project concluding a year ago… A record 780 caddies applied for the Evans Scholarship this academic year, including 34 in Colorado. … Former WGA chairman Jim Bunch, a Denver resident, recently was recognized for having served as a WGA director for 25 years.
 

It may be a coincidence that University of Colorado students Peter and Allie Evans and their family share their surname with Charles “Chick” Evans, but it seems altogether appropriate.

After all, founding the Evans Scholarship cemented the legacy of Chick Evans, who won a U.S. Open and two U.S. Amateurs, then created a scholarship that fully pays for college tuition and housing for high-achieving caddies with excellent grades, strong character and significant financial need. Over the last 87 years, more than 10,400 caddies have graduated through the program, including about 450 from CU.

And few, if any, families have seen the benefits of the Evans Scholarship more than that of Peter and Allie Evans (pictured above at the CU E.S. house).

You see, there are 13 siblings in the Evans family, and to date, seven (including Peter and Allie) have received the Evans Scholarship. Officials from the Evans Scholars Foundation/Western Golf Association, which administers the scholarship nationwide, say no records are kept regarding which family has produced the most Evans Scholars. But it’s safe to say that the Evanses are at — or near — the top of the list. And the family’s youngest sibling, a high school junior who has caddied at the WGA Caddie Academy in the Chicago area, will likely apply for the scholarship in the fall.

“One of my earliest memories is visiting my sister (Colleen) at the Marquette Evans house when I was probably 4 or 5 years old,” Peter said in a recent interview — along with younger sister Allie — at the CU Evans Scholar house. “It was a family tour day or family weekend or something. I definitely didn’t fully understand what the Evans Scholarship was, but I remember it being really cool visiting my sister Colleen. It was a fun, family thing.”

The annual Colorado-based Selection Meeting for the Evans Scholarship will be held this week at Cherry Hills Country Club, and within a couple of weeks thereafter the next new class of CU Evans Scholars will be announced.

If anyone can relate to what is at stake at such meetings — the latest information from the Evans Scholars Foundation reports that, nationally speaking, the average value of an Evans Scholarship if renewed for four years is $100,000 — it is the Evanses.

Their father caddied as a youngster and Allie said their mother indicated she had some distant relatives who attended Northwestern University on an Evans Scholarship. All but one of the Evans siblings caddied during their formative years, and roughly 10 of the 13 applied — or will apply — for the scholarship. Five have graduated from various universities thanks to the Evans Scholarship:

Colleen (2003 Marquette grad), a nurse practitioner.

Paul (2010 Illinois grad), a health consultant.

Joe (2014 Northwestern grad), who works in finance.

Kevin (2015 Northwestern grad), a health consultant and analyst.

Tim (2016 Marquette grad), a CPA-to be working with an acconting firm.

And now Peter and Allie are studying at a fourth E.S. university — CU — with Peter being a junior and Allie a freshman in Boulder. Two of the older Evans siblings — Paul and Dave — live in the Denver area.

“I don’t think any of us felt entitled to it,” Allie said of she and her siblings receiving the scholarship over the course of the last 20 years. “For me personally, I felt pressured to get it. It was very nerve-racking. But knowing about the scholarship your whole life and actually having it are completely different. I knew it was going to be good, but it’s definitely better than I ever thought it would be. … It’s a ridiculously incredible thing I’ve been given.

“It’s pretty crazy how many people (the ESF/WGA) have helped and how it continues to grow. It’s pretty impressive and it’s making a huge difference. I know there are people a lot less fortunate than I am (financially who have received the scholarship). It’s a huge deal for me, so I can’t even imagine how it is for people who literally have nothing to get college for free.”

Added Peter: “I don’t think (the good fortune of being awarded an Evans Scholarship) wears off for anyone. I feel very, very blessed and lucky to be here.”

After a $6 million renovation and expansion project that wrapped up a year ago, the CU Evans Scholar house is home to nearly 60 Scholars. Most of the Scholars at CU caddied at Colorado courses, but some come from out of state, primarily from the Chicago area. The Evans family originally lived in Illinois, but moved to Little Rock, Ark., in 2008. Five of the siblings received the scholarship after caddying at The Alotian Club in Roland, Ark., including Peter and Allie. (The older Evanses caddied at Inverness Golf Club in Palatine, Ill.)

The Illinois-based WGA has long partnered with the CGA and CWGA in supporting the scholarship at CU. Through CGA and CWGA bag-tag sales and Par Club contributions, Colorado donors fully fund the year-to-year scholarship costs at the CU Evans Scholars house.

Many siblings have received the Evans Scholarship over the years — both at CU and the other 19 universities that feature Evans Scholar programs. At CU, for instance, Jack Haake in the late 1970s and early 1980s was one of five siblings to have earned an Evans Scholarship, with his brothers going to Northwestern (2), Marquette (1) and Illinois (1).

