Very rarely does a winner of a major CGA individual championship post a round in the 80s, but Meridian Golf Club and Mother Nature led to an exception to the rule this week.

Still, Steve Ivan of Patty Jewett Golf Course in Colorado Springs didn’t sweat it. He left Meridian with his first CGA title in 38 years, so it’s all good.

Despite shooting an 8-over-par 80 in very windy conditions and on a challenging golf course on Thursday, Ivan held off his challengers and recorded a one-stroke victory in the 46th CGA Senior Amateur.

“It feels good,” the 55-year-old said. “I had to go through qualifying at Walking Stick, and I qualified first there. There’s all these little steps. With that 72 on Tuesday, I was like, ‘I can do this.’ And today, I’m proud of the way I hung in there.”

Indeed, though he shot a final-round 80, Ivan didn’t let things swirl out of control on Thursday. After taking a five-stroke lead into the last day, he found himself 7 over par for his first eight holes in round 3. Particularly frustrating was the triple bogey on No. 2, where Ivan hit a good drive, but — unbeknownst to him or his playing partners — the ball hit a cart sign and bounced back 50 yards. They couldn’t find it, so he played another ball from the tee. It was only when he was driving back up the hole that the ball was found — and by then it was too late.

“I got on the wrong side of the hole on the front nine and made compounding error after compounding error,” he said. But after the front nine, “I looked at the scores and I said, ‘You’ve still got one shot (on the second-place player). Just grind it, grind it, grind it, and let the score take care of itself — and I did.”

Indeed, after not making a birdie through 15 holes, Ivan almost holed out his approach from 89 yards on the 16th hole, tapping in for birdie from 4 inches. Then on the 179-yard 17th, he hit a 6-iron to 10 feet and drained that putt for a second straight birdie. Though he didn’t know it at the time, that gave him a two-stroke lead, and even a three-putt bogey from 40 feet on the 18th hole didn’t make a difference in the outcome.

The retired insurance claims adjuster (above and left) finished with a 54-hole total of 9-over-par 225, one of the highest winning tallies in the history of this championship.

Brian Harris of Denver Country Club and Victor Minovich of Foothills Golf Course shared second place at 226 after matching 74s on Thursday.

Three-time champion Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club tied for fourth place at 227 with Paul Edwards of Meridian and Keith Atkins of Highland Meadows Golf Course. Edwards matched the low round of the tournament with a 72, while Atkins had a 74 and Polk a 76.

For Ivan, Thursday marked his first CGA title since he won the 1979 CGA Junior Match Play at The Ranch Country Club. A year later, he joined the University of Colorado golf team, where over the years he was teammates with Steve Jones, who would win the 1996 U.S. Open, Rick Cramer, Terry Kahl, Tim Smith, Matt Potter and Paul Lobato, coincidentally now the PGA head professional at Meridian.

“Today, that birdie on 16 was monumental,” Ivan said. “The momentum just switched like that. I went from no emotion to off the charts. That was the whole tournament right there. That allowed me to hit that tee shot on 17 and make that putt, which allowed me to hit a good drive on 18. It’s just the little engine that could.”

By the way, this little engine that could is a throwback of sorts. He plays his golf with 1993 Ram Laser Fx irons — of which he owns 13 sets. And because he likewise favors Royal grips, he claims to own more of those than anyone in the U.S.

“They call that OCD. The first step in recovery is admitting you’ve got a problem,” he said with a smile.

But whatever the case, Ivan makes it work. Though he hasn’t competed in many CGA championships, he’s the winner of many, many tournaments in Colorado Springs between the Pikes Peak Amateur, the Valley Hi Springer and the city championship.

But on Thursday, both Harris and Minovich came very close to overtaking Ivan afer being seven strokes down going into the day.

Harris bogeyed the last two holes, missing a 3-foot par putt on No. 17. And Minovich (left) misfired on several close putts on the back nine.

“When I realized how windy it was, and knowing what can happen on this course, for us amateurs I think everybody has a chance, even coming from seven back,” said Harris, a onetime U.S. Senior Amateur qualifier. “But a bogey-bogey finish to come in one behind is a little disappointing.”

Minovich, meanwhile, was competing in this event for the first time.

“It was the little 3-foot putts I missed coming in (that cost me),” said the multiple-time Foothills Golf Course club champion. “It really did come down to putting for me. Yesterday, the last four holes, I missed three short putts. And today I missed two 4-footers and a 3-footer on the back nine.”

The CGA Senior Amateur is limited to players 51 and older. In an effort to eventually match the age criteria for the U.S. Senior Amateur, which is limited to players 55 and older, each year beginning in 2017 the eligibility for CGA senior events will rise one year. So next year, for instance, the minimum age will be 52. From 2021 and beyond, competitors must be at least 55.

For all the scores from the CGA Senior Amateur, CLICK HERE.
 

Ivan didn’t quite reach that level, but more than three decades later, he’s in position to add a nice CGA title of his own.

The golfer from Patty Jewett Golf Course in Colorado Springs, who led the CGA Senior Amateur after round 1, expanded his lead to five strokes Wednesday at Meridian Golf Club in Englewood.

