If you have ever been to Bandon Dunes, the world-class golf destination on the southern Oregon coast, you know just how much the caddie program enhances your visit.
The courses at Bandon are walking only. You have three options: Pack your own bag, use a trolley or take a caddie. (There are a very few golf carts available for permanently disabled golfers who require one). Smart players take caddies. Not only does it make for a better scorecard, the enriched experience far exceeds the cost.
The Bandon caddies are adults rather than high-school or college kids. And they serve many functions beyond bag carriers. They are part-time psychologists, part-time cheerleaders, occasional first responders, counselors, tour guides, and, more often than not, great company for 4 hours.
How important is the caddie program at Bandon Dunes? It even has its own page on the website, where the reasoning is clearly spelled out: “At Bandon Dunes we believe that the game of golf is best experienced by walking with a caddie – truly, golf as it was meant to be. When you use a caddie, you’re helping preserve a tradition 500 years in the making and giving hundreds of people the opportunity to perform their trade.”
Like many people in the COVID-19 moment, the Bandon loopers are hurting. Bandon tried to stay open to keep its staff – caddies included – fully employed, but the resort is closed until at least May 1.
Which means that the caddie force, almost 400 strong in season, is out of work.
Not only are the Bandon loopers a hardy bunch, they are nimble and innovative. They responded to the situation like they would if they’d been trying to find a lost ball in the famous Bandon fescue.
Eleven of them got together and devised a plan to raise money to help the entire caddie corps. They worked with a local nonprofit organization, the Greater Bandon Association, which helped set up a GoFundMe page. They got the blessing of the resort, which agreed to support the effort by sending an e-mail to all guests for whom they had an address. They also created social-media channels at Facebook and Twitter.
By Tuesday afternoon of this week, 24 hours after the Bandon Caddie Relief Fund went public, more than $100,000 had been committed. And although there were some four-figure pledges, most of the pledges were small, some for as little as $25.
One of the ringleaders, eight-year veteran Jake Muldowney, has a love of photography and videography, but he has not really practiced this craft in recent years. He had been asked by the resort to create a video about the opening of the property’s Sheep Ranch course in June. With time on his hands, he shot some scenes at dusk one night. The editing process didn’t come together as he hoped, so with the permission of the resort, he went in a different direction and edited it to support the relief effort.
By Tuesday afternoon of this week, 24 hours after the Bandon Caddie Relief Fund went public, more than $100,000 had been committed. And although there were some four-figure pledges, most of the pledges were small, some for as little as $25. “It’s a little overwhelming,” Muldowney said.
Muldowney credited the totality of the caddie corps, pointing out that everyone was working together, reaching out to players they had caddied for and using their own social channels to promote the effort.
Observed Bandon Dunes owner Mike Keiser: “Simply amazing.”
It is testament to Keiser, his family, and the resort’s leadership team that so many golfers would contribute. It speaks to the Bandon Dunes ethos that has touched so many thousands of golfers since opening in 1999. And the generosity of resort guests also speaks to the caddies themselves, for the way they enrich the golfer experience, day in and day out, 12 months a year. They are, as Muldowney states in the video, “the soul of the resort.”
“Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country” is an old typing drill, back when there were typewriters. Paraphrasing that drill, now is the time for all good Bandon Dunes visitors and admirers to contribute to the Bandon Dunes Caddie Relief Fund. One hundred thousand dollars doesn’t go very far for a near 400-member looper squadron.
Click here if you’d like to contribute: https://www.gofundme.com/f/q33nw-bandon-caddie-relief-fund