Vaquero Club & Lakeside Country Club Upgrade Caddie Programs as Part of Course Renovations
For top-tier golf facilities, periodic renovations, repairs, and updates to the course, grounds, and clubhouse are part of keeping playing conditions and the member experience at their very best. Oftentimes, these renovations are a prime opportunity to make upgrades to other parts of the club’s offerings; namely, their caddie programs.
When clubs close for renovations, leadership can thoughtfully consider their caddie program’s management, processes, pool makeup, policies, and refocus on hospitality and service. Clubs can also use those months to reevaluate existing caddie service providers; contracts often have a one-year non-solicit clause for any caddies brought in during the initial service period. But with the club being closed for nine or even 12+ months, it’s the perfect time to refresh the program from top to bottom.
CaddieNow has partnered with several prestigious, successful golf clubs that have undergone major improvements to upgrade the hospitality and service they offer their members and guests by dramatically improving their caddie programs. Why? Caddies provide a high level of service and a memorable experience for members and guests during each round, ensuring the club is enjoyed at a fast pace and course conditions remain at the highest possible levels following reopening.
Vaquero Club – Dallas, Texas
Vaquero Club is located on former ranchland west of the Dallas-Fort Worth airport in the affluent Westlake community. Originally designed by Tom Fazio, the private club underwent an extensive renovation by world-renowned golf course architect Andrew Green, focusing on redesigned greens that added unique contours and shapes that give each putting surface a distinct personality. More variety of tee setup options was incorporated, along with rerouting a handful of holes, for an easy-to-walk par 71 course.
During the renovation period, Hank Kuehne, PGA TOUR professional and notoriously long hitter, reached out to CaddieNow to discuss his desire to upgrade rebuild the club’s current, small caddie program from scratch. The goal was to add a full-time onsite caddie manager to improve the overall quality of the program and ensure caddies provide the best hospitality and customer service experience possible.
Photo credit: https://www.vaqueroclub.comMike Bevill, President at Vaquero Club, understood the correlation between the improvements to both the course and the caddie programs and the overall golfer experience. “The course stands as a testament to our commitment to excellence,” he says. “We take pride in providing our esteemed membership with a world-class golfing experience.”
CaddieNow initially recruited more than 50 caddies but pared the pool down to the top 25 to 30 prospects to relaunch the program. When the club celebrated its grand reopening just before Thanksgiving of 2023, the caddie program was up and running with a full pool of caddies ready to make each member’s round unforgettable.
Lakeside Country Club – Houston, Texas
Lakeside Country Club sits on 209 acres on the west side of Houston, Texas. Its 18-hole championship golf course was originally designed by Ralph Plummer in 1951, featuring Bermudagrass fairways and tee boxes and TifEagle greens. The club has gone through several rounds of upgrades over the past two decades, starting with a major clubhouse overhaul in 2017 and followed by a necessary clubhouse rebuild due to damage sustained during Hurricane Harvey in 2019.
Photo credit: https://www.lakesidecc.com/CaddieNow had previously worked with C.W. Canfield, Director of Golf at Lakeside Country Club, to build a small caddie program during 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic. With a scheduled club closure and renovations in the fall of 2022 designed by Jay Blasi (one of the new generations of architects leading golf forward), C.W. reconnected with CaddieNow to work out a plan to reawaken the caddie program in conjunction with the course’s reopening.
Understanding the impact a well-run and executed caddie program can have on a high-end, private club like Lakeside, CaddieNow recruited and trained new caddies with a laser focus on hospitality and service. Prior to Lakeside Country Club’s reopening, caddies were given the opportunity to walk the course with the golf professional staff to relearn the greens and course layout to be ready to provide members with the best support and service.
Photo credit: https://www.lakesidecc.com/The club reopened in December of 2023 and is continuing to grow their caddie program in partnership with CaddieNow. Members are taking caddies in greater numbers than ever so they can enjoy the course and not have to deal with chasing errant shots, raking bunkers, and parking golf carts. CaddieNow and Lakeside Country Club are empowering members to enjoy their new course the way golf was meant to be played—walking with a caddie.
Making the Best Better
CaddieNow’s unique approach to caddie management blends hospitality with top-notch caddie training, technology, and club protection, making CaddieNow the best choice for the best golf clubs. Click here to get in touch or email info@caddienow.com.