Coincidentally, another one of Ivan’s CU teammates, Paul Lobato, is the PGA head professional at Meridian.

Ivan shot a 1-over-par 73 on Wednesday, giving him a 1-over 145 total going into Thursday’s final round. He made one birdies and two bogeys in round 2.

John Hornbeck of Saratoga, Wyo., who competed in the 2016 U.S. Senior Open after qualifying in Colorado, stands in second place at 150 after a second-round 76.

Three-time champion Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club shares third place at 151 with James Pullin of Collindale Golf Club. Pullin carded a 75 on Wednesday and Polk had a 76.

Seven back of Ivan and tied for fifth are Brian Harris of Denver Country Club, Shane Unfred of Highlands Meadows Golf Course and Victor Minovich of Foothills Golf Course. Harris matched Ivan’s 73, while Minovich posted a 75 and Unfred a 78.

The field was cut to the low 40 players and ties after Wednesday’s second round, with the 42 golfers at 161 or better advancing to Thursday. Among those who missed the cut by one was defending champion Kevin Ott of The Club at Rolling Hills.

The final threesome — Ivan, Hornbeck and Pullin — will tee off for Thursday’s final round at 9:57 a.m.

The CGA Senior Amateur is limited to player 51 and older. In an effort to eventually match the age criteria for the U.S. Senior Amateur, which is limited to players 55 and older, each year beginning in 2017 the eligibility for CGA senior events will rise one year. So next year, for instance, the minimum age will be 52. From 2021 and beyond, competitors must be at least 55.

For all the scores from the CGA Senior Amateur, CLICK HERE.
 

Ivan, a former University of Colorado golfer, made four birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the day, and overcame two 6s on his card.

Shane Unfred of Highland Meadows Golf Course, Scott Sullivan of Bookcliff Country Club and John Hornbeck of Saratoga, Wyo., share second place after opening with 74s. Hornbeck, who competed in the 2016 U.S. Senior Open, made three birdies on Tuesday, while Unfred and Sullivan managed two each.

Tied in fifth place at 75 were three-time champion Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club and Bob Schuler of Inverness Golf Club. They each carded two birdies in the first round.

Meanwhile, Tuesday proved a struggle for numerous players who have won this championship. Defending champ Kevin Ott of The Club at Rolling Hills shot an 85, while David Delich of The Broadmoor Golf Club carded an 84, Bill Fowler of Rolling Hills an 83, Charlie Post of Colorado Golf Club an 82 and Kent Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club and Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course a pair of 80s. And 2017 CGA Senior Match Play winner Pat Bucci of West Woods Golf Club opened with an 82.

The 54-hole championship, limited to players 51 and older, will continue through Thursday. The field will be cut to the low 40 players and ties after two rounds.

For all the scores from the CGA Senior Amateur, CLICK HERE.

Meridian Golf Club in Englewood will host the tournament for the first time since 1992, when now-Colorado Golf Hall of Famer John Hamer claimed the first of his two CGA Senior Amateur titles.

The 54-hole championship, limited to players 51 and older, will run Tuesday through Thursday (Sept. 19-21). In an effort to eventually match the age criteria for the U.S. Senior Amateur, which is limited to players 55 and older, each year beginning in 2017 the eligibility for CGA senior events will rise one year. So next year, for instance, the minimum age will be 52. From 2021 and beyond, competitors must be at least 55.

The former CGA Amateur champions scheduled to compete at Meridian include Kevin Ott of The Club at Rolling Hills (2016 winner), Bill Fowler of Rolling Hills (2015), Kent Moore of Cherry Hills Country Club (2014), Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course (2013), David Delich of The Broadmoor Golf Club (2012), Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club (2005, ’07 and ’09), Kelly Crone of Highlands Ranch Golf Club (2003) ad Charlie Post of Colorado Golf Club (2000).

Other former CGA senior champions entered include Jeff Oneth of Colorado Golf Club, Tom Musselman of Telluride Ski & Golf Club, Guy Mertz of the Fox Hill Club and Pat Bucci of West Woods Golf Club, who won the 2017 CGA Senior Match Play.

Also in the 84-man field are 2016 U.S. Senior Open qualifier John Hornbeck of Saratoga, Wyo., 2016 CGA Senior Player of the Year Robin Bradbury of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve and 2017 CGA Super-Senior Stroke Play champion Gary Albrecht of CommonGround Golf Course.

The field will be cut to the low 40 players and ties after two rounds.

For Tuesday’s first-round pairings, CLICK HERE.

The turnout on Sunday evening for a season-ending awards barbecue at CommonGround Golf Course was a testament to the ongoing success of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy.

A large event tent was full of caddies and their families, program supporters and organizers, and all the adjacent tables outside were occupied, while another group of people were standing as they took in the festivities. It was one of the most well-attended season wrapups for the program that was founded in 2012.

“After six years you’d think coming to these barbecues would get like, ‘Ho, hum.’ It’s not. It’s the same excitement as the first year,” said Geoff (Duffy) Solich, who along with brother George lent their name and their support to the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy. “There’s great turnout. Probably 80 percent of the kids and their parents are here. You don’t see that in many programs.”

