Jeff "Big Hash" Greenswag - Cherry Hills CC
What is your full name (and Nickname if you have one)?
Jeff Greenswag
aka Swag, Greenie, Big Hash
When did you first start playing golf?
I've been around the game since I was a baby, but didn’t really start playing until High School and didn’t get any good until I was in my mid 30s.
When did you start caddying?
13 years old
Do you remember your first loop?
I don’t remember my first loop, but I do remember the training…The WGA had some great little pamphlets on how to caddie as part of the Evans Scholar program, and the caddie master and head pro had like 30-40 13 year old kids each carrying a bag marching around the course, raking bunkers, fixing divots, getting yardages. So chaotic.
How long have you caddied at your current course?
This is my 5th season at Cherry Hills Country Club
What are the conditions like at your course? Is there anything in particular that makes it tough, or easy?
Conditions are world class. They have 3 shifts of maintenance workers who are on property doing something for probably 18 hours a day. It’s wild. The rough is some sort of bluegrass mixture and the blades are very fine and sticky and the ball sinks to the bottom. It’s 4-5” in some places. We regularly lose balls in the rough. You've got to be super diligent about watching wayward shots.
Have you caddied anywhere else?
Grew up looping at twin orchard cc in long grove, IL…Michael Jordan was a member and I got to loop for him a few times. Then when I came to Colorado for school in 2006 I looped at Denver Country Club and Castle Pines Golf Club. I ended up leaving golf for the cannabis industry for about 11 years and have been at Cherry Hills since.
What are the differences between the courses you’ve worked at?
It’s night and day. TOCC was a great facility but it wasn’t the wealthiest club, the best courses, etc…When you start talking about Cherry Hills and Castle Pines, you’re getting into the realm of world class facilities hosting major championships. The caddie program at TOCC was large, but a little more casual. At Castle and Cherry, we wear white jumpers. The level of service and professionalism at Cherry is insane. And, we have three caddies in our ranks on pro tours…I’m hoping to join them at some point.
Do you live close to the course you loop at? Can you take us through your commute and mornings at the course before you get on the grass?
We use club up app for loop assignments so I learn when I’m working the evening before. We are expected to show an hour before our loop to be ready to greet our players and take care of them on the range. I live relatively close to the club, it’s anywhere from an 18-30 minute drive depending on the traffic.
Has caddying improved your own golf game?
Maybe a little from a course management stand point, but that’s my best skill set anyway. What really improved my game was getting on a trackman 4 nights a week for a year and a half and learning how to hit the ball better.
What are some typical things that players do that drive you nuts?
Going for the hero shots and creating more trouble for themselves than they should. Let’s hit the shot we can pull off 8/10 times, not the one that we are successful 2/10 times on. You do that over and over and over and in time, scores come down.
What are some typical things that players do that you love?
Pay cash…haha! I love when a player wants their caddie to be involved. I really enjoy feeling like a team out there. Don’t get me wrong there’s great loops where the members just want to know pin yardage and make sure you don’t lose a ball, but the ones where you can walk and talk and connect and learn about each other and develop relationships are the best ones. When you get in sync and you can club someone and you read putts at similar speeds and they start dropping…love those vibes.
Are there any indicators that a golfer will be a good player or bad player?
I think a set of slightly older equipment that’s well worn in an older, faded collegiate bag would be an awesome indicator…But the amazing thing about golf is there’s no hiding. You can either get it done on THIS shot or you can’t. That reveals itself on the range before the round. Very clear who can play and who can’t once you see them get going.
Who is the ideal person to loop for?
The ideal loop would be a solid player, call it an 8 handicap or so…not so good they don’t need you but definitely good enough that they can go shoot a number. They have a light bag that is a single strap and can be carried on either shoulder. They have more money than they know what to do with and pay well beyond what is expected/anticipated…oh yeah, and there’s two of them and I’m double bagging.
Do you have any one-liners you like to use on the course?
"You know, the great thing about golf is once you start swinging the club right the ball is gonna go exactly where you want it."
"Let’s just hit a little choke and poke."
"If we hit the ball in the hole in a few less shots are score is gonna be way better."
"Putting speed on my reads are all to, but not through the hole…high and soft baby."
What is the weirdest thing you’ve found in a player's bag?
Stacks and stacks of the really nice napkins from the halfway house bathroom…she liked to take the home with her and figured she was paying for them anyway.
How do you help your players play better? How do you help them have a good time?
Depends on the player because everyone is different, but my advice usually comes from a place of gratitude. I mean, how lucky are we to be on this golf course in this moment…nothing really matters in terms of how well or poorly you play. No one cares how well you play, just how you are to play with. Once we get the focus on enjoying the opportunity at hand the swings loosen up and we start to have more fun.
Do you like to focus completely on golf or more on the social aspect of caddying?
I love it all…it’s about providing whatever experience the players need, which sometimes I’ll just ask, 'what do you want out of me as a caddie today?'. Sometimes it’s a business thing and they say, just make sure my guests enjoy themselves, and then we are telling jokes and stories, and entertaining to a certain extent…sometimes they’re playing a big money game and need your decision making or green reading skills…my favorite is probably like a Friday afternoon, 2:30 loop…the successful guy who brings out his college or high school buddies and they fall back into their old routines…throwing a few back on the course before finishing up as the sun begins to set before they go on to a steak dinner and scotch. Everyone has fun, the day is beautiful and the experience is second to none.
Overall, what is your favorite thing about caddying?
The opportunity to build relationships.
Do you have a favorite caddie story?
Ok, so this is from personal experience…I was caddying for a guy who has a lot of money, but maybe not so many good relationships and he was known for playing money games with a tour pro…tour pro is a +7 and the member is a 22 handicap. He only gets 24 shots…the odds are already not in his favor. Tour pro remarks to me at one point...if (unnamed member) wants to help pay for my travel expenses on tour I won’t stop him, I’m here to work. Mind you, they are playing $100 Banker, and this member triples every single par 3, and he rarely hits a green in reg. Anyway, we get out to 17 and he miraculously has a putt at a 4 for 3 to catch up on the serious hole he has dug himself into. He looks at me and says, "if I miss this putt, this putter is going into that fucking lake." Well he missed the putt and the putter went for a swim. This is probably a $1200 circle T scotty with a big fat grip on it so believe it or not, it floats…the top end of the grip bobbing up and down. We finish the round and he pulls me aside…I’ll give you $300 to get that putter for me…say no more. I got a ride down to the lake, took off my jumper and waded in. Got the putter and had it placed in his locker. Over the next 6 weeks or so I’d see said member every so often and he’d say, I got that $$ for you, but he never paid. Word got around the caddie yard and a senior caddie who is a super stand up dude mentioned this to another member who has played money games with the putter throwing member regularly. This senior caddie comes marching up to me one day on the course, mid round and hands me the $300. He said his member took care of it and will get the $$ from the putting throwing member. Putter throwing member sees me the next day and says, "what the fuck man, I was going to pay you"…I said I’d been around and he’d had the opportunity. It wasn’t my fault, the senior caddie and standup member took it upon themselves to handle his debt. I haven’t caddied for that member since.
Have you gained/learned anything from caddying?
Success in life is all about relationships.
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