Kelly Whaley thinks she’d caddied maybe once in her life, for her mom, before she took a job at Seminole Golf Club last November. Knowing that she likely wouldn’t get her first start on the Symetra Tour until May due to limited status, Whaley decided to that she needed to make some money.
Her mother, PGA of America president Suzy Whaley, thought caddying would be a good gig. After an email and a short phone call interview with Seminole head pro Bob Ford, Kelly found herself in the caddie yard in no time. At the time, she was the only female looper.
“My first time going there,” she said, “it’s so private, and you just feel so special when you enter the grounds.”
On Sunday, the renowned club will make its debut on national television for the TaylorMade Driving Relief charity skins match featuring Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.
Whaley, who played college golf at North Carolina, said she stopped working at the club in March when golf courses were shut down in South Florida due to the coronavirus outbreak. She lives with her family at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, about 20 minutes away from Seminole.
Whaley said her first loop around Seminole was with a family friend, so that made her feel more comfortable. The caddie attire at Seminole consists of a white collared shirt, khakis and bib. Her biggest whiff was a dead range finder mid-round. She quickly learned to carry extra batteries.
Members were generous tippers, she said, which will help fund travel when tournament golf cranks up again. She’s signed up for several upcoming Women’s All Pro Tour events in Arkansas and Texas. The Symetra Tour is scheduled to restart in July.
Last year she received four sponsor exemptions on the Symetra Tour and opened with a 66 in her first round to co-lead the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic in her first start.
“I think that really helped me for this year to prepare,” she said.
There were more 60 caddies over the winter at Seminole, she said, and several were also pursuing their dreams of professional golf. Whaley said she was able to play the Donald Ross treasure as many as four days a week if the tee sheet was quiet. Playing on Seminole alongside aspiring Tour players proved a tremendous learning opportunity for the young pro.
The caddying helped too.
“Reading greens for someone else, you’re so much more focused,” said Whaley, “which sounds crazy because you want to play the best when you’re playing. But you’re trying not to screw up – you pay attention to every little thing, things I’ve never really thought of when I was playing.”
The 15th hole is Whaley’s favorite. It’s a par 5 that plays safe down the left side (they call it A1A after a local highway) and shorter down the riskier right side (there’s water). She likes that it was Arnold Palmer’s favorite hole too.
“I had a chance to play not too long ago,” she said. “It was super quick – the greens were like a 13.”
Depending, of course, on how her other job goes, she’d love to be back there working next winter.
Who could blame her?
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