And what’s not to like? Six seasons after the unique program made its debut, it has produced about 7,000 caddie loops for Colorado kids. It’s given them continual leadership training and guidance as an integral part of Academy. It’s provided various clubs in the Denver metro area with well-trained caddies. It’s had 13 of its best caddies go on to earn full-tuition and housing Evans Scholarships at the University of Colorado. And, perhaps most importantly, in some cases it’s helped turned sometimes-aimless boys and girls into highly motivated young men and women with high character.

“The uniqueness of the Leadership Academy here is what I think makes it special,” Duffy Solich noted after the barbecue. “I played nine holes before coming over here today and I had a (caddie) who was a CommonGround kid (from the Solich Academy) who has spent two years at Cherry Hills and is applying for the (Evans) Scholarship. I said, ‘OK, tell me what was the most memorable thing from all the time at CommonGround? What stuck with you the most?’ Without skipping a beat (he said), ‘I love the Leadership Academy. I learned so many things there.’ It wasn’t about caddying or getting a hot dog at the turn. That’s what got his attention. That’s a unique difference that this has that others (caddie programs) don’t.”

Indeed, there are things that set the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy apart. Notably, it promotes the use of caddies by paying their base fees through an educational grant, with participating golfers having the option of adding a tip.

But don’t get the impression that the word “Leadership” in the academy title is a mere afterthought — a throw-in to make it sound better. Each of the caddies who are part of the program are required to attend weekly leadership classes and do volunteer community-service work each summer. Included is learning the key elements of the “Code of the West”: 1) Live each day with courage; 2) Take pride in your work; 3) Always finish what you start; 4) Do what has to be done; 5) Be tough, but fair; 6) When you make a promise, keep it; 7) Ride for the brand; 8) Talk less and say more; 9) Remember that some things aren’t for sale; 10) Know where to draw the line.

And, of course, the teenagers further learn life lessons through caddying itself. 

“The two years you spend here learning character traits, learning the Code of the West, learning how to get up early and learning how to work hard are invaluable,” George Solich told the caddies and their parents. “The ‘want to’ is what really counts. We’ve all got to have that ‘want to’. We’ve all got to make as much effort as we possibly can. Caddying really taught me early on that if you’re going to put in a day, you might as well get up early and get going. Not only did it teach me how to love the game of golf, but it taught me hard work.”

George and Duffy Solich were both caddies at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs as teenagers. They both earned Evans Scholarships at CU and have become successful oilmen and philanthropists. (In photos congratulating the caddies, George is pictured at left and Duffy at right.)

The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy has been such a success at CGA-owned-and-operated CommonGround Golf Course that it has expanded and become a model for other programs to emulate. Meridian Golf Club launched a chapter three years ago, and Grand Junction (at Lincoln Park and Tiara Rado) did this year. And more expansion may be on the way in coming years.

At all the Colorado courses, the Solich Academy is a flagship program for the CGA, which devotes considerable resources in nurturing and managing it. CGA executive director Ed Mate, like the Soliches, attended CU on an Evans Scholarship. Also playing key roles in the Academy’s success from the assocation are manager of caddie development Emily Olson, director of youth programs Erin Gangloff and director of development Ryan Smith. The CGA held a Bandon Dunes raffle this year that raised about $31,000 for the Solich Academy. BMW, a presenting partner of the CGA, is also the exclusive partner for the Solich Academy at CommonGround.

Besides CommonGround, Meridian, Lincoln Park and Tiara Rado, courses in southeast Wisconsin and in Oceanside, Calif., have taken the Solich Academy template and run with it.

“It’s the system that works,” George Solich said. “We’ve put together a really good system and organization.”

The normal pattern in the Denver metro area is for Solich caddies to spend two years at CommonGround or Meridian, then graduate to other programs around the metro area such as those at Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver Country Club, Lakewood Country Club, etc.

“The top caddies at Cherry Hills all came from here,” said George Solich, a member at Cherry Hills. “The training really works well. By the time we get done with them, they’ve got 75-80 loops and a little more confidence. They’ve gone through the leadership (training). They’ve got a little more swagger than they used to have. That’s what really makes it work.”

This season, 35 caddies finished the year at CommonGround, chalking up 959 loops, a total which may increase the remainder of this month. At Meridian, where PGA head professional Paul Lobato has been a driving force for the program, there’s 13 caddies who did 391 loops this year. And in the first year in Grand Junction, four kids accumulated 130 loops.

At Meridian, the loop totals are up more than 15 percent compared to 2016.

“Probably the best part of my job — the part of the job I have most fun with — is to see kids (progress),” Lobato said. “That first day of caddie training, we can barely walk down the fairway with a bag on our shoulder. Kids are very meek, very quiet (and) hardly will even say hello to you. Then midway through the summer you can see them getting better and more confident, coming out of their shells a little bit. So it’s very gratifying.”

Likewise at CommonGround, which sits in a diverse area at the intersection of Havana and 1st Avenue.

“What I really love about CommonGround in particular is we’re able to take kids from walks of life that have never been on a golf course and change their lives — either through the (Evans) Scholarship or otherwise,” George Solich said. “Not even 10 percent of the kids in this program are going to get the scholarship, so the goal is to impact the kids that don’t get the scholarship AND the kids that get the scholarship. Impact their work ethic, their character, their understanding of how to communicate and deal with adults — all the stuff we all learn from caddying.

