CADDY ACADEMY
CADDY ACADEMY REVIVES GOLF ‘CADDY CULTURE’ HELPING DISADVANTAGED YOUNG MEN FIND EMPLOYMENT
Bettabets, in partnership with the Limpopo Championship golf tournament and three golf estates in the Waterberg area, developed the Caddy Academy- which aims to become a channel through which young men can be connected to opportunities to work as caddies in various golf estates. As part of the Caddy Academy program, the three golf estates, Koro Creek Golf Estate, Euphoria Golf Estate and Kameeldoring Golf Club have each selected 10 young men who have been trained to become caddies. The program hopes to create 70 new caddies in the Waterberg area with the aim of having other golf estates join the program later this year. “One of the main objectives of the Caddy Academy is to revive the culture of caddies in South Africa”, says Al Zoya, Operations Director for Royal Fairways. “Socio[1]economic changes have contributed to a decline in the use of caddies at golf-estates threatening the cultural significance of caddies.” “It has been sad to see this happen because caddies have always been an important and necessary part of the sport and culture of golf.
It has also been a profession that has provided many young, disadvantaged youths with employment as it is fairly easy to learn the profession,” says Zoya. “Creating better access to opportunities for young people to learn the trade is another way that sport can and should be used to promote community development. It is also a way of giving disadvantaged groups access to a sport which is often inaccessible to the poor,” he says.
Part of the workshop focuses on customer care and the value that caddies bring to the golfing fraternity. It also helps them understand how golf estates operate. Trainees are then allocated to one of the three participating golf estates where they learn on the job as new caddies who are then rotated among players. The course illuminates the career prospects for anyone who becomes a caddy and helps attendees understand how the career can be a fruitful one. A notable advantage of this program is the way it seeks to instill a sense of self-pride and discipline in the young men and teaches them the soft-skills required to be respected and successful in the field. Such soft skills help them in their personal lives and help them become kinder, more conscientious young men. As Bettabets, we are committed to supporting CSI initiatives that provide such opportunities for young men to possess the necessary skills and values that create better communities, because our goal is to empower people in their pursuit for betta.
The workshop helps prepare prospective caddies for a career in the profession by teaching the young men the rules of golf, the role of caddies in the sport and how to correctly behave and interact with players and colleagues when working in a golf estate.
