Eight Minnesota Caddies Earn Evans Scholarship

Caddie Program

“Caddieing changed my life. It broke me out of my shell,” reflects Savannah Hartinger, a senior at Totino-Grace High School and caddie from North Oaks Golf Club. “I used to barely be able to talk to anyone, let alone adults, and now I’m able to confidently give a 40-minute presentation in front of all of my teachers and give a speech in front of my whole school.” Caddieing at North Oaks made it possible, says Hartinger. 

One suspects that there’s more to Hartinger’s success than carrying a golf bag over 18 holes, but her story of poise gained on and off the links, and her hard-earned grades in school and beyond, is emblematic of all caddie-scholars who have earned the coveted Evans Scholarship. 

So it went on February 1 at Wayzata Country Club, where eight Minnesota high school seniors (winnowed from a group of 26 Evans Scholar applicants) met with an audience of more than 100 participants, including Evans alumni, donors, educators, golf club staff and Western Golf Association (WGA) staff and directors. With some attending virtually, the hybrid format allowed everyone to meet the highly accomplished young men and women who were selected based on their academic record, leadership activities, caddie record and their family’s financial need.

The eight high school seniors join the largest caddie scholarship program in the country. More than two dozen similar selection meetings were held recently, awarding 340 scholarships to 24 colleges and universities in the fall. There are currently a record 1,130 caddies enrolled as Evans Scholars across the nation and over 12,000 alumni. Minnesota has more than 700 alumni. 

After winning the 1916 U.S. Open at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Chick Evans turned down his golf prize money and other related revenue to start the Evans Scholarship Program for young caddies. The first Evans Scholars attended Northwestern University in 1930. In 1954, Jim Lange from Midland Hills CC was the first Evans Scholar to attend the University of Minnesota. 

In 2030, the WGA will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Evans program. They have established ambitious goals for the centennial, including increasing the annual number of scholars from 1,000 to 1,500, making the organization more diverse and doubling the number of youth caddie opportunities. The Minnesota WGA volunteer directors, working in concert with local club staff, club leaders, community leaders, the WGA/ESF and the team at the MGA, are creating plans to strengthen local caddie programs to support those goals. 

Jack Mendesh is the MGA’s caddie development manager and can be reached at caddie@mngolf.org.