Caddie to profession: How carrying golf equipment was ‘life-changing’ scholarship for Fenton native | Sports activities

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJRT) – Fenton native Noah Kaplan mentioned he had by no means performed a gap of golf earlier than he began caddying.

“I used to be not acquainted with golf,” Kaplan mentioned. “I had by no means performed it earlier than beginning caddying right here at Warwick. It is nice. It has been life altering up to now clearly.”

By way of caddying at Warwick Hills Golf and Nation Membership, Kaplan was capable of apply for and earn an Evans scholarship, a program that helps caddies pay for school.

“The scholarship is estimated to be about $120,000 to $125,000 which is life-changing for about anybody,” Kaplan mentioned.

He earned the scholarship throughout his senior 12 months of highschool. He is now a rising junior at Michigan State, majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Kaplan hopes to go to dental college after faculty.

“Truly, humorous sufficient, assembly members right here who’re dentists and I am really capable of shadow with these members,” he mentioned.

There are 58 caddies in this system at Warwick Hills, which is run by Fred Devendorf. As soon as a caddie himself in 1957, Devendorf mentioned the expertise of carrying golf equipment as a teen was a formative one for him and is a optimistic one for younger folks.

“It was great,” Devendorf mentioned. “You bought the chance to stroll, be taught, work together with adults that as 15, 16 12 months olds, you do not usually get to do.”

Devendorf mentioned that Kaplan is a superb caddie himself, with one caveat.

“The one factor he does not say is he does not praise me on my good photographs,” he mentioned. “The issue is, I haven’t got many good photographs.”

Steve Anderson has used Kaplan as a caddie for the previous 4 years. He is pleased with Kaplan for utilizing a summer time job and turning it right into a future profession for himself.

“It has been a pleasure seeing him develop and graduate highschool and now go on to Michigan State and I really like the Evans scholar program as a result of I get to be taught from them they usually be taught from us,” Anderson mentioned.

Kaplan nonetheless spends his summers caddying on the golf course. He desires to make use of his expertise to assist different caddies maximize networking alternatives on the golf course.

“Even in case you do not suppose you may get after an Evans scholarship, it is at all times value attempting,” Kaplan mentioned. “That is what I at all times inform caddies. And even when you do not get it, you could find jobs, you could find connections. There is a member in each subject right here.”