But the Evanses have taken it to the next level.

“I know at my (selection) interview, there was a mention of, ‘Wow, it’s got to be a record,’ but I’ve never really looked into it,” Peter Evans noted. “It’s always been a cool thing where (almost) everyone in our family has caddied. You’re always happy for your siblings to see that their hard work has paid off.”

Peter and Allie Evans not only ended up as CU Evans Scholars together, but they’re additionally linked because Peter is the current vice president of new scholars at the house, while Allie is one of those new scholars. In other words, Peter has been responsible for seeing that Allie and the other E.S. newcomers start off on the right foot as Evans Scholars.

“If they’re not doing something well, I can always use the ‘I’m telling mom’ excuse,” Peter said with a chuckle.

Seriously, though, Peter, Allie and the other new Evans Scholars must have done something right as the newcomers posted an average GPA of 3.47 in their first semester in the program, which is one of the best academic averages in house history for an incoming class.

In some ways, things have come full circle for the Evanses. As youngsters, they grew up in a house with 13 kids and two parents.

“It was definitely crazy at times,” Peter said. “Growing up in Illinois especially, we got to know all of our family pretty well. We definitely had a lot of bunk beds and everything.”

And it wasn’t unusual for four or five kids at a time to to be caddying during the summer.

Nowadays, Peter and Allie are living in a house with roughly 60 people — again, with bunk beds and all.

And, of course, there are caddies everywhere.

“In high school I had the chance to visit my older brothers at Northwestern or at Marquette for a weekend or something,” Peter said. “I kind of got to see the friendships they had formed. It was a very tight-knit group and it seemed liked everyone got along really well, so I really bought in to the whole family aspect of the scholarship well before I even applied. I was definitely motivated all through high school to caddie a lot and study hard to get it.”

Not only did Peter receive the scholarship, but at Cherry Hills during the 2014 BMW Championship — a tournament that has all its proceeds go to the Evans Scholars — he was given the Chip Beck Evans Scholars Award, presented based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and caddie record. TV golf analyst Gary McCord introduced Evans as the Beck award winner during a dinner at Cherry Hills.

“One thing that was really cool for me was caddying for the (Monday) donor day at the BMW Championship my freshman year,” Peter said. “No one in my family had done that before — been to a pro event — so that was really cool to see that. Everyone there was passionate about giving back to the scholarship. The fact that that whole tournament is for the benefit of the scholarship is really cool. It showed for me that everyone is very impressed and enamored by what the scholarship has to offer, including big-name golfers. Regular spectators at the tournament, if they heard I was an Evans Scholar, they would talk to me for like 15 minutes and were very excited.”

And that excitement translates into ongoing opportunities for Evans Scholars — whether they’re named Evans or not.
 

Joe Ellis, president and CEO of the Denver Broncos, will be the keynote speaker at the dinner program that follows the noon shotgun start. There will be photo opportunities with the Lombardi Trophy the Broncos won at the Super Bowl in February.

Current and former Evans Scholars are expected to be on hand during the day on Oct. 3. The full tuition and housing Evans Scholarship is awarded to high-achieving caddies with limited financial means. Proceeds from the Evans Cup of Colorado support the Evans Scholars Foundation.

A silent auction also will be held as part of the festivities.

The Oct. 3 tournament will be a qualifier for the 2017 BMW U.S. Final, with the top team finisher in the two-person best-ball format earning a spot in the event at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.

For pricing and registration information for the Evans Cup, including an option to attend the dinner program only, CLICK HERE.

For more information, contact Courtney Fields at 224-260-3788 or fields@wgaesf.org.
 

Caddying may no longer be in its heyday, and Colorado isn’t one of its hotbeds, but that doesn’t mean it’s a relic of a bygone era in golf. It simply means that it needs consistent nurturing to maintain a significance presence in Colorado golf.

That’s part of the idea behind Colorado’s Caddie Summit, which was held for the fifth consecutive year on Thursday, this time at Colorado Golf Club in Parker.

About 50 people, many of them officials from golf courses and clubs in Colorado that feature caddie programs, attended Thursday’s Summit, sharing data, best practices and, of course, a love for caddying.

The Summit helps keep caddying a priority, so it doesn’t wither on the vine.

“To me, you’ve got to continue to put the effort in,” said Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA, which organizes the Caddie Summit. “Caddying is not the path of least resistance. It’s not like the things at a club that you don’t need to push, that you don’t need to promote; they’ll just be fine. You don’t need to promote golf carts. People are going to take them. And if you’re not careful, they’ll take them too much. So just to maintain (the amount of caddie activity there is in Colorado) is success because it’s not the path of least resistance.”