“It’s really cool to be able to see how much impact (the program) has. … It’s exactly what we hoped.”

Notable: During Sunday’s festivities, the CommonGround Men’s Club presented a contribution to the Solich Academy — via the Colorado Golf Foundation — for $3,600. Giving the check to Mate was Andy Harwood from the Men’s Club, a CU Evans Scholar alum. (They’re pictured at left.)

“In the six years this program has been around, I don’t think George or I or Ed or Emily or Erin could have ever envisioned the amount of support and backing (we’ve gotten) from a lot of friends in the Colorado golf community. It’s really taken off,” said Duffy Solich. …

Quincy Slaughter of Aurora, a veteran of the Solich Academy, caddied over the summer at the Sankaty Head Caddie Camp in Nantucket, Mass., which was the inspiration for the creation of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy after George Solich read about it in a magazine. Sankaty Head has operated since 1930. Caddies who are selected from all over the U.S. and abroad to come to the camp spend part of each day caddying at Sankaty Head Golf Club. They bunk at the campgrounds, located between the 11th, 12th and 13th holes at the course. …

As part of Sunday’s barbecue, caddie award winners for 2017 were announced:

Caddie Leader of the Year (CommonGround)
Kyle Arbuckle
 
Caddie Leader of the Year (Meridian)
Davis Helmerich

Congeniality Award (CommonGround)
Helina Seyoum
 
Congeniality Award (Meridian)
Aidan McMahon

Rookie of the Year (CommonGround)
Helmuth Grohmann
 
Rookie of the Year (Meridian)
Nate Hancock

Most Improved Caddie (CommonGround)
Jayce Aguilar-Wynn
 
Most Improved Caddie (Meridian)
Sam Murray

3D Award – Determination, Dedication, Desire (CommonGround)
Quezdon Ivey
  
3D Award – Determination, Dedication, Desire (Meridian)
Tara Simone

At the beginning of the training session for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course, some of the first-year caddies are a bit raw, to put it mildly. Many may have no idea how to carry a golf bag, much less the difference between a putter and a wedge.

“Basically, you’re teaching them what a tee box is, a flagstick, a fairway, the rough and the green,” said one of the trainers, Janene Guzowski (pictured at bottom), who chairs the CGA’s Caddie Development Committee. “Most of these kids, maybe they’ve watched Tiger Woods a few times, but they’ve never actually been on a golf course carrying a bag. Believe it or not, carrying a 25- or 30-pound bag 18 holes for a lot of kids is a huge challenge.”

But by the end of a nine-hole training session on the Kids Course at the CGA-owned and operated facility in Aurora, some of the newcomers already are handing their trainers their putters immediately after their shots stop on the greens, and are getting the basic gist of not walking in a players’ putting line.

It’s a work in progress, to be sure, but considering this is the first time on a golf course for a fair number of these prospective Solich Academy caddies, it’s a positive first step toward what could become a life-changing venture.

Thirty-eight boys and girls took part in Wednesday’s first on-course training session for the Solich Academy, which is entering its sixth season at CommonGround, its third at Meridian Golf Club and its first at Lincoln Park and Tiara Rado Golf Courses in Grand Junction. Most of the kids participating in the program at CommonGround are from the area surrounding the golf course at First Avenue and Havana.

“I’m really impressed,” said another trainer, Tom Woodard (pictured at top with two caddies), a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer who as a teenager earned a full-ride Evans Scholarship for caddies to the University of Colorado. “The kids are super smart, they have good manners, they’re polite. That’s the one thing I noticed more than anything.

“I had two kids who had never been on a golf course. You start from A and go through Z (regarding training). After nine holes you could see how much experience they gained — little things like carrying the bag and cleaning the clubs and watching the ball and where to stand and making sure you don’t step in lines and holding flags against the pin. It’s amazing how much you can go over in nine holes.

“But one thing I try to share with them is, it’s a process. You’re going to make mistakes and get frustrated, but it’ll get better. You’ll catch on really fast.”

The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy is one of the flagship programs at CommonGround, which takes pride in hosting numerous such initiatives that benefit the community and the game. Also on site are Community and Wellness Programs and the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program, among other things.

Founded in 2012, the Solich Academy — named for former caddies and current oilmen and philanthropists George and Duffy Solich — creates opportunities for boys and girls to build leadership skills and develop character through caddying and Academy programming.

The Solich Academy promotes the use of caddies by paying the base caddie fees through an educational grant, with participating golfers having the option of adding a tip. In addition to the caddying, a major component of the Academy is that all of the caddies are required to attend weekly leadership classes and do volunteer community-service work each summer. Ideally, some of the participants will become good candidates for the Evans Scholarship.

“The way I look at CommonGround is it’s a lab for a lot of different programs related to golf, and this is one of them,” CGA president Joe McCleary (pictured in second photo from the top) said regarding the Solich Academy. “We also have a chapter down at Meridian and we’re now into Grand Junction. And the model has been used for other places around the country. How can anyone argue with what we’re doing? I think it’s awesome, and I love being a part of it.”

