Jess Parr
I met up with Jess Parr at The Ocean Course clubhouse. In the following interview, Jess explains how he went from participating in Extreme Sports to managing the caddies at one of America’s most extreme tests of golf.
Golf Conversations: How long have you been working here?
Jess Parr: Seven years.
Seven years? Well, you must be doing something right!
(laughter)
GC: What did you do before you were working here?
JP: I was bartending. I did a little work with Primerica doing some financial advising in Charlottesville, Virginia. But I was always trying to get away from the 9-to-5 rat race sort of job. As a child, I was always messing around with extreme sports. Then I went to college and started teaching snowboarding and teaching skateboarding. Any way to get by, to have fun, and to make money.
GC: Where did you go to school?
JP: I went to high school in Illinois, college in Durango, Colorado, and then finished up at the College of Charleston in 2002 with a business degree. I thought about pursuing that but at the time I was starting to enjoy caddying and golfing.
GC: When did you start playing golf?
JP: My parents put me in lessons when I was ten. They said,“Here is how you play, if you like it great, if not, don’t worry about it.” I took lessons, liked it, enjoyed it, played it in the summer and that was about it. When I was twelve, I really got into skateboarding. This was in Illinois, I was there until I was eighteen. Then I went to school in Colorado. In college I met a few friends and we played at a course that was right on campus in Durango, so we played a lot. And I kind of lost interest. Then I started coming here for the summer to visit my girlfriend in Charleston.
GC: So you started getting the vibe again?
JP: Yes I did, I got the golfing bug again. Living down here, I couldn’t be snowboarding so I was riding my bike and golfing.
GC: And how did you end up here at Kiawah?
JP: My wife was doing…
GC: Oh, the girlfriend became the wife?
JP: Yes. (laughter)
GC: You don’t waste any time do you?
JP: (laughter) We’ll be married 10 years in May. She was doing events out here at Kiawah. She knew Tommy Cuthbert who was the Director of Golf and she told him that I was looking for something. So he said,” Send him out here.” I guess that was seven years ago and I started caddying. That was kind of tough because that was the year we redid the greens at the Ocean Course. I worked for two months and then we closed down for three months when we redid the greens. We used seaside paspalum grass or as they called it OC 03, for the Ocean Course of 2003. This grass was actually designed for this course by the University of Georgia.
GC: It had to be able to withstand the salt water.
JP: Yes. The grass really took a beating. I remember my first couple of loops, number 14 was really taking a beating — the grass was dead. But they found this new grass, it’s amazing: it greens up, it looks awesome in the summer, and you can pretty much water it with saltwater and that’s fine.
So that was 2003 and we closed down and I went back to bartending. Then in the fall we opened up again. And I was very flexible out here. In December when it was very slow, I’d go back to bartending. And then I’d come back in March.
GC: Did you ever caddy at any of the other courses here?
JP: Just this one. I mean occasionally you go to another course if a guest requests you. But as far as the caddy program, this is it, just the Ocean Course.
GC: You can take carts at the other courses?
JP: Yes, they can take carts and drive on the fairways. At the Ocean Course we have walking only before noon; then it’s cart path only.
GC: I’ll bet that gets rid of everyone. (laughing)
JP: (laughing) Yeah, some people don’t like “cart path only.”
GC: Soon as they hear “cart path only” they’re out of there!
JP: But it encouraged walking and I was getting out early and getting some good loops. One of our caddy masters recognized my work ethic and he started rewarding me for it, which was nice. And once you get rewarded with loops, it’s easy to fall in love with caddying, especially at this place … working for a great company.
GC: Everyone I talk to seems to love the company.
JP: It’s the best.
GC: And you can really advance here. Everyone who’s made it to the top started at the bottom.
JP: And that’s good to see. Guys get promoted from within.
GC: Approximately how many caddies are working here?
JP: Sixty. We were up to almost ninety at one time … at one point I think we had one hundred eight, when it was cranking. When some of those Wall Street companies came in, look out! It was a good time to work.
GC: So how did you make the move from caddy to caddy master?
JP: The caddy master position came up when our old caddy master left. They asked me if I’d be interested in the position. At the time I was enjoying caddying four days a week. It was very flexible; I was going to Colorado during the winters, snowboarding, having a good time. My wife had a great job so financially we were set. I turned down the position the first time around.
Then I became a head closer — he’s the one who comes in early and closes the place down at night. When one of the caddy masters leaves, they are the responsible ones, the ones the pro shop calls if there’s a problem. So I became a head closer and then one of the caddy masters left and the head pro, Stephen Youngner, opened it up for interviews. He interviewed, I think, twelve guys. He kind of told me I was the front runner, but he is a by the books guy, so he wanted to interview other guys and get their input. My interview occurred the day before I went to Colorado. He called me about two weeks into my trip and said, “Okay, you’re our guy.”
GC: That must’ve been exciting.
JP: It was. But the problem was after the interview he said I’ll get back to you in four days. He calls me on the fifth day and says I’ve been sick, I’m sorry, it’s going to be another week.
GC: Why didn’t he tell you that on the fourth day? (laughter)
JP: But I was uneasy. In the worst case scenario, I wouldn’t have gotten the job. So I would’ve stayed caddying. But I’m glad I got the promotion.
GC: So you said there are two caddy masters?
JP: Yes, they are two of us.
GC: What does the caddy master do?
JP: We manage all of the caddies which includes: scheduling, making sure grooming standards are met, training, staying up-to-date on the new resort policies and events on the island, making sure that shuttles are done, it’s just a lot of overseeing. And the biggest thing is the liaison between the pro shop and the caddies. When customers leave the pro shop and walk outside to the Ocean Course, they’re as nervous as can be.