Mate points to the example of John Ogden, the head golf professional at Cherry Hills Country Club, which has the largest caddie program in the state, with about 180 “core caddies” racking up a joint total of roughly 12,500 rounds per year.

“John works every day pushing and promoting,” noted Mate, a former caddie who earned the Evans Scholarship for caddies at the University of Colorado.

Cherry Hills sets the standard for caddie programs in Colorado, but they come in all sizes. A total of 24 programs exist in Colorado, meaning about 10 percent of the courses in the state have one. They range from producing 50 caddie loops per year at The First Tee of Denver at City Park Golf Course to the 12,500 annual loops at Cherry Hills. Eight clubs had at least 1,000 caddie loops in 2015: Cherry Hills (12,500), Ballyneal (6,300), Colorado Golf Club (3,219), Castle Pines Golf Club (2,600), Maroon Creek Club (2,199), Denver Country Club (1,700) Columbine Country Club (1,500) and Eagle Springs Golf Club (1,400).

Most of the caddie programs are at private clubs, but some are at resorts, and a few are at public courses, including CommonGround (the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy), and The First Tee of Green Valley Ranch and The First Tee of Denver. The Solich Academy, which incentivizes taking caddies by paying for all of the caddies’ base fees, produced 970 caddie loops last year in its fourth season of existence. Spinoffs of the Solich Academy currently exist at Meridian Golf Club and at Fort Collins Country Club.

In all, the 24 caddie clubs in Colorado produced 37,913 loops in 2015, which was down about 1.4 percent compared to 2014. The average number of “core caddies” at the participating Colorado clubs and courses is 26. A dozen clubs have some “professional” caddies, but the majority of caddies at the state’s courses and clubs are teenagers.

As for the Summit, Mate believes it’s a very worthwhile annual event.

“It’s just sort of settled into a really good rhythm,” he said. “You’ve got to do this every year. My hope is that everyone comes away with a few notes that they’ll be able to try. But the main objective is just to keep it on the radar, to keep them accountable a little bit. ‘Oh yeah, we have a caddie program. Oh, I’ve attended this Summit, so I better do something about it.'”

To keep the Caddie Summit going strong, each caddie club or course that brings at least three attendees receives $500 from the Colorado Golf Foundation for its caddie program. Several years ago, the lead gift for the Foundation was provided by CU Evans Scholar alum George Solich.

Evans Scholarship a Big Incentive for Some: For some Colorado teenagers, besides caddying providing extra cash in the summer, it also brings with it the possibility of a full tuition and housing scholarship to the University of Colorado. The Evans Scholarship for caddies, potentially worth about $80,000 if renewed for four years, is awarded to selected high-achieving caddies with significant financial need.

The scholarship has produced 10,184 alums over the last 86 years, including 441 at CU. Approximately 910 Evans Scholars are currently enrolled across the country — including about 50 at CU — and roughly 260 scholarships are expected to be awarded for the incoming class of 2016-17, including 11 to Coloradans. The average grade-point average for Evans Scholars is 3.2, and the program graduates 95 percent of its caddies.

Nationwide, the Evans Scholarship spends about $16 million each year on scholarship and housing costs. And since the scholarship’s inception, the total cost has been about $330 million.

The CU Evans Scholars house recently underwent a $6 million renovation and expansion. A formal dedication for the house in Boulder is planned for April 16.

One of the CU Evans Scholar alums is Geoff “Duffy” Solich (left), who recently became the Western Golf Association’s state chairman for Colorado, succeeding Bob Webster. The WGA, which has long partnered with the CGA and CWGA in supporting and sponsoring the Evans Scholars at CU, adminsters the scholarship nationwide. The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround is named for George and Duffy Solich.

Six Coloradans recently became new directors for the WGA, helping the association support the Evans Scholars Foundation and conduct its four championships, including the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship. The six incoming directors from Colorado are Don Law (Cherry Hills Country Club), Bob Lazzeri (Columbine Country Club), Eric Miller (Colorado Golf Club), Tim Morris (Denver Country Club), Frank Nessinger of Denver and Jeremy Stroiman (Boulder Country Club). Several of the newcomers are former Evans Scholars.

In all, the WGA has more than 500 directors.

Caddie Central: Colorado Golf Club is a hot spot on the caddie agenda in 2016. In January, it hosted the Evans Scholars selection meeting for Colorado. On Tuesday, the Caddie Summit took place at the Parker Club. And on Oct. 3, the Evans Cup of Colorado fundraising tournament for the Evans Scholars will take place at the club that hosted the 2013 Solheim Cup and the 2010 Senior PGA Championship.