Between the two existing Solich Academy sites, CommonGround (almost 1,100) and Meridian (about 330) produced more than 1,400 caddie loops for participating youngsters in 2016. Over the past five years, CommonGround and Meridian have generated almost 5,400 loops, with CommonGround on its own racking up almost 4,800. And 13 Solich caddies have gone on to earn full-tuition and housing Evans Scholarships at CU.

The normal pattern is for Solich caddies to spend two years at CommonGround (or Meridian), then graduate to other programs around the metro area such as those at Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver Country Club, Lakewood Country Club, etc.

Wednesday’s training group included both first- and second-year caddies, but mostly newbies. Almost three dozen trainers — which included leaders of the CGA and CWGA, Colorado PGA professionals, friends of CommonGround and others — volunteered their time to help teach the nascent caddies the basics.

Last week, the prospective 2017 Solich Academy caddies began their training by attending video sessions. The next couple of weeks, a much smaller group of trainers will run the caddies through “intensive situation training”, where they’ll learn about raking bunkers, work around the greens and other specifics.

Wary of overloading the kids with too much information too quickly — giving them the “firehose” approach, as CGA executive director Ed Mate calls it — Mate prefers to mainly emphasize keeping up and where to stand during this week’s first on-course session.

“That makes it so much more enjoyable — just enjoying the conversation and getting to know (the caddies) — rather than getting them distracted by giving them the firehose,” he said.

Following situation training for the remainder of April, the prospective Solich Academy 2017 roster may be winnowed a bit based on absences or lack of interest on the part of a few kids. Then the remaining youngsters will be taken out on the CommonGround championship course twice in May by a group of about eight trainers before getting their first official loop of the season, probably starting around Memorial Day weekend.

“We’re really going to drill them on the most important things: keeping up, and being pro-active on the putting green and not just standing back twiddling their thumbs,” Mate said. “The new kids will be so much better off because they will have caddied two rounds on the big course before they go to their first live loop.”

Of course, while the kids can reap potentially large dividends through participating in the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, the trainers tend to get a lot of fulfillment out of it as well.

McCleary, for instance, has served as a trainer all six years the Academy has existed. And his youngest daughter, Sydney, participated in the program the last two years and plans to caddie at Cherry Hills this summer.

“These are great kids and to see them grow and move on is special,” he said. “And it’s rewarding when you go to the Evans Scholars Selection Meeting and you see kids from this program making their way up to that and getting the scholarship. The Selection Meeting is one of my favorite events every year. I’ve been to that longer than we’ve had this program.

“But I love doing this. That’s just the best way to put it.”
 

On Sunday at CommonGround Golf Course, as the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy unofficially celebrated its fifth “birthday” with its annual post-season buffet and awards ceremony, Duffy Solich heard a comment from a caddie’s parent that was music to his ears.

“One of the parents told me tonight, ‘Whether my son gets an Evans Scholarship (a full tuition and housing scholarship awarded to selected caddies at the University of Colorado) or not, (the Solich Academy) has made him who he is,'” Solich recounted Sunday evening. “I’m like, ‘Wow. That’s the nicest thing you could say.’ Those are hidden benefits you don’t realize when we started this. Things mature and happen and grow.”

Indeed, the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy to which brothers George and Duffy Solich (pictured above, with Duffy at left) lent their name was a unique idea when it was launched at CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course in 2012. The Academy promotes the use of caddies in a major way by paying the base caddie fees, with participating golfers having the option of adding a tip. But in addition to the caddying, per se, a major component of the Academy is that all of the caddies are required to attend weekly leadership classes and do volunteer community-service work each summer. And after two summers in the Academy, the youngsters who are successful graduate to other caddie programs in the area. And, ideally, some will become good candidates for the Evans Scholarship at CU.

So, having just completed season No. 5, how successful has the Solich Academy been?

With more than 1,400 caddie loops in 2016 (1,095 at CommonGround and 330 at Meridian Golf Club, which came into the fold starting last year), the two Colorado sites have generated almost 5,400 loops over the five years. CommonGround on its own has racked up almost 4,800. And nine Solich Academy caddies have gone on to earn Evans Scholarships.

“What’s really great is the kids are getting a lot out of it whether they get the Evans Scholarship or not,” said George Solich, who provided the inspiration for the Academy after reading a magazine article about a caddie camp in Nantucket, Mass. “We’ve touched a lot of kids. It’s been an awesome start.

“It’s really in a great spot. And thanks to the CGA for all its work in managing it and running it. Thanks to the Colorado Golf Foundation for supporting it. We love what it does.”

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that many of the driving forces behind the Solich Academy were caddies themselves as youngsters, and quite a few received the Evans Scholarship at CU. That includes both George and Duffy Solich, CGA executive director Ed Mate, who was responsible for the execution of George’s original inspiration, and of major supporters such as Frank Nessinger. And even though he wasn’t an Evans Scholar, Paul Lobato, the PGA head professional who championed the idea of adding a Solich Academy chapter at Meridian Golf Club, caddied at Denver Country Club as a teenager.

Meridian’s program is much smaller than CommonGround’s, but likewise has gained grassroots support.

