Lost Rail Golf Club

Newly Opened Lost Rail Golf Club Partners with CaddieNow to Launch Premier Caddie Program

Partner: Lost Rail Golf Club in Gretna, Nebraska

Partner Snapshot

Lost Rail Golf Club is the first new private golf course in the Omaha, Nebraska area in over 20 years. It was purposefully designed as a small-membership club focused solely on golf—no homes, no event space, no country club amenities, no outside outings. Set on 155 acres west of Omaha with unrivaled and unspoiled views of the Platte River Valley, Lost Rail boasts 18 distinct holes that span a variety of different terrains and environments. The club was designed by Scott Hoffman and built by Landscapes Unlimited. In 2023, Lost Rail was named the third best new private club in the world by Golf Inc. Magazine.

Photo credit: https://golfweek.usatoday.com

The Results

Once the partnership was in place, CaddieNow got to work. Over the next 60 days, well in advance of the September 1 open date, CaddieNow initially recruited 71 caddies using social media ads, online job boards, referrals, and word of mouth. After further vetting and training candidates, 30 caddies were presented to Lost Rail for their final approval for the club’s grand opening.

The fall season was a hit, due in large part to the role caddies played in introducing golfers to their new golf course. Ty Stewart, Director of Golf and Blake Schroeder, Assistant Golf Professional and Caddie Manager, participated in the onsite caddie training. Caddies learned about traditional caddie services, but were also educated about the golf course’s history, design process, and construction so they could serve as “tour guides” for golfers experiencing the course for the first time.

Ty also wanted Lost Rail’s members to be so impressed with their first caddie experience that taking a caddie would be the norm at the club, without having a forced caddie policy. The key was offering a variety of caddie services, from juniors to professional levels. Ty had a deep understanding of the membership, and knew that if quality junior caddies were available, members would jump at the chance to play a mentoring role to local youth while providing summer jobs. He also knew that members would be using the club to entertain important clients and guests, so having professional level caddies available would elevate the club’s hospitality and add to the overall experience.

The Challenge

Early on, the team behind Lost Rail knew the golf course was going to be special, and if they wanted it to be considered an elite club, a caddie program was necessary. But there were a few concerns about jumpstarting and managing an onsite caddie program:

Was it possible to recruit caddies in the area?
Would members support a caddie program and provide enough loops to maintain it?
Did staff have enough bandwidth to manage a caddie program while they prepared to open a brand-new golf club?

The Solution

Lost Rail reached out to CaddieNow several months before the club was scheduled to open, with a promise to address their concerns. CaddieNow’s full-service CaddieConcierge product offering checked every box for Lost Rail, including caddie recruitment and training, robust caddie management software, and full program management.

Photo credit: https://golfweek.usatoday.com

CaddieNow understood Lost Rail’s needs and was able to provide both junior and professional levels of caddies, while also being responsive to the club’s overall caddie requirements. “CaddieNow helped us create a program that allowed for flexibility,” says Blake, who serves as the onsite caddie program manager. “Our caddie requests tend to be very sporadic in timing, and CaddieNow allows us to plan for both the short and long term.”

CaddieNow streamlined the program’s management so no unnecessary burden was placed on staff while navigating the club’s opening and their ongoing duties.

“I couldn’t imagine introducing and managing a caddie program without the help of CaddieNow. The technology allows me to focus on my other duties at the club and efficiently schedule caddies on a daily basis.”

— Blake Schroeder, Assistant Golf Professional and Caddie Manager

Blake says the support team is there whenever the club needs help with additional training and he has “zero concerns about our ability to fill our daily caddie requests with great caddies.”

Photo credit: https://golfweek.usatoday.com

Responding to Success

As it turns out, the club’s membership is not only supporting the program, but it has also become something they’re extremely proud of. As such, after the inaugural season in the fall of 2022, Lost Rail knew the demand for caddies would increase and asked CaddieNow to bolster its caddie roster.

Through a robust social media campaign, leveraging with job boards, and utilizing internal and external networks and referrals, CaddieNow recruited another 150 potential caddies. CaddieNow’s full-time recruiter further vetted the caddies to identify those that would best fit Lost Rail’s needs and requirements. Today the club has a pool of 35 caddies that work on a consistent basis and another 50 available for special events.

Training the Future of the Golf Industry

An underappreciated benefit of a successful caddie program is the ability to discover and nurture new and emerging talent that may be interested in working in golf club operations or other areas in the golf industry.

During CaddieNow’s initial application process for Lost Rail, 220 prospective caddies completed a caddie profile to share additional information. Among those:

Out of the 220 applicants, 94 indicated they may be interested in working in other golf related positions and 86 said they were definitely interested. Another 85 applicants said they would consider a career in the golf industry. This data is consistent with other CaddieNow club partnerships, in which the outside staff, assistant professionals, club house support, and the agronomy department consisted of employees that got their start by applying as a caddie. Strong caddie programs at elite clubs like Lost Rail are helping secure the future of the golf industry workforce.