GC: The players?
JP: Yeah. They walk out of the pro shop, they don’t know what to do so we’re there to greet them, shake their hand, make them laugh, tell them who their caddy is going to be, tell them what’s going to happen.
GC: Such as: you’re going to lose X number of balls! (laughter)
JP: Yeah. (laughter) “You’re an 8-handicap? You’ll probably shoot 100.” Then they’ll get mad at you! (laughter) And we introduce guests to the caddies. Once they’re with the caddies the caddies can say: “do you want to hit balls? Do you want to putt? The snack shop is here.” We try to ease them in. I think it’s nice to have that person to greet you.
Sometimes a guest will walk out of the pro shop and there’ll be a lot of caddies out there kind of waiting and it’s a little intimidating. You don’t know where your bag is because you pulled up to the backdrop and we grabbed it and told you it’s going to be on the range. And then they go to the pro shop, and spend all this money and they walk out of there kind of star struck. So we’re there to meet and greet and get them ready to have a good time.
GC: Is it difficult to manage some of the caddies who may be older than you are?
JP: Yes, absolutely. But there’s not a job here that I’ve never done. There’s not a job out here that I’d ask someone to do that I haven’t done. People see how I listen and communicate with others and that makes them feel comfortable with me. I got a lot of positive feedback from the older guys; they were happy that I was the guy who got the job. It’s one thing to hear it from management, it’s another thing when your peers, younger and older say. hey, thumbs up.
GC: So no more toting bags around?
JP: No. I haven’t. I was carrying bags from 2003 to 2009, and I’ve been caddy master here for a year.
GC: Happy anniversary.
JP: I know. It’s nice, thank you. I haven’t put on any more weight which I thought I would not toting those bags around. And I do miss the on course interaction, and if we were really tight on guys I might take a bag. One of our older guys, a caddy master, when we got real slow, he started looping, and in my mind it was taking money away from the caddies. I just don’t like the way that looks so I’ve chosen not to caddy. Maybe for the PGA championship I’ll be on the caddy committee, but I love what I’m doing right now. I can’t think of a better job in a better spot for me.
GC: That seems to be way most of the people I’ve spoken to feel about their jobs here at Kiawah.
JP: It’s a great company. Even if there was a problem, I wouldn’t hesitate to go straight to Brian (Gerard) or Roger (Warren). There is no fear factor when it comes to trying to communicate your opinion or concerns.
GC: Tell me about the caddy training program. If a guy comes in and says he wants to be a caddy what do you do?
JP: References are important. We look for people with golf knowledge, being a good player isn’t everything, I’ve always sworn that I’ll take a bartender or server that can play golf and knows the game over a scratch golfer with no personality. On the course, personality is everything. One of our best trainers and one of our best caddies, hands down, is probably a 15 handicap. The way he treats people and the way he makes them feel and acts towards them, he’s A-No 1. Personality is everything; we’ve had guys come in and you can tell in an interview they’re just duds. You’re going to be out with a guest for five hours…
GC: At least…
JP: By the time you meet them and everything you’re talking up to seven hours. And then we have them play the course, know the course, give them their yardage books, and try to get their yardages down. That’s just something that comes with time. We send the new guys off with the trainers who are caddies and they go through a checklist: this is how you open, this is how you close, this is what you do, etc.
GC: How long are they with the trainers before they’re ready to be with the public?
JP: It’s usually two weeks but that’s a guesstimate. Some guys will come out here and say I’ve been playing the Ocean Course for years, I know this place well. The toughest part is knowing the golf course, knowing what’s too far, don’t give someone a bad yardage. And out here it’s very visually intimidating. The lack of trees, it’s like looking at the ocean, your depth is off. And once they get to know the course, you shadow them on a loop. You check up on them, you switch them out with other guys. But if he’s good, you’ll know that right off the bat.
GC: And each guy’s taking two bags?
JP: Yes, double bag.
GC: You need to have an eagle eye, don’t you, when the ball starts going off into the dunes?
JP: You do. You have to care. If you care and are looking hard for the ball, the guest sees that. Experience is important; it’s amazing how many balls you find in the same exact spot. If Joe slices and Frank slices they are going to be within 10 yards of each other every time.
GC: It’s a physically demanding job isn’t it? You’ve got the wind blowing, you’re carrying two bags, it could be raining sideways…
JP: Or it is 100°. The summers here can be devastating. But if you’ve got patience and a sense of humor, I think anyone can be a caddy. And you really have to care, it’s really about caring.
GC: And learning the greens?
JP: Yes, that’s important.
GC: Do all the putts break towards the Atlantic Ocean?
JP: No. I’ll be a smarty-pants sometimes with the guests … people ask if it breaks towards the water and I’ll say, “Sir, we’re an island sometimes they break this way sometimes they break that way.” (laughter) You’ve got the Kiawah River here and actually most putts break towards the river. People like to think that all putts break towards the ocean and away from mountains, and you have to get them away from thinking like that.
GC: What’s your opinion of the plumb bobbing?
JP: I’m not a fan, I’m not. They tried to teach it to me, I’ve seen guys do it and I just don’t get it. Maybe on a different course but I know these green so well, you can literally blindfold me, spin me, throw a ball down and I can probably tell you exactly what it will do because you get to know these green so well. It’s weird, even on the PlayStation game, it’s so authentic that I can play the game without reading the putts on the game.