“It gets better every year,” said Lobato (below). “It started as a 9, now it’s a 10. Probably the most fun part of my job is seeing how (the caddies) grow, seeing how they get confidence talking to adults and getting better at their job. Some of the young kids come in really meek and quiet, then they start to gain confidence and get better and better and better. It’s really fun to see. It’s a great, great program.”

This year, between the two Colorado courses, there were 46 Solich Academy caddies — 36 at CommonGround at 10 at Meridian. In their leadership classes, they learn about “Cowboy Ethics” and the 10-point “Code of the West”: 1) Live each day with courage; 2) Take pride in your work; 3) Always finish what you start; 4) Do what has to be done; 5) Be tough, but fair; 6) When you make a promise, keep it; 7) Ride for the brand; 8) Talk less and say more; 9) Remember that some things aren’t for sale; 10) Know where to draw the line.

“We love what caddying does,” said George Solich, like Duffy a success in the oil and gas business and a philanthropist. “Not only can you make money, but you can be around successful people. You can learn about leadership, you can learn principles (of success) and you can learn hard work. And regardless of where you go in life, those qualities and characteristics will benefit you for years and years. They did us, for sure.”

The formula for success adopted by the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy hasn’t gone unnoticed. Besides what has germinated in Colorado, courses in southeast Wisconsin and in Oceanside, Calif., have taken the Solich Academy template and run with it.

“It’s a really good model,” said George Solich. “The goal is to have it at a lot of different places across the country that can benefit kids and give them an opportunity.

“We have some good momentum. It would be great to see it thrive (further). The Evans Scholars Foundation is moving this way too. They have a (WGA Caddie Academy) for girls in Chicago. John (Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the WGA) and I have talked (about) how does all this kind of fit together. I think the idea is, finding more kids you can give the opportunity to.”

Suffice it to say that in five years the Solich Academy has succeeded beyond what anyone foresaw.

“I would have guaranteed you none of us had this kind of expectations (five years ago),” said Duffy Solich. “It’s far exceeded anything we expected. There was nothing like it in the country that I’m aware of. And some of the byproducts that come from it are not something you could have ever planned on.”

This year, when BMW became a presenting partner of the CGA, it also became the exclusive partner for the Solich Academy at CommonGround. The PGA Tour’s BMW Championship, which just concluded in Indiana, has raised, from the tournament’s inception in 2007 through 2015, more than $21 million for the Evans Scholars Foundation.

Also new this year, a Solich Academy Invitational was held at CommonGround with the intention of giving supporters and potential supporters a first-hand experience with Academy caddies and the program overall.

While the Soliches, Mate, Lobato and others have provided big-picture guidance to the Solich Academy, the day-to-day operations have mainly been in the hands of Emily Olson, the CGA’s manager of caddie development; Erin Gangloff, the CGA’s managing director of programs; and the caddiemasters at the respective courses, Matt Tedeschi (CommonGround) and Melyzjah Smith (Meridian). Smith is one of 53 Evans Scholars currently living at the newly renovated scholarship house at CU.

“This program would not work without the four of them,” George Solich said. “It’s really neat to see that they actually own it. They’re accountable, they’re responsible. They’re thinking about new ways to make it better.”

Added Duffy Solich: “My first round out here (at CommonGround), Melyzjah was my caddie. I was totally taken by her and I thought we have to get this girl an Evans Scholarship. She was light on loops so she had to go to school on her own (at CU) for a year. She came back and got the Evans Scholarship and now she’s a leader at the Meridian Chapter. That’s a pretty good story.”

The fruits of the labor of Olson, Gangloff, Tedeschi, Smith and others are being seen at other major clubs in the Denver metro area that utilize Solich Academy graduates in their own caddie programs.

“Personally, I’d tell you the kids that come to Cherry Hills (Country Club) from the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy are always the best kids — because they’re trained, they know the deal,” George Solich said. “That’s one of the hard parts about clubs is training caddies. I think this model really works if we can send 15 kids a year to five or six other clubs.”

Besides the benefits of kids earning money through caddying — and possibly qualifying for an Evans Scholarship — the Academy’s leadership training and volunteerism remain equally important aspects of this whole initiative.

“I really, really love the Code of the West,” George Solich said. “It’s the perfect age to talk to these kids about character, which is what Code of the West really is. When you look at programs that are very successful, it’s all about character traits and moving that into a kid’s thought process. It really adds to the experience they get at a golf course.

“When we launched, I’m so glad we decided to do that along with the caddie program. It’s as meaningful as the hard work on the golf course and as the money these kids take home.”

As part of Sunday’s festivities, awards were given out to some of the oustanding Solich Academy caddies at CommonGround and Meridian:

Caddie Leader of the Year (CommonGround)
David Acevedo
 
Caddie Leader of the Year (Meridian)
Ricardo Angel-Lucero

Congeniality Award (CommonGround)
Sydney McCleary
 
Congeniality Award (Meridian)
Courtney Lopez

Rookie of the Year (CommonGround)
Kyle Arbuckle
 
Rookie of the Year (Meridian)
Davis Helmerich

Most Improved Caddie (CommonGround)
Dillon Zastrocky
 
Most Improved Caddie (Meridian)
Oliver King

3D Award: Determination, Dedication, Desire (CommonGround)
Eliannah Angel-Lucero

3D Award: Determination, Dedication, Desire (Meridian)
Fenton Dowling
 

Life may not start at 50, but you wouldn’t know it from the case of Doug Rohrbaugh and his born-again golf career.

On Wednesday, the director of golf from Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs added another chapter to the stellar playing career he’s put together since reaching the big 5-0.

Not only did Rohrbaugh match a record by winning his third consecutive Colorado PGA Professional Championship, but he continues to break the standard he’s previously set by claiming the title at unprecedented ages.

The 53-year-old did it again Wednesday at Meridian Golf Club in Englewood, though this one was more of a challenge than the previous two victories in the event. This time around, he fended off a late charge from Valley Country Club head professional Barry Milstead by draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the final hole to post a two-stroke victory.

The win, worth $8,000, made Rohrbaugh the first player since Ken Krieger (1996-98) to claim three straight Colorado PGA Professional Championships. Ron Vlosich (1991-93) is believed to be the only other player to three-peat in the 58-year history of the tournament. (Rohrbaugh is pictured at left and above with runner-up Milstead.)

“That was everything,” Rohrbaugh said of his quest for three straight victories. “To be honest, that was my goal coming in. Yes, you’re trying to win, but knowing the three-peat hadn’t been done much, I was definitely thinking about it. To want a three-peat and do it, that makes it sweeter. It means a lot. It was more than just a win.”

Besides claiming three straight Colorado PGA Professional Championships since turning 50, Rohrbaugh has also captured the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Senior Open title, finished third at the 2013 HealthOne Colorado Open as a 51-year-old, won the 2012 and ’13 Colorado Senior PGA Professional Championship, and has earned conditional status on the 2015 Champions Tour.

“I don’t get it,” he admits of his status as a late bloomer. “I still can’t answer the question people ask me: Why? I think it’s a lot of things. I always thought I could play the Tour but I tried the regular Q-school twice and didn’t even get past first stage. It was a bit letdown. Then when 50 was coming it was like, ‘Here’s my second chance.’ So it got me excited, fired me up. That was a big part of it, knowing there was another chance.”

After winning the Colorado PGA Professional Championship by five each of the past two years, this one wasn’t settled until the final green. With Milstead one-putting for birdie and par, respectively on the final two par-3s (Nos. 15 and 17) while Rohrbaugh made bogeys, Milstead picked up three shots, leaving the margin at one going into the par-4 18th. There, both players had birdie putts of about 20 feet, and Milstead had his attempt online, but left it short.

“I did a lot of that today,” said Milstead (left and below). “I left a lot of putts short. (The one on 18) may or may not have gone in the hole, but I probably left four or five or six putts short and going in the right direction.”

Rohrbaugh, who said he hadn’t been nervous on his previous two shots on 18, got a few butterflies over his birdie putt.

“I realized I just had to two-putt,” the Carbondale resident said. “I wasn’t even trying to make it. I was just trying to get it up as close as I could. When it was about 3 feet out, I started to walk because I had a feeling it had a chance. Sure enough (it went in), and that certainly makes it a little sweeter.”

Rohrbaugh, who took a two-stroke lead into the final round, shot a 1-over-par 73 on Wednesday, the same as Milstead. Rohrbaugh finished at 5-under-par 211 overall, while Milstead (213) was the only other player who ended up under par.

Those two, along with the next six finishers, qualified for the 2016 PGA Professional National Championship, set for June 26-29 in Verona, N.Y. The other PNC qualifiers were Ari Papadopoulos (216), two-time CPGA Professional Championship winner Rob Hunt (217), University of Denver men’s golf coach Erik Billinger (218), Jeff Hanson (218), 2013 PGA Championship competitor Caine Fitzgerald (219) and Doug Wherry (219). Fitzgerald and Wherry each birdied the second hole of a sudden-death qualifying playoff that featured six competitors.

The battle for the CPGA Professional Championship title was largely a two-man affair on Wednesday, though Papadoupolos was 3 under for the tournament through 51 holes before finishing with three consecutive bogeys.

After Rohrbaugh (left) began the day with a bogey, Milstead earned a tie for the lead with a birdie on No. 2. But after the pro from Valley went bogey-double bogey on Nos. 4 and 5, Rohrbaugh never lost the outright lead again.

Though Milstead hit a few errant tee shots on the back nine Wednesday, he scrambled well enough to leave himself just one down going into 18.

“Down the stretch, I figured if I could hang around and make a few putts or make a birdie or two to get closer to him, we’d see what happened,” Milstead said. “I got within one going into 18, but I couldn’t quite catch him. Doug played great and hung in there. He’s a deserving champion.

“I played really well yesterday (67), which got me into position. I wish I had hit the ball as well as I did the first two days because I hit it great. I couldn’t quite hit it as well today.”

But overall, while he was disappointed in not landing the win, Milstead took some satisfaction in his best finish ever at the CPGA Professional Championship.

“I haven’t played a whole lot this year, so it’s good to see I’ve still got a lot of good shots in me,” the 48-year-old said. “We’ll take a lot of good things out of this week.”

As for Rohrbaugh, he wasn’t at his best either on Wednesday, which he attributes to having three-peat-itis on his mind.

“My golf today reflected that,” he said. “I did not play well today. My irons were off. I was nervous; there’s no question I was nervous. This one was harder than the first two because of that, but I managed to scrape it in there.”

Rohrbaugh, whose best finish out of six Champions Tour events this year is a 15th place, will take some momentum into his last four attempts at Monday qualifying for tournaments. If he can climb from 103rd to inside the top 75 on the final 2015 money list, he’ll earn an automatic spot in the final stage of Champions Tour Q-school.

“This is exactly what I needed heading out to the next four qualifiers,” he said. “I’m certainly feeling more confident and more excited about these four coming up after the way I’ve played the last two weeks.”

Colorado PGA Professional Championship
Sept. 14-16, 2015 (final) at Par-72 Meridian GC in Englewood

Top 10 Finishers (note: top eight qualify for 2016 PGA Professional National Championship) — 1. Doug Rohrbaugh 69-69-73–211; 2. Barry Milstead 73-67-73–213; 3. Ari Papadopoulos 72-72-72–216; 4. Rob Hunt 70-74-73–217; 5. (tie) Erik Billinger 73-74-71–218; Jeff Hanson 71-73-74–218; 7. (tie, with Fitzgerald and Wherry winning playoff) Caine Fitzgerald 69-75-75–219; Doug Wherry 75-73-71–219; Kyle Voska 74-76-69–219; Don Hurter 74-76-69–219; Mike Northern 74-74-71–219; Dustin Miller 75-73-71–219. For all the scores, CLICK HERE.

Having grown up as a caddie, Paul Lobato has a soft spot in his heart for kids who tote clubs for a little spending money and learn valuable lessons along the way.

In fact, when Lobato wanted to start a small caddie program at Meridian Golf Club in Englewood, where he’s the head professional, he personally kicked in $20 for each caddie loop, with the member utilizing the caddie ponying up another $20.

But when it got right down to it, there was a better way — and why reinvent the wheel?

The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course has been thriving since making its debut in 2012. And Lobato is friends with brothers George and Duffy Solich, for whom the Solich Academy is named, and he’s given lessons to George over the years.

So when the subject came up, George Solich and Lobato figured that establishing a new chapter of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at Meridian made sense. And after working out the details with CGA executive director Ed Mate and CGA manager of caddie development Emily Olson — the CGA and CWGA own and operate CommonGround Course — Meridian this year will become the third Colorado course to feature the Solich Academy, joining CommonGround and the Spike Baker Chapter at Fort Collins Country Club.

“I think the program is unbelievable,” said Lobato, who played intercollegiate golf at the University of Colorado, where the Solich brothers went to school on Evans Caddie Scholarships. “We had the best day out at CommonGround when I played with George, Duffy and (noted instructor) Bill Harmon (son of 1948 Masters champion Claude Harmon and brother of renowned instructor Butch Harmon). I think every one of the caddies with us have gone on to earn Evans Scholarships. I love caddying and how people learn the game through caddying.

“Afterward, I said to George and Duffy, ‘You guys are changing lives.’ I fell in love” with the program.

The Solich Academy is novel in that base caddie fees are paid by the Academy, with participating golfers having the option of adding a tip. The caddies attend weekly leadership classes and do at least six hours of volunteer community-service work each summer. (Duffy and George Solich are pictured at left.)

Lobato certainly isn’t the only one enamored by the template the Solich Acadeny established. Besides Colorado now having three chapters of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, there are others who have followed — or are following — the same path. There’s the Caddie & Leadership Academy of Southeast Wisconsin, and people in Philadelphia and Oceanside, Calif., have also expressed a significant interest.

“The whole goal is to get more kids introduced to caddying,” said Mate, who plays an integral role in overseeing the Solich Academy at CommonGround. “We can only reach so many kids at CommonGround, so this is all part of the master plan.”

But the key, Mate said, is to have at least one person at each Academy site that will go to the mat for the program.

“We always talk about planting the seed,” Mate said. “You need somebody on the ground that really owns it. That person is John Hanrahan (director of golf) in Fort Collins and Paul Lobato at Meridian. You have to have someone who gets it. It’s better if someone comes to us (to demonstrate that interest and commitment). And if the facility won’t embrace it, it won’t succeed.”

As is the case at Fort Collins Country Club, the Solich Academy at Meridian will be much smaller scale than at CommonGround, where about 30 kids participate each year. Lobato is currently training eight caddies — all currently in seventh through 10th grades — with the fourth and final training scheduled for April 28. Then on May 2 during men’s opening day at Meridian, Lobato plans to lay out the program for members. The eight kids, including one “graduate” of the CommonGround Academy who has about 40 caddie loops to his credit, will caddie through the summer, with the goal of each getting 36 loops by the end of the season.

“When the members understand, they’ll get behind it,” Lobato said.

Melyzjah Smith, who’s completing her sophomore year as an Evans Scholar at CU, will be the caddiemaster at Meridian.

“Meridian is perfect” for a Solich Academy chapter, Mate said. “There are a lot of